La vie en rose, 2007
(La môme)
dir. Olivier Dahan
Starring: Marion Cotillard, Sylvie Testud, Pascal Greggory
3.2/5
When I was in my first film course, one of the biggest assignments we had to do was pick a film – either foreign or female directed – take a 15-minute clip from the film, and analyze it into six pages. I was to dissect the clip based on the color, lighting, camera angles, cinematography, music, and so much more and explain why it was used, how it was used, if it was significant, if it was effective. Despite being a small paper, it was still a pretty big deal in my world.
The film I chose was La vie en rose, simply because it was foreign and I had been meaning to watch it for years. It covered the entirety of Edith Piaf’s life: her humble beginnings, first true love, horrible health, and tragic death.
This movie actually surprised me. I was really excited to see it, having listened to Piaf’s music and being aware of her tragic life. However, it was actually kind of dull and didn’t reflect Piaf in the way I thought I had learned her to be. I do think it was a good biographical film, but I was a little too worked up, perhaps.
Favorite thing: The scene I analyzed, which began with Piaf having a romantic night in with her love interest, Marcel Cerdan, and ending with the realization of his death, was remarkably beautiful, whether you watched it in an analytic perspective or not.
Worst thing: I usually like Marion Cotillard, but her performance was almost a joke to me. I just couldn’t take her seriously, and despite her looking an awful lot like Piaf, she really didn’t have much else going for her. I would have liked to see Audrey Tautou instead.
Should you watch it? Not unless you really want to.
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