Biopics are no new thing in film. 2007 saw its fair share: Jane Austen, Beatrix Potter and Truman Capote have all had screen time recently. Musicians Ray Charles and Johnny Cash also received attention in recent years. But not one biography of an artist has gripped me like La Vie en Rose, the summer release based on the life of legendary French singer Edith Piaf which I saw for the first time the other night.
Aside from the tragic life that made for fast-paced and wrenching storytelling, Piaf's original music fantastically illustrates the atmosphere of France before and after World War II. Her gutteral tone--almost speaking on pitch-- is so closely associated with French folk singing that I, not having heard any particular Edith Piaf recordings before this movie, instinctively understood the cultural setting of the movie.
Also remarkable about this film is the performance of Marion Cotillard, who plays Edith Piaf. It's hard to believe Cotillard is the beautiful young woman who co-stars with Russell Crowe in A Good Year. And it's hard to believe that the same actress plays Piaf through all her adult years; she changes so dramatically in her appearance and demeanor as her character grows older and more sickly.
I have already searched iTunes for Piaf's best-loved songs. Her voice, while not always beautiful, spoke the language of a whole people.
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