La Vie en Rose

"Non, rien de rien/Non, je ne regrette rien/Ni le bien, qu'on m'a fait, ni le mal/Tout ça m'est bien égal" (No, nothing really/No, I have no regrets/Neither the good done to me, nor the bad/to me, they're all the same.) - Edith Piaf, La Vie en Rose

As always, boredom took hold of me, again, after an exhausting day. Went to the British Council Office yesterday morning to have my results forwarded to the CGFNS office in line with my Visa Screen application. After which, I took the liberty of looking around for something that would literally kill my profound boredom. So, as always, I sought the refuge of watching the very moving and inspiring movie, "La Vie en Rose." Seriously, you have to watch this amazing movie. Seriously.

Edith Piaf (or Édith Giovanna Gassion), portrayed by French actress and Academy Award Winner, Marion Cottilard, was admired as one of greatest French singers over the last century. Dubbed as the country's best pop singer, her emotional songs clearly reflected her tragic life. Some of her well-known songs include "La vie en rose" (1946), "Hymne à l'amour" (1949), "Milord" (1959), "Non, je ne regrette rien" (1960).

The entire film runs in a non-linear/flashback manner, usually jumping from her humble childhood beginnings in Belleville, France to international stardom in New York, which may either confuse or even irritate a number of people. I actually got a bit perplexed during the early parts of the film but, luckily, I got the hang of it midway. Anyways, I was a bit shocked to learn how she was seriously raised in a borthel by a group of prostitutes. Allegedly, she was blind, or so to speak, for a couple of years due to keratitis, which brought her into the devotion with Saint Therese, thanks to her prostitute nanny, Titine (Emmanuelle Seigner).

Her road to stardom began when she met Louis Leplée (Gérard Depardieu), owner of Le Gerny, while singing for pennies in the streets with Mômone (Sylvie Estud), her confidant. Her remarkable voice captivated the hearts of the upper class which resulted in concerts and tours all over France, even New York. Here she met the married boxer Marcel Cerdan (Emmanuelle Seigner), the so-called love of her life. Their fist date at a diner was so funny: A world-class singer and a famous boxer dinning at a stereo-typical American diner for a first date?! Wow. Talk about cheesy. Haha. :) Anyways, the intense love affair came to an end when Marcel died from a plane crash. This incident drove Piaf to depression that stalled her career, thanks to drugs and alcohol.

Two scenes really caught my attention. First, the interview with a reporter at the beach. She was knitting a sweater while being asked a number of reflective questions that seriously made me think, especially the advice part where all she answered was "love." Second, her final performance at the legendary Paris Olympia. One could clearly see the emotion and relevance of the song to Piaf's poignant life. I was teary-eyed during this part! Awwww!

The ending? Hmmm. That would have to be my favorite part of the film. The flashbacks of her life while struggling against the idea of death itself was truly remarkable. The thing is that she was trying to recall certain events over the last few days but her mind was transmitting other images from her past (SPOILER: She had a daughter named Marcelle, I think, that died of meningitis). I like the shot where she was holding a frog as a little girl. Nicely done.

Overall, the whole movie was astounding and elegant; From the cinematography down to the make-up (they won an Academy in this category, too), everything was brilliantly made. Not to mention Cottilard's marvelous portrayal of Piaf, where she was clearly immersed in her role. There was passion in every single scene. She truly deserved that most coveted golden guy as a token for her superb performance. Kudos!

"Oh -- thank you so much. Olivier, what you did to me, Maestro Olivier Dahan, you rocked my life. You truly rocked my life. Thank you so much to Picturehouse for your passion, members of the Academy, thank you so, so much. And -- wow. Well, I'm speechless now. I -- I -- well, I -- thank you life, thank you love, and it is true, there is some angels in this city. Thank you so, so much."

Coffee, anyone?