La Vie En Rose is the biography of infamous French songstress Edith Piaf (played by Marion Cotillard). The film focuses on the often tragic circumstances of her life, from a young child in 1918 Paris, to an elderly, bed ridden woman in 1963.
Edith was abandoned by her mother at a young age while her father fought for France during World War I. He returned home briefly from the war to re-locate Edith to Normandy, where she lived with her Grandmother, who owned and ran a brothel. There she was seen as an angel by the prostitutes who helped take care of her, especially by Titine (Emmanuelle Seigner) who developed a strong emotional attachment to her. Also during this time Edith suffered from meningitis, and was blind for several months.
When her father - a gifted acrobat - returned from the war, she accompanied him as he roamed the land with a travelling circus. Afterwards, they made a living busking in the streets of Paris, where Edith found her singing voice. This voice will make her a worldwide sensation. However this did not deter pain and heartbreak from haunting her every turn.
A lot of this comes from her extraordinary string of bad luck with the men in her life. Her father treated Edith like dirt, and offered her little happiness. Louise (Gerard Depardieu), a nightclub owner in Paris (who Edith affectionately called "Papa"), saw her potential and gave her the break which propelled her to stardom. He also gave her the name "Piaf", which is French for sparrow. However, Louis would be killed and Edith would be paraded in front of the press as a criminal, since the murderer's were former friends of Edith's looking for money.
Louise's associate, Raymond Asso (Marc Barbe) would take Edith under his wing, proving to be a hard task master whilst transforming her style and demeanour into the entertainer known today.
Finally, there is Marcel (Jean-Pierre Martins), a married boxer with whom she had an affair. He would die in a plane crash.
The film also looks at Edith's drinking problem, and her dependence on pain killers after breaking her ribs in a car crash. Attention is also placed on Edith's strong spirituality, and her dedication to St.Theresa who visited Edith in an apparition. Edith was also visited by Marcel's spirit, just before hearing the news of his death.
French actress Marion Cotillard delivers a stunning performance as Edith Piaf, inhabiting the role with eerie precision, taking on the look, the mannerisms, the hunched posture, and the voice to great effect. Cotillard does not sing in the movie, yet her ability to lip synch in such a superb fashion - along with the excellent work by the films sound department - magnificently creates the illusion that it is Cotillard's voice we are hearing. Cotillard also benefits from an excellent job by the makeup department, who have transformed the beautiful actress extremely well.
Director Olivier Dahar has implemented a back and forth structure, which makes for unique and engrossing viewing, with Editor Richard Marizy doing a great job helping create a lucid and free flowing film.Cinematographer Tetsuo Negata provides excellent cinematography, using as much natural light as possible while highlighting the films dark textures and gothic tones.Olivier Raoux's production design successfully captures the architecture and ambience of 1930' Paris, as do those involved with the art direction, set decoration, and costume design.
For those who know there Piaf history, the crushing reveal near the films end would not come as a surprise. For others (including myself) the films final moments are a shocking and moving few scenes which will haunt and inspire the soul upon completion.