12 March 2012 My film choice is La vie en rose which chronicles the life and times of French singer and

international phenomenon, dith Piaf. Unlike conventional biographical films, I thought it was interesting that the narrative was presented in a non-linear form. Although at times I found that the jumping back and forth between scenes a rather fractured approach and made it quite challenging to focus exactly on what is happening in the movie, I believed the nonlinear narrative was employed such as to emphasize that the events of Piafs life were as how she remembers them in her last years rather than as how they actually happened had they been depicted in a linear manner. In some sense, this gives La vie en rose a more authentic feel, as it is not merely a predictable retelling of events but Piafs life as how she would most likely recall it. This technique is helpful given the fact that dith Piaf is not alive herself to oversee production as well as having written no autobiography. The first half hour of the film had already been captivating; the audience feels extreme sympathy for young Piaf who is neglected by her mother and maternal grandmother to the extent that it borders on child abuse. Her persistent moving around in homes at such a young age would definitely not been easy for a child like herself, especially since she was raised in surroundings that are typically unfit circumstances to raise a child: a brothel and a circus. However, either of these contexts involve a considerable level of stage performance and of satisfying an audience, whether it was to carry out perverse demands from clients or to put on a magnificent show of acrobatics to impress onlookers. It was these backgrounds, albeit rough ones, that fostered a talent for show business in dith Piaf who had grown to be a feisty independent spirit. Furthermore, what struck me was the kindness and love the women in the brothel showed towards young Piaf as compared to the performers in the circus. For people in a trade that was naturally frowned upon by society, they appeared to be more virtuous than the circus performers who insisted Piaf earn her keep and saw her merely as a burdensome stupid

child. Not only had the women gone even so far as to look after dith when she develops blindness induced by keratitis but they travel to Lisieux to pray to St. Thrse to alleviate her from her illness. A final observation was how I noticed bits of Titines charm and feistiness peeking through in grown up Piaf (a similarity in the scenes where dith is taken away from Titine and Momone is separated from dith to go to boarding school later on), no doubt a product of Titine being the most impactful mother figure to young dith. 13 March 2012 As the film progresses, one begins to understand the initial scenes where dith Piaf is depicted at the beginning of the movie. Louis Leple, a night club owner and diths manager whom she affectionately refers to as Papa Leple (implying her admiration of him as a parental figure) is abruptly assassinated where she is deemed a suspect. Coupled with Momones departure, dith experiences anguishing loneliness without warning, while not even at the zenith of her singing career. I begin to make sense of her troubled relationships in her later life, keeping this and her unstable childhood in mind. However, she later on forms an attachment to Marcel Cerdan, the man she deems as the love of her life and befittingly, her trademark song of which the movie is named after, La vie en rose, plays in the background as she finds herself having fallen in love with him. Unfortunately, her happiness with Marcel was short lived as news of his death on a plane crash abruptly reaches Piaf, reminiscent of the many partings she had to cope with. In the scene where she learns of this, what I interpreted was that Piafs only true love disappears as suddenly as he had entered the room, an allegory for his presence in her life. Towards the end of the scene, a stage and an audience is seen as she enters a room directly after her tearful realization. This left an impression that her career is the sole remainder of all she loves in her life now that Marcel is gone and refers to how immediately she must resume her commitment to show business.

Ultimately, this scene also foreshadows the near suicidal devotion to her music as it takes precedence over her own physical health. 14 March 2012 The music of La vie en rose was a truthful representation of the times Piaf was living in, from my perspective. Coupled with the costumes, the setting, the cinematography down to the little idiosyncrasies of every supporting actor, Oliver Dahan has successfully recreated the societies Piaf was living in therefore also making this a unique period film as it covers approximately three decades. Casting Marion Cotillard to perform as both young Piaf and with extensive make up as elder Piaf was a good decision on Dahans part as not only did she bear a striking resemblance to the singer but there would be no creative differences between two people thus causing an inconsistency in the performance of the same character had there been another actress. Cotillards performance was impressive as well as it was convincing, as she portrays La Mme Piaf as true to her name; a nervous young singer of small stature, a little sparrow indeed. The same actress then portrays a larger than life sensation that is dith Piaf a decade later, now highly successful, no longer uncertain but able to do whatever she pleases. Watching this film has anchored the fact that dith Piaf remains a significant cultural influence even long after her death. A prominent example of this is the recent and highly successful film, Inception which coincidentally starred Cotillard as well. Hans Zimmer, the composer of Inception has created the entire movie soundtrack based solely on Piafs balled Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien as all the music in the score is subdivisions and multiplications of the tempo of the Edith Piaf track (Michaels, 2010). Coincidentally as well, Piaf is seen performing Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien during the poignant closing scene to the film. I found it significant that the movie does not end with Piafs death but focuses rather on this song which gave me the impression that despite Piafs tumultuous life beginning with her

poverty-stricken childhood to the alcohol and morphine fuelled life of a famous songbird that ultimately led to her demise, she regrets nothing, not the good times she had, not the pain. 16 March 2012 Reflecting back on the film in its entirety, I was impressed by Cotillards performance as she portrayed Piaf in various stages of her life, spanning her entire adult life. Having read about dith Piafs career and personal life, Cotillard brought the French singer to life on film as how I would have imagined her to be and more. Cotillards expressions, from her large doleful eyes as she portrays Piafs stage fright at her first theatre performance to her wit and manner of speech that elucidate just why dith Piafs audience was so taken by her magnetic presence. Although the film was overall well-received, I find that it misses a crucial point in Piafs life: her actions during Nazi occupied France. Being a biopic that takes place during the 1940s depression era, I thought it might have included more of her performances in German Forces social gatherings, which sparked controversy as she was considered a traitor by many (Wikipedia). In fact this element was overlooked much to the disappointment of several critics who thus labelled the film superficial and not as insightful as hoped to be (Metacritic, 2007). Despite the negative reactions, I personally view this film as one that is worthy of its awards, particularly because Cotillard practically carries La vie en rose to its level of distinction on her own. Oliver Dahan presented a sufficiently marvellous portrait of the time and times of dith Piaf, as it encompasses the noteworthy events that hallmark the various stages of her life. I reflect on this film and think of my own personal life as though it is nowhere close to the tragedy Piaf had suffered, she endures it all, and triumphs as someone who had never lost focus on the greatest thing she could offer the world and that was her voice. In relation to myself, I only hope that I could carry myself with such conviction through adversity and not waiver through my ambition, just like the conclusion to La vie en

rose where the final and most impressionable illustration is not of dith Piafs death but a final performance of a memorable song that embodies her entire life as she had put it.

Works Cited

dith Piaf. Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. n.d. Web, 15 March 2012. Read user reviews at Metacritic. Metacritic. CBS Interactive Inc, n.d. Web. 15 March 2012. Michaels, Sean. Inception soundtrack created entirely from Edith Piaf song. The Guardian. Guardian News and Media Limited. 29 July 2010. Web. 14 March 2012.