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MovieMail's Review
Nicknamed La Môme Piaf (The Little Sparrow) by her first manager, Edith Piaf lead a life as dramatic as one of her passionate performances. Born into poverty, abandoned by her mother, dumped by her father into her grandmother’s brothel and forced to busk on the streets to avoid prostitution, she had lived through a lifetime of toil before her remarkable singing talent was eventually discovered. Trial and tribulation followed her; her manager was murdered, her lover was killed in an plane crash and, as revealed on her death bed, a further sorrow haunted her life. Yet her formidable tenacity and determination helped produce some of the most remarkable music ever recorded.
With her inimitable, gargling vocals, diminutive stature and severe looks (towards the end of her life she looked twice her age), stepping into Piaf’s shoes is no easy task, making Marion Cotillard’s performance all the more extraordinary. Taking Piaf from adolescence to her final days, she effortlessly avoids caricature to recreate this unique icon. There is a superbly directed one-take scene in which Piaf lies in bed with her lover, wanders through the house, learns of his death, returns to an empty bedroom, breaks down, composes herself and wanders on stage for her latest performance. It is a daring moment of unreality that triumphs in being one of the tour de force scenes of the year. Although she mimes to the majority of the songs - who other than Piaf can sing Piaf? - Cotillard’s gestures and expressions make each number an electrifying spectacle.
Although the brilliant title song remains an immortal Piaf performance, there are no prizes for guessing which song completes the film in a final curtain call. Piaf’s delivery of “Je Ne Regrette Rien” remains one of the greatest vocal performances of all time, loaded with a lifetime of trial, tragedy and intense emotion. The irony of the title was not lost on Piaf, and it isn’t lost on Cotillard. Intercut with images from her life as she stands in the spotlight for one last number, and delivered by Cotillard in a performance that encapsulates Piaf’s troubled persona, the effect is, of course, amazing.
Nicknamed La Môme Piaf (The Little Sparrow) by her first manager, Edith Piaf lead a life as dramatic as one of her passionate performances. Born into poverty, abandoned by her mother, dumped by her father into her grandmother’s brothel and forced to busk on the streets to avoid prostitution, she had lived through a lifetime of toil before her remarkable singing talent was eventually discovered.
With her inimitable vocals, diminutive stature and severe looks (towards the end of her life she looked twice her age), stepping into Piaf’s shoes is no easy task, making Marion Cotillard’s performance all the more extraordinary. Taking Piaf from adolescence to her final days, she effortlessly avoids caricature to recreate this unique icon. Although Cotillard mimes to the majority of the songs - who other than Piaf can sing Piaf? - her gestures and expressions make each number an electrifying spectacle.
