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SYNOPSIS:
From the slums of Paris to the limelight of New York, Edith
Piaf’s life was a battle to sing and survive, live and
love. Raised in poverty, Edith’s magical voice and her
passionate romances and friendships with the greatest names
of the period - Marlene Dietrich, Yves Montand and others-
made her a star all around the world. The true story of her
incredible destiny opens a window onto the artist’s
soul and into a woman’s heart.
MOVIE
REVIEW
Remember
back in "Saving Private Ryan" when Captain John
Miller and gang were listening to an operatic record by a
female singer right before the climatic finale. They were
musing how melancholy the song was and yet, personally to
me (and others), that was the most lovely voice ever heard
in a movie.
That
female singer is Edith Piaf and her life which you will discover
in La Vie en Rose, was as melancholy as that song played in
Saving Private Ryan. Covering from her days as a child to
her deathbed, viewers will get an insight look into the charmed
life of a very talented artist and the pitfalls she faced.
However
La Vie en Rose was not an easy autobiography to follow. The
non chronological method of story telling that jump back and
forth to Edith Piaf’s life will be a trying experience
for certain viewers. Another irritation with this memoir was
that it took assumption that the viewers are well aware of
the lead character’s life and didn’t take the
time to construct the background story of certain characters.
For example, it didn’t take the time to explain how
Edith Piaf got into the predicament with a pimp as boyfriend
(Adrian) and how she got extorted into performing on the streets
so that she won’t be forced into prostitution. When
Adrian suddenly appears to collect money from Edith Piaf,
it would leave those who are new to the stories of Edith Piaf
scratching their head.
But this
few nuisance with this movie would eventually subside as the
patient viewers venture deeper into the movie. There are milestone
moments when she received her training and the fears she went
through before her first theatrical performance. It’s
particularly interesting to see how talented people have their
own self doubts, worries and problem to go through before
hitting the big times. There are also memorable moments when
the film brought out the segment when Edith and the time spent
with the greatest love of life.
Even
the non- chronological way of story telling could be appreciated
as it tried to contrast certain events in Edith Piaf’s
life. Showing moments when she is partying hard and the next,
in a mere 20 odd years, she is old fragile lady paying the
price of the hard hitting life she had. It also shows how
her “tramp-like” character remained unchanged
even through the riches and times.
There
are also two other elements that stood out for this movie
and it didn’t go unnoticed by the Oscars committee.
The achievement in make up which subtly transformed the songstress
through the ages in a believable fashion and Marion Cotillard
who gave a performance that was a drastic change from other
memorable roles that she had undertaken before; made her a
worthy Best Actress nominee for this year Oscar.
SPECIAL FEATURES :
NIL.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
There
is nothing to complain about for the disc’s visual transfer.
However there is only the original French audio track and
English or Chinese subtitles to choose from.
MOVIE
RATING:
 
DVD
RATING :
Review
by Richard Lim Jr
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