La Vie En Rose vs Raging Bull

It is hard to correctly judge La Vie En Rose without prior knowledge of Edith Piaf. I was familiar with the title song, but little else. After watching the movie, I could not believe that the real Piaf was anything similar to the portrayal she was given by Marion Cotilard. So, afterwards, I searched and searched online, and found little evidence that this was the grand slam performance of the year, the way so many critics and moviegoers had led me to believe. For young Edith Piaf, Cottilard purses her lips into an exaggerated Lucille Ball pout, complete with slow-mo blinking eyes. And for older Edith Piaf, it’s a buck-toothed, smacking, squinting crone, like the child of Jeri Blank and the old man Tim Conway played on the Carol Burnett Show. Keep in mind, Edith Piaf died in her forties. I don’t get it.

But here’s the deal: not only is La Vie En Rose getting raves, it’s getting crazy “all-time” raves. More than one of my friends has told me it’s the best movie of the year, and none other than my pretend friend Roger Ebert said it’s the best movie about a real person he’s ever seen. Ebert, we’ll always be friends, but you’ve seen Raging Bull, right? And Coal Miner’s Daughter? Sid and Nancy? Ring a bell? Ed Wood? Schindler’s List? Anybody?

I will be the lone voice of dissention. And you know I never am. People are always complaining that I gush too much on here, that I just side with critics and like the movies that have already been liked. So here you go: I think La Vie En Rose is a big mess, and see it if you want; maybe a rainy day when you catch up on your Oscar movies. But please, please combine it with something great. Watch Raging Bull. It’s the movie Ebert and everyone else says La Vie En Rose is, but isn’t. Holy jeez everybody, La Vie En Rose isn’t the best anything, ever. It’s told in this faux-edgy, jumbled chronology, where Edith Piaf will be seven years old, followed by a scene in which she’s on her death bed, followed by a scene in which she’s a teenager, followed by her being just a bit older, and then in her thirties and married—or not—and then her twenties, and then dying, and then super-famous, and then not famous yet, and then dying, and then seven. Over and over, with no through line, and very little in the way of juxtaposition or commonality or anything. There doesn’t seem to be a reason to edit the film that way, other than to show that Edith Piaf lived so hard and fast it’s all a blur. Her story is fascinating. She was raised by street performers, given up to a brothel-running grandmother, and then given back to her dad, with whom she sang in the streets. Edith lived basically as a prostitute, only her pimp used her for songs instead of sex. She was discovered, polished up, trained as a performer, and dazzled the world with her unconventional, powerful voice, as she battled addictions and sadness. There’s a lot to her story, and it will remind you probably of the stories of Billy Holiday and Janis Joplin, or even contemporary singers like Amy Winehouse and Britney Spears. The performance footage (and one boxing match) is the reason to see La Vie En Rose. Everything’s staged in almost pitch blackness, with only Edith’s hands and face piercing through. It provides the film’s only true focus, and you can see, in those sporadic moments, how much work went into Marion Cotilard’s performance, and just how deserving of a great biopic Edith Piaf was in the first place. When she’s mimicking those songs (and, I believe, doing some singing herself), you can see Cotilard becoming a star. I’m certainly looking forward to seeing her again, just not in his particular film.

I’m not even going to tell you about Raging Bull. If you haven’t seen it, you’re in for a treat. If you have, watch it again. You’ll find something you’ve never seen before, and especially after watching La Vie En Rose, you’ll appreciate the acting, narrative, and adventurous use of editing, violence, and black-and-white cinematography. Raging Bull finds the old me, siding with critics and All Time Best Of lists. It’s good to be home.

La Vie En Rose: C
Raging Bull: A