One of the best movies I have seen in a long, long, time.

Rating: 10/10 (4 August 2007)

I have just returned from seeing this movie, and I cannot get it out of my head. I think that it is a tour de force of movie making. The individual performances, especially that of Marion Cotillard as Edith Piaf, are breathtaking. The direction is flawless, surprising, and as satisfying as the acting. The cinematography should be used in film schools as a textbook of how to shoot close-ups. The set design is so effective that it puts you in the scene quickly, before you realize it. The atmosphere and the quality of the movie is sustained through the entire 140 minutes, which felt like 14 minutes to me. I did not want the movie to end.
When the movie ended, no one left. Besides applauding, everyone sat and looked at the screen, reading the names as if they were a part of the movie.
And then there were the songs. They alone, as sung by Edith Piaf, are enough to lift your spirits, without any of the superb acting. Together, the effect was too much for me. My eyes were moist during most of the movie. I predict a few Oscars in 2008.