La Vie En Rose

Edith Piaf’s life came in all colours but pink.

Born on the streets, raised in a brothel and a circus, she enjoyed singing but didn’t nurture her talent until she was discovered by impresario Louis Leplée. From that moment, her life was a rollercoaster of public success and private hell, including the tragic death of beloved pugilist Marcel Cerdan; drug and alcohol addiction and various health problems.
But her extraordinarily strong spirit kept her going until her untimely death of cancer, at the age of 48.

Plenty of material for a biopic then.

Director Olivier Dahan chooses to concentrate on topical moments instead of following a straight time line.
Thus he prioritises a series of single key episodes in Piaf’s life but leaves the whole sense of it in the background.
And, it must be said, even the choice of the episodes is baffling: why leave Piaf’s secret work for the French Resistance unsaid?
Why not clearly explain the cause of her death?

All things considered, it seems that the director wanted to build up a sensationalist, boisterous piece, focusing on the singer’s personal disgraces but avoiding a proper dig on a deeper level.
This is evident in the scene of Edith’s triumph in a Paris theatre: the whole sequence is a collection of dramatic close-ups on the singer’s face - but her voice is covered by the soundtrack to the film.

The true star of this film is not Edith Piaf, but French actress Marion Cotillard. Her acting is amazing (it seems that the Academy is already taking notes), the historical reconstruction is flawless, and Dahan’s long takes are technically breathtaking.
But all this formal lustre acts as a cover for the shortcomings of a fragmented script that shows a lot, but explains nothing.

In musical terms, this film trades “espressivo” for “forte”: exactly the opposite of what Edith Piaf did with her singing.

Rating

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