AUTHOR: Robert TITLE: La Vie en Rose DATE: 1/04/2008 08:11:00 PM ----- BODY: Over the last couple of days, Adam and I watched a particularly enthralling film called "La Vie en Rose" click here to find out more about it on IMDB. The actual title of the movie is "La Mome" -- which makes it a bit difficult to find onn IMDB, seeing as it was re-titled for the US, but only late in the game. The movie is the life story of Edith Piaf -- here's a quote:
An un-chronological look at the life of the Little Sparrow, Edith Piaf (1915-1963). Her mother is an alcoholic street singer, her father a circus performer, her paternal grandmother a madam. During childhood she lives with each of them. At 20, she's a street singer discovered by a club owner who's soon murdered, coached by a musician who brings her to concert halls, then quickly famous. Constant companions are alcohol and heartache. The tragedies of her love affair with Marcel Cerdan and the death of her only child belie the words of one of her signature songs, "Non, je ne regrette rien." The back and forth nature of the narrative suggest the patterns of memory and association.
There's this one scene -- It was amazing to me -- the directorial brio that was required to pull this scene off is truly breathtaking. Edith, (having been whisked off of the streets of Paris as a street performer by a club owner who recognizes her potential) has just endured three months of torturous but fruitful voice coaching by a teacher who employs some questionable methods (demeaning, yelling, threatening, flirting, slapping, encouragement) to "break" Edith and re-form her into the Edith Piaf most recognized today. Anyway, so its just before her very first performance as "the Brand-New Edith Piaf" and she's locked herself into the broom closet -- terrified for her life, be it "en rose" or not. She's eventually coaxed from the closet, and you see her rise...rise...rise up from the stool in the closet, and step slowly towards the stage. You expect to hear her voice bloom on stage. The audience is anticipatory -- silently on the edge of their seats waiting for "the sparrow" to delight them or disgust them with her voice. You expect to hear her sing and win them over. This would have been the predictable and mundane way to direct the scene. Instead, the choice was made to have the scene go completely silent and instead you SEE her sing, you SEE her emote, you watch the faces of the audience go through these changes -- almost imperceptible bit by bit but undeniable when seen as a whole transformation. Inside this eerie silence with the single, sharp spot on Edith, soft lighting on the audience, you see the audience's faces. There is this sense of tense anticipation in the room -- they're not sure what's about to happen -- they're almost bored and frightened at the same time if that's possible. Then, still in silence, as you see Edith begin her piece, their faces slowly and ever so slightly turn to gentle curiosity, then like a luscious loaf of bread expanding and browning in the oven, their collective proletariat visages bloom into and through a bit of disbelief, into the beginnings of wonder, through a sort of silent encouragement, almost as if they're saying "yes, yes...that's it... a little more now, yes, go on, yes yes..." Suddenly then; a series of ever silent images which show Edith reacting to the audience's faces. She blooms a bit, begins to emote more, become more comfortable, using her beautiful hands, her arms, her body -- then a closeup on her eyes and lips -- and a cut back to the audience becoming visibly roped in to this utter phenomenon occurring before their eyes... some of them begin to weep, some look as though they've just seen God, some as though they've literally just arrived back from having been (beautifully if not a bit rudely) transported to the exact time and place of their most beloved memory and cannot believe that the other people sitting next to them have the gall to have interrupted their rapture. Then the sound returns, softly at first, and it is only -- simply -- applause. Wow. I was amazed. Its truly breathtaking. Then there's the final scene, which I will not ruin for you at all, but will tell you to get your kleenex and prepare thyself. :) I hope you take the time to rent this movie and enjoy it as much as we did. Love, Rob ----- --------