Reviews

Oliver Dahan was very intentional throughout his directing of La Vie en Rose. His depiction of Edith Piaf purposely provokes such a strong connection to the artist by showing her intense and emotional life journey. By setting this sort of context, the audience can more easily relate to Piaf, therefore a stronger appreciation based is formed. Many points throughout the movie help create this connection to her art. Specifically, Piaf's love for singing is truly inspirational and captivating. By forcing herself to finish songs despite her health risks, Edith demonstrates a desperation to sing, reminding the viewers of the true meaning behind her nickname as "the little sparrow", flashing back to images of a practically mute little girl who would shine through with her singing voice. Edith's voice is really the only thing she feels she has to offer. Her background story and dedication to her dream provokes a massive appreciation for her work. Not only does Dahan make that evident in his depiction of her childhood, her attachment to singing carries on throughout her aging process to the point where she has almost exhausted her career by giving too much. This context gives the audience a great appreciation for her songs, seeing that she gives all she has in every performance. That is one of the most important messages portrayed throughout La Vie en Rose; the point that Edith Piaf dedicates her life to her dream and does everything she can to not fall short of the expectations from her audience. Edith Piaf gives her whole heart in every performance, so La Vie en Rose examines the reasoning behind her passion. Other moments that sparked admiration for her work is found through the different emotions sung throughout the movie. For instance, her performance when Marcel is in the crowd is very joyful in comparison to the performance after his death, which captures her pain in a very intense way. La Vie en Rose gives the context as to where she draws her emotion from on stage.

La Vie en Rose purposely shows Edith Piaf's background to emphasize her many personal triumphs. The occupations of her parents and grandmother, as well as living situations demonstrates a very unstable environment. Showing that she was born into a low class family proves that she overcame a great deal before becoming such a widely known singer. Although her transition from a low social class to a famous woman demonstrates a great paradox, it also adds a significant amount of meaning behind her story. Her preparation and training leading up is intense and brutal. In making the movie, Dahan purposely shows that her background shapes her love for singing. It is her comfort, joy, and reason for her existence. Without her voice, Edith feels she has nothing. That desperation to hold on to her one true love connects with audiences, therefore creating the universal appeal to her songs. From laughing and singing in the tub as a child, to her last performance as a frail and aged woman, La Vie en Rose identifies the reasons why Piaf gives her soul in every song. The emphasis on the term "the little sparrow" is also very crucial in this movie. The term takes Edith's story full circle. Every time she sings, you see the same facial expression you see her wear as a child, the face of dedication. It suggests she is holding onto a very precious gift. It is a desperation to hold onto her dreams, a desperation that she never loses, also seen in her determination to sing in Olympia. This expression is one that keeps the universe so captivated in what she has to offer.

Edith Piaf is perfectly summed up during her interview on the shoreline. When asked her favorite career moment, she replies "every time the curtain goes up". La Vie en Rose proves that, for Edith Piaf, a life without song is no life at all.

In many different ways, Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris very accurately captures the subject of human fascination. Not only does the scenery and imagery of the city lure and mesmerize, Allen's story line accurately depicts the mystical illusion that is Paris; a place full of beauty, romance, and wonder. Placing this story line in such a place emphasizes this theme of fascination considering the ever present attraction to Parisian lifestyle. The protagonist, Gil Pender greatly shares in this view point. Obsessed by the idea of the magical city, Gil makes Paris his muse and immerses himself in the scenery as a source of creativity and inspiration. Through late night walks and immersion in the culture, Gil becomes more familiar with the city and later finds a new enthrallment when another time period whisks him away from his own. His fascination with this other life draws him further away from his reality. Now, the idea of Paris alone cannot be enough to fulfill his need of inspiration and life satisfaction. His muse no longer lies in modern day Paris, but the Golden Age of the city; the 1920's. However, Gil can hardly be blamed for his determination to be immersed in such a romanticized time period full of overwhelmingly glamorous, luxurious, and creative individuals. The question of Gil's desire for the past becomes answered when he meets Adriana, a beautiful and intriguing woman living in the twenties. The answer does not lie simply in his infatuation with her entirely, but through the idea that she too has grown discontent with her own time period. Once Adriana and Gil travel to a completely different time together, Adriana feels like she would be more happy staying there rather than going back to her own. Gil cannot comprehend why Adriana would want to leave Paris in the 1920s. Not only does Gil find this time period so inspiring, it has a reputation of being the 'Golden Age' and is so widely appreciated. The idea that Adriana would want anything but her current life initially stuns Gil. Therefore, sensing Adriana's discontentment with calling that time period her home makes him realize his reasoning behind his own longing to venture into the unknown. The unfamiliarity of the twenties makes life so exciting for Gil, especially compared to his increasingly dull relationship with Inez, representing human beings boredom, but comfort with the familiar. Fascination strictly drives Gil towards the past throughout Midnight in Paris. His decision to ultimately go back to his reality stems from the realization that he attached himself to an idea of a better life, when actually, he would simply be the same person stuck within a different setting. Nonetheless, the 1920's gave Gil a significant amount of stimulation. He sees that it was not just the 'Golden Age' he gets mesmerized by, but the idea of a whole new life, conveniently placed during a time when he is getting closer to settling down into an unsatisfying relationship. The twenties serve as an instrument of freedom where Gil is finally able to express the creativity that Inez looks down upon and therefore limits. Hence, when questioning why Gil feels the desire to back in time in Midnight in Paris, it is because he is simply fascinated with a world that is not his own. He sees a different life and pictures himself being more content there. The exact same can be said about Adriana, proving the relevance of fascination in this situation. Gil's reasoning is completely understandable and even relevant in daily life. It highlights the common struggle of dissatisfaction felt by each person. Instead of running away permanently to his new life, Gil decides to correct the problems in his current one. By using self reflection, he finds what he can change in his own life to make him happy, rather than running away to a new one. He realizes that fascination can only go so far, until the new life gets as familiar as the old.