La Vie en Rose

Oliver Dahan’s Edith Piaf biopic is a epic triumph, with a flawless Marion Cotillard as France's doomed diva

Oliver Dahan’s epic biopic La Vie en Rose (La Môme) , although somewhat disjointed and twenty minutes too long, reigns resolutely triumphant, chronicling the tragic life of France’s beloved diva Edith Piaf, gorgeously played by a flawless Marion Cotillard. The big-budgeted, majestic blockbuster impressionistically brings to life the story of a rags-to-riches Edith Piaf, whose tragic life distinctively reflected her magically soulful, yet melancholy voice. Writer-director Oliver Dahan ambitiously focuses on Piaf herself as the centrepiece with alarming authenticity, framed by an appropriately surrealistic, fantastical backdrop.

This decision results in a blurred perspective of war and politics, as we remain locked into the heart and mind of the morphine-addicted, cancer -stricken Piaf on her death bed, reminiscing through a series of jumbled flashbacks. Although the strategy works relatively well, the non-linear narrative confusingly jumps back and forth in an effort to cover as many life events as possible, sometimes undermining the film’s fluidity. However, the enormous talent of Dahan’s leading lady and many memorable and inspired sequences- including a spine-tingling conclusion - far outweigh the film’s minor flaws.

Born into poverty in Paris 1915 as the unwanted child of a circus performer and a failed cabaret singer, Edith spent her childhood in her grandmother’s scabby brothel, raised by prostitutes who cared for her while she suffered from a temporary blindness, brought on by conjunctivitis. Bizarrely enough, the prostitutes introduced young Edith to religion by taking her on a pilgrimage to honour Saint Thérèse, allegedly sparking the “miracle” of her recovery. The early event instilled a profound and life-long spirituality in Edith, a theme that Dahan revisits throughout the film, showing how later in life Piaf refused to perform without her beloved crucifix.

By 16, Edith was a street-smart and talented street performer with a penchant for hard liquor, frequenting the decadent 1930s Parisian nightclubs. She was discovered by the Louis Leplée, played by the charming Gerard Depardieu, who helped launch her career as a cabaret singer, giving her a nickname La Môme Piaf (The Sparrow Kid), commenting on her tiny stature and her powerful voice.

Piaf went onto become a huge star in Paris, where she became very much associated with the French resistance movement - a fact which is never mentioned, and criticised for not being included in the film. In following years she achieved worldwide success, even conquering New York, where she met boxer Marcel Cerdan, with whom she fell in love with. His 1949 plane crash death devastated Piaf – a moving sequence which is wonderfully executed in the film, although bordering on the melodrama of Greek tragedy. Her grief, coupled with a car crash she was involved in two years later, resulted in a desperate morphine addiction that she wrestled with until her death in 1963.


Marcel Cerdan (Jean-Pierre Martins) ©Photography Bruno Calvo

La Vie en Rose travels from steam-filled Normandy brothels to Parisian underground cabarets to post-war New York's heaving boxing rings with production values that are absolutely breathtaking. From its atmospheric cinematography to its vibrant art direction, clever lighting and exceptional hair and makeup (Marion Cotillard’s transformation is utterly shocking), the film leaves no visual detail to chance.

And musically, the film’s soaring score equally compliments Piaf’s beautifully restored vocals of the title song (1946), "Hymne à l'amour" (1949), "Milord" (1959), and "Non, je ne regrette rien" (1960). This is, without a doubt, a film meant to be appreciated in the cinema.


Edith Piaf (Marion Cotillard) ©Photography Bruno Calvo

But of course the real star of La Vie en Rose is the exquisite Marion Cotillard as Edith Piaf. The 31-year-old actress expertly plays the troubled Piaf with the perfect combination of anxious vulnerability doubled with a gut confidence and acerbic wit. Cotillard acts from the eyes and effortlessly mimes to Piaf’s vocals with such fervour and urgency that you never once doubt the voice comes from her, or even doubt that you are watching Piaf herself. Cotillard is so eerily capable of impersonating Piaf’s cartoonish mannerisms and her odd, guttural speaking voice that you almost question if the portrayal isn’t parody. Before you can, Cotillard switches gears and exposes a raw humility in the character , constantly making Edith interesting and captivating – most effectively brought to life in an understated sequence where Marlene Dietrich [Caroline Silhol] approaches Piaf at a concert pronouncing Édith’s voice “the soul of Paris".

Cotillard, likewise, captures the soul of Piaf, in a performance that is nothing short of extraordinary.