La Vie en Rose (2007)

Memorable and haunting!

Marion Cotillard's portrayal of Edith Piaff is one of the best personifications of a trouble star. I watched this story and could not even take a break. La Piaff's life was anything but normal, and listening to her songs is an unforgetable experience for anyone who liked her style. Highly recommended. August 27, 2008

+Le Vie En Rose

I enjoyed the movie. UI have seen it 7 times at the movies. The only thing that disappointed me, was the when she sang in French, there were no English subtiles. I loved the song No Regrets, but without the subtile, I was disappointed. August 11, 2008

Great performance, hugely flawed DVD

Marion Cotillard's brilliant performance is reason enough to watch this film. Yes, the film ran a bit long and the number of flashbacks made it tiresome, but Cotillard is unforgettable.

What is really annoying, though, is that the DVD producers chose to subtitle only the spoken dialog and not the lyrics of the songs. Perhaps it's Gallic arrogance that assumes that the entire world knows Piaf's songs and anyone who doesn't know them is beyond redemption anyway, but unless your command of the French language is very good (and mine isn't) you'll miss a good deal of the drama. Case in point: toward the end of the movie the aging Piaf chooses a specific song for a concert late in her career, "Non, Je ne Regrette Rien." It's a personal anthem which is both defiant and reflective which says I regret nothing and don't give a d*** about the past. Those lyrics become an apologia for Piaf's life and are absolutely appropriate for the final song of the film--why weren't those lyrics (and those of the other songs as well) subtitled? It's a particularly egregious and unforgivable omission in a movie about a passionate singer and the songs which reflected her turbulent life. August 10, 2008

Incredible portrayal!

La Vie en Rose is one of the best biographical films I've seen. Marion Cotillard's portrayal of Edith Piaf was amazing. I can remember hearing Edith Piaf recordings when I was a teenager and being entranced by her voice. The film brings out the emotion and passion behind that incredible voice. I highly recommend this film to those who love her music and want to know more about the person behind the voice. August 8, 2008

Flashbacks!

This could have been a great movie. Great acting and great cinematography. Unfortunately, the excessive use of flashbacks makes this movie choppy and confusing. It was as though the editor had just discovered flashbacks and wanted to use as many as possible. The movie was so depressing and the editing so poor that I found myself wishing that Edith would hurry up and die so that the movie would be over and I wouldn't have to see another flashback. August 4, 2008

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