A Biopic that Tells the Story and Works

Rating: 10/10 (15 July 2007)

First a disclaimer: I have been a Piaf fan since the fifties and even visited her tomb at Pere Lachaise during my last trip to Paris. I still own the complete Odeon collection of 33's of her work.
Marion Cotillard gives a brilliant performance as this miraculous chanteuse whose personal life was quite simply a train wreck. As a couple of reviews have mentioned the inter-cutting flashbacks are difficult to follow, but I think they are what make this film work. They serve to create subplots for a story that has more downward plunge than arc. I can easily understand how they might confuse a viewer unfamiliar with the Piaf story.
The movie starts with the beginning of the end and then cycles through beginnings and endings to tell the sad story and to showcase the music in a way that serves both story and song. It is easy to see how this has started a new Piaf craze among young people in France. It is long and throughly engaging. Biopics are difficult to write and bring to the screen honestly. This one sets a high standard.