La Vie en Rose
Life in Pink
Summary:
The french film, La Vie en Rose depicts the tragic life of singer Edith Piaf. Edith lived from 1915-1963 and was born to an alcoholic mother who tried to earn a living singing on the streets in France. Edith's father was in WWI during much of her childhood then became a circus performer after the war ended. Edith suffered through a rough childhood due to her parents instability. While being shuffled around between guardians, young Edith suffered much abuse. The difficlties she faced while growing up influenced not only her actions but also her style of music and her ability to connect with its meaning. The film shifts from large moment to moment in her life and in one scene shows a twenty year old Edith singing on the street corner. Cabaret owner Louis Leplee discovers her here and gives Edith her first big break, singing at his cabaret nightly. While working for Leplee, she parties alot and becomes friends with several mob members. Leplee is murdered and a scandle breaks out involving Edith who breaks down in an interview crying. Edith receives a new vocal coach, Raymond Asso, who forces her to change her singing style; however he helps her achieve greater fame and respect.
In the 1940s, Piaf moves to New York to further her singing career, here she meets French boxer Marcel Cerdan. Even though he tells her of his wife and three children back on the pig farm, they continue their relationship. Edith Piaf attends Marcel's world championship boxing match which he goes on to win. Edith then must spend some time away from Marcel, during this time she greatly misses his company calling him the love of her life. She decides to ask him to come visit her so he gets on a plane; however the plane crashes and Edith must hear the hard news that Marcel has died. Edith is extremely upset by the loss of her love and heads downhill. She moves to Hollywood in the 1950s, marries singer Jacques Pills, and continues performing, but suffers a terrible car accident which postpones her performing as well as starts a morphine addiction which ultimately causes her demise. During her downhill spiral Piaf faints numerous times on stage, ages greatly, and becomes virtually immoble. The movie ends with Edith fulfilling her dream , performing at the Olympia, which would become her final performance.
What kind of film is it?
La Vie en Rose spans across several genres including Drama, Romance, and Biographical. La Vie en Rose also is a musical in a way because Edith constantly performs during the film.
Director:
Olivier Dahan
Actors:
Marion Cotillard (Edith Piaf)
Jean-Pierre Martins (Marcel Cerdan)
Gerard Depardieu (Louis Leplee)
Sylvie Testud (Momone)
Emmanuelle Seigner (Titine)
Year Produced:
2007
Awards:
Cotillard won 7 Best Actress Awards. These came from the Academy Awards, Golden Globes, Golden Space Needle Award, Cesar Awards which is the French Oscars, Czech Lion which is the Czech Republic's Oscars, and the Prix Lumiere which is the French Golden Globe.
The film itself also won awards at the Academy Awards, BAFTA, Ivor Novello 2008, Satellite Awards, Czech Lion, and Cesar Awards.
Youtube Clip:
Did you like the film? Why or why not?
I enjoyed certain elements of the film, however watching it for the first time I grew very frustrated because I spent so much time trying to understand the basic storyline that I could not enjoy the movie and soak it all in. Now that I understand the basic outline of what went on in the story, if I were to watch the film again, I would find it more enjoyable. I did however thouroughly enjoy the music throughout the film. Edith Piaf's voice is so warm and really does portray "the soul of Paris" as said in the movie. I do find Edith's story interesting, so now that I have a better understanding of the events shown in the movie, I would like the film more if I watched it a second time.
Was the film aesthetically beautiful?
The film was indeed aesthetically beautiful in how it portrayed the real, raw struggle Edith Piaf faced. It is refreshing to see how her life was not sugar coated, her emotions were worn on her sleeve. One of the most beautiful scenes of the movie is during the elderly Piaf is being interviewed and is asked what advice she would give to a woman at three different ages. Each time Piaf gently replies "to love". Edith had an extremely tragic love life which ultimately led to her drug abuse, so for her to reply to the question in this way shows a beautiful transformation and acceptance Piaf had found with age and time to reflect.
How does the film compare to an American film of a similar genre? How is it different?
Like many American films involving romance, drama, and music, La Vie en Rose builds up a certain charisma for the character who must meet a tragic fate. The viewer cannot help but root for Edith in her climb to the top and also feels sympathy toward her as she inches toward her demise. Several American films create main characters the audience will become attached to, and villans we root against. La Vie en Rose was different from American films because not everything was so obvious. The viewer is forced to take subtleties found in the film and then piece together major happenings instead of it being made obvious.
What does this film show about the French culture?
La Vie en Rose shows how in France you have the ability to ride off the streets and become something great, this is not available in every culture. Music is highly appreciated in France, this respect opened the door for Edith Piaf and her vocal gifts. The film also shows the French's respect for fine dining. While in New York, Edith Piaf is taken on a date where she is brought a simple sandwich at a diner. She then insists they go to a real restaurant where she effortlessly order a sophisticated meal with wine. Compared to the American culture, the French naturally have a higher standard in terms of sophistication and class.
