The Emporer's New Clothes:La Vie's good reviews

There's always this kind of film that channel's certain people's effusive praise. I think they could have written it in Irdu and people will still rave. Over what? Unremarkable singing WITHOUT subtitles for the song; so unless you know French you get uninteresting melody w/o understanding and nothing exceptional in delivery. Her eyes remind one of a sad and spaced out bulldog; the dialogue uninspired. The "real" Piaf voice is from old recordings better left untouched.
The back-and-forth time-line quickly lost its welcome as its irrelevance to anything except confusing teh viewer became apparent. An "art film" one is encouraged to "see" into deeply which held nothing for me.

La Môme Piaf

I have to admit I knew little about Edith Piaf before this movie, even that her nom de plume was that of "the sparrow." So, much of her fascinating story was new to me. What I liked most was the unconventional way in which Olivier Dahan presented her story, told in a series of recollections which became increasingly disjointed as Edith's life began to fall apart. This might be hard for some to follow, as Dahan moves back and forth in time and between concerts to present various aspects of her life. The most charming and poignant scenes were of her relationship to the great French prizefighter, Marcel Cerdan. This had a tremendous impact on her life and was reflected in her singing, as all her experiences were. Piaf touched virtually everyone with the way she sang from deep in the heart, belying her tiny presence. Comparisons to Billie Holiday are made.Marion Cotillard makes no attempt to sing the songs, but she captures the essence of Piaf, taking the role deep to her heart much the way Salma Hayek did with Frida. It is a very moving tribute to the beloved French singer, from her gritty beginning on the streets of Paris to her grand finale at the Olympia.

What a life! Tragedy and Talent.

I had no idea what a tragic life Edith Piaf had until I saw this excellent film. This film will have you on an emotional roller-coaster from start to finish. There is much tragedy here interwoven with the incredible music of Piaf. Marion Cotillard plays the rebellious street-wise Edith, the super-star Edith, and the decrepit Edith falling apart in her alcoholism and addiction. Cotillard's performance is great and she captures each stage of Piaf's life to perfection.

The film follows a trajectory of exploring Edith's tragic childhood, her rise to fame and fortune, and her physical downfall. Edith was taken from her homeless and mentally ill mother and placed in a brothel run by her father's mother. Here she plays with the prostitutes and becomes especially attached to Titine, a young prostitute who bonds strongly with the motherless Edith. Edith becomes blind with an infection of the eyes which eventually heals. She is taken from the brothel to be a circus performer with her father. Here she is exposed to the entertainment business. She eventually earns a living singing in the streets with her lesbian tom-boy street partner. She is discovered by Louis Leplee (played so very well by Gerard Depardieu) the nightclub owner. Unfortunately he is murdered by the criminal elements that surround Edith from her days living in the streets with prostitutes and junkies.

Edith's career is also explored and she becomes a mega-star with loads of talent and loads of attitude. As her fame grows, so does the crowd of old losers, some of which she ejects from her new life. She becomes lovers with boxer Marcel Cerdan (played by the extremely handsome Jean-Pierre Martins) but he is already married and will not divorce his wife for Edith. The scene where Edith believes Marcel has flown to see her is one of the most powerful scenes in the film. The camera follows Edith as she runs around her apartment, trying to find Marcel and wondering why everyone around her is crying.

Her downfall is also documented and portrayed in the film. We see her frail tiny body begin to wear out from too many parties, too much alcohol, and addiction to heroin.

Well, so much for the tragedy. The performances of Piaf's music are stellar and a wonderful aspect of the film. Cotillard lip-syncs the songs of Piaf and these works are strategically placed throughout the film for dramatic effect. The film's art direction is also superb, capturing the warm earth tones of Paris.

In summary, you will be highly entertained by the dramatic and sad life that this tiny woman encountered as she struggles to survive with the incredible gift of her amazing voice.