DVD review. La Vie en Rose

After work this afternoon I was idiot enough to finally take a look at this. It was a bad day at work, and I didn't need more to depress me.... I bought it about six weeks ago on discount, I think. It is about Edith Piaf.

I grew up with her voice in my head on the radio. Manchester is a dual language city, or was then. There was this radio show weekly, the Franco American radio hour. The moderator spoke funny english, and the songs were in French. Chansons. I never learned the language correctly, but if you are that young, you get the 'sense' of what is being said, you know? And every time he played Edith Piaf, I really perked up and listened and was sorry that I didn't understand everything of the text. Tonight I just learned that she died in 1955, so I would have been six. And I did NOT know that 'je ne regrette rien' was that last thing she recorded.

Some years ago, went to a performance of 'Piaf!' starring a Swiss actress/singer, and she absolutely blew the audience away. I actually had the pleasure of speaking to her on the phone once. Her son was trying out for acting school here, and didn't make it on the first try.

The kid is adorable, and will make is way, am sure.... The father is also a formidable actor/director.

The play as preformed was not exactly flattering. But glossed over an lot of other things. in her life.

This film is a German-French production, so you have to KNOW it's going to be definitive. All the fucking warts on. But it does not matter. It was prduced by Bernhard Eichinger, of 'The Boat'. directed by Tom Twicker of 'Lola Runs'. Marion Cotillard as Piaf can fuck your mind to eternity. And Gerard Depardieu wasn't even recognisable.

So yes, very negative. But also about what forges you to become a real artist. And what, in the real world you have to pay for it, in loss of dignity, respect, and so on.

Recently, have been become very IRRITATED with flimmakers who have this THING about doing non-linear story lines! Robert Altman was the master, and just STOP, please...

It will not help the dumbing down of America,

At the end of this one I cried buckets.

I could so identify.......