La vie en rose

Rating: 2/10 (26 April 2007)

Artistic liberty is often taken by writers/Directors but Piaf's character was so exaggerated by the filmmaker that I came out of the theater disappointed to say the least. Only a week or so ago I had read in a French magazine that people that had known Piaf weren't happy with the portrayal as it stood. I saw La vie en rose at a premiere in Los Angeles, with its 24 million dollars budget,this film does not answer the burning questions or expectations from an audience in love with the music of Edit Piaf.The film opens up in complete silence. One would expect from the get go to hear Piaf's voice soaring above us all in an engaging well known song,to get us excited,only silence for the longest time. She is portrayed as a drunk and a drug addict from early childhood. Her "erratic " behavior overshadows her artistry. Not once are we treated to moments in Piaf's life where we can witness her amazing drive and discipline to learn and interpret songs. Not once is it mentioned that she was the voice of Paris in world war 2, that period in time is totally ignored(In fact around me people were buzzing about it). But most importantly what should grab you is that extraordinary voice filled with all the joy and sorrow, in Olivier dahan"La vie en rose",the majority of the songs are interpreted by a would be imitator of Piaf(Jill Aigrote),only without that deep emotional chilling extraordinary voice. Only 2 or 3 songs were of Piaf singing herself. Where did the 24 million dollars go? They should have gone to at least cover the rights to the original recordings or find the right someone that would not have imitated Piaf but rather bring in that tour de force in her own right. Although the actress, thanks to brilliant make up, changes from the young Piaf to the older Piaf,she stills lip-synchs and that bothers me, I am always conscient of it while watching the film which is tooooooo long.Piaf's diction was legendary,in this film she has a speech problem(at times it reminded me of Jerry Lewis and his antics). The scenes are edited frantically to go back and forth in time endlessly, in fact at the end of the movie, the Director brings in this bizarre revelation of Piaf's child dying as a child, which belonged in the beginning of the film, so out of place. There 's a scene shot in Palm Spring showing Piaf being interviewed by an American journalist while she is knitting by the ocean. I missed something,there are no beaches in Palm springs.
They have Piaf drunk and drugged from childhood, always bent in two, walking like an old person from the age of 17 on. In "La vie en rose" she became a caricature and a parody far from the real persona. Just listen to Piaf's recordings, it's all in there: discipline,focus,hard work,sobriety(you had to be sober sometime to have recorded so many songs and so perfectly). That's never shown in the film.
Olivier dahan admiited it himself,he never wrote a script before,why tackle such a legend for his first try? Almodovar,Veber,Scorcese,he is not,it's evident.
I give an award to the make up artist, and to Marion Cotillard for putting up with it(Audrey Tautou turned down the role,she was filming the da Vinci code)