Astonishing lead performance

If there are lots of reviews on here saying Marion Cotillard is amazing as Edith Piaf, there's a reason - she is. Her performance here is totally amazing and utterly mesmerizing. So many films these days (especially Hollywood ones) are over-hyped, and filled with good looking puppets - 2-dimensional 'actors' chosen for their looks rather than acting skills. Marion Cotillard is a glimpse back into a more golden film age where people could actually act - really act - and even on these terms she knocks the socks off many golden greats. She really does inhabit the part of Piaf.

There's a totally bizarre review earlier on here saying she was miscast and didn't act...it has to be one of the most ill-judged things I've ever read on here. Even one of Edith Piaf's closest friends, Ginou Richer, who is still alive and sat in on the recording of the final scene at 'Olympia', paid tribute to Cotillard (in an interview in the Guardian newspaper), saying:

"Marion has it exactly, the way she walks, talks, her way of laughing. The hardest part for her was lip-synching the songs, but really, you'd say it was Edith singing." That's some tribute coming from someone who lived as a companion with Edith for 15 years.

The same earlier reviewer got it wrong on the songs too - most of the Piaf songs in the film are real Piaf vocal performances, re-mastered for the film.

The film itself isn't the greatest scenario/synopsis of Piaf's life - it misses a lot of the complexities of Piaf's life, and several of her key relationships - such as with Yves Montand - are overlooked. The director apparently did this deliberately, because he wanted to concentrate on Piaf's life as a woman vis-Ã-vis her art. To a certain extent he does succeed, even if he does out-Hollywood Hollywood in the process. I also agree with one previous reviewer who says that the immense adoration felt for Piaf in France is not shown or contextualised. Anyone unfamiliar with Piaf's life story might be forgiven for thinking she was just a famous singer. She wasn't - she was, and still is, an absolute icon in France. The crowds for her burial in Père Lachaise brought Paris to a standstill. But these omissions don't necessarily detract from the film's power, which lies totally with the quality of the acting and the visual cinematography.

I have to say that the scene where Edith looses her true love, Marcel Cerdan, will stay with me for ever.


PS
2 DVDs in box - the second one containing 7 deleted scenes, a look at how Marion Cotillard transformed herself into Edith Piaf, and a feature on Edith Piaf.

The Lives of Others

This was one of the most moving and outstanding films I have seen in a long time. As a German student myself, I recommend the film strongly to anyone studying German at GCSE and A level, as it is a truly amazing film. Yet, even without having learnt German, and with the English subtitles, you can really enjoy this film. Certanly deserves the awards it has won. First class acting!

Colourful French Costume Drama

I had looked forward to watching"Moliere" but I must admit that I was slightly disappointed with the film. At times I found it hard to follow and the film never particularly gripped me at any stage. However"Moliere" was beautifully filmed and the sets and costumes were very impressive. The acting was hard to fault also."Moliere" is a film loosely based on the early life of the eponymous French playwright who gets caught up in a web of deceit while under the employ of a French aristocrat. He commits adultery with this aristocrat's wife while the aristocrat is surrepticiously trying to woo a more beautiful younger woman. Needless to say this causes all manner of confusion and leads to many complications which are unravelled at the end. Many will undoubtedly enjoy this film, but I didn't particularly like it.

not bad

I thought this would be as good as the book but no it was not. The film was good but the book far better .

Who's Bad? OW!

First impressions of this movie were good....
The animation is excellent even though Prince Arren's initial crime is barely touched on...There is not overmuch character development; little to foreshadow Terru's secret...
But what struck me was the appearance of Lord Cob... granted he is voiced by a female in the original Japanese but in the English (male) dub his feminine features, thin lips and peculiarly shaped nose allied to the whiteness of his skin tend to remind me of a certain pop star who also seems to want to prevent aging by artificial means....
And at the top of the tower in Cobs castle the architecture reminded me of the climax of Burton's Batman... ever danced with an Archmage in the pale moonlight?
But it's not a bad movie and I found it enjoyable.

Simple, Easy watching thriller/Drama

I bought this film as a Family Film and it does up to a point. This is a reasonably good war time thriller. The twists in the plot are not particularly clever and some of them are a little obvious. The ending is rather abrupt and unfinished but I'll not nit-pick. It's a good film to watch and the only real point to note would be you probably don't want children of 12 or less watching it. There are a number of nude/sex scenes which perhaps you'd not want your children to see. Bare breasts are one thing but this goes a little further several times. Good war drama, bit of action, thrills, tension and one or two odd bits toward the end. (when you watch you'll know what I mean).

brilliant, if not the best

The sopranos season 6 part 2 is again a superb collection of episodes from prehaps the best tv show ever made. the acting is strong, the storylines bring a growing sense of forbording, and the ending...well!!

However, after watching this 2nd time around I felt is has a less"re-watch" value than the previous seasons. I can't explain why that is, but it did not grip me the same way the others did, and it onbly really got going towards the end - a growing problem when you split seasons into 2 parts I think!

In terms of special features, there is again director commentary on some episodes - about 5 - though there is none on THE episode of this set. You also get a mini feature on"cleaver" and"music of the sopranos" on disc 4 but they really only have a"1 watch" value.

Other reviews have attempted to analyse the ending - brilliant as it is. Briefly, I will suggest that it is not Tony is NOT killed at the end,but us the Viewer. Like others have said, there are signs, eg orange, the Godfather, the"members only" jacket, but they could all be seen as being meant for the audience - its your end, not Tony's. We have watched him for 8 years without being"in the club", we know everything about him, and he faces trial - time for us to be taken care of. Plus the Bobby flashback, again could be targeted for the viewer -"You never see it coming" - how many of us saw the end coming the way it did? (hence the black screen for for 10 seconds)

really good

love studio ghibli films (spirited away and the amazing princess mononoke) and this is no exception. fantastic animation, wonderful characters and the dub was perfectly fine in my opinion. the story is so original and with characters like totoro and the catbus you won't be disappointed. the family will love this one.

Heart Wrenching

If you have children then watch this film . You can't contemplate what these people went through in prisoner of war camps with children , the film does take a rather glossy view sometimes . But it is very moving and I was in tears at the end . I just found the Fathers efforts to keep the Horror away from his son very moving indeed . This is one of those films that you keep thinking about days after you have watched it . Im so glad I did !

a film review

Bruno Ganz' portrayal of Adolf Hitler is faultless. He brings the nescessary rage that the role requires but with moments of sensitivity & compassion that portrayals rarely explore. Should one show sympathy for the devil? Downfall paints a moving sequence of events rarely told in such a way. Free of cliche or stereotype, this is a film about humanity. Using a bunker as a metaphor: one can examine the indiviuals featured away from the outside world. The frailty of the human body is key ~ afterall how different is one person from the next. While it is the deeds and actions that make us and divide us, it is our humanity that connects us. Downfall is an education and a masterpiece.

mad Russian horror fantasy sequel to night watch

mad Russian horror fantasy sequel to night watch. Awesome. My film of the 2007. certain sequences beggar belief and it stands uo to repeat viewings. amazing cinematography.

Volver

I like quirky Spanish cinema but whilst I found the Spanish community interesting this couldn't hide the fact that there was no story to hang the film on. Got bored very quickly..........

!!!!!!!!!!! AMAZING !!!!!!!!!!!

BEST DVD BOXSET EVER (so far) AMAZING QUALITY, AMAZING SOUND, AMAZING EVERYTHING , A MUST BUY, 10/10

Grandiose promises badly delivered

This movie over-promises, it has a bit of everything but does not fully communicate eventually. Was it about beautiful south-american landscape?? Better watching a proper full-length documentary on Chile or Peru instead. An extremely hollow or light description of the idol of generations - Ernesto. Again, a well done historic documentary would make justice of him - and many do.
Flat movie, not engaging.
Disappointing.

The human cost of war

I have generally been tough on war films, because they are often sensitive subjects and hard to do well. When I found out about the release of these films and that Clint Eastward is behind them, well then it must be worth watching. Flags of our Fathers & Letters from Iwo Jima are both made to get you thinking. They don't glamourise war, but rather to portray the human cost and the suffering of soldiers. Soldiers that are actually people with feelings and ideals. War is violent and there are bodies blown apart, but the guts and gore have been minimised and only there if it is integral to the plot or storytelling. Some might say they're a bit long at over two hours plus, but I don't agree. You need that amount of time to play the characters out properly. I enjoy it when my mind is exercised this way and Clint Eastward as a director just gets better. Most directors make one movie and tells it from one side. However, Clint Eastward just does it his way and shows it from both sides. I'd give him credit for that, because it worked and they won't be forgotten in a hurry.

A Masterpiece

Amazing
Magnificent
Enchanting
Lovable
Intelligent
Excellent

Miss it at your peril!

A gem

I had heard of this film before, but it was the request of my 12 year old daughter, who had seen the beginning of it in her French class, that prompted me to sit down with her to watch it. The Chorus is indeed a delight, a sweet if somewhat predictable story, beautifully and sensitively portrayed with sufficient humour to prevent it from becoming saccharine and an excellent cast. A gem worth seeing whether one is studying French or not.

one of myazaki's best

if not the best. Spirited Away may have been the commercial breakout and it was a great film - but at times the narrative wandered from a coherent storyline into seemingly random dreamlike events and motivations.

Mononoke suffers from none of this - events unfold according to motivations both expected and surprising, but always natural, involving you in the story and giving the characters substance. The journey into the world of Miyazaki's imagination - a world which is always beautiful and fantastic - is relaxing and enjoyable with no jolts or bumps from inscrutable actions or events.

Classic storytelling at it's best.

Only the German bullets will not discriminate against us

This is a good movie for many reasons;

1) Its focus is on French colonial troops fighting to free their motherland from the Nazis in a war they little comprehend but out of a strong sense of loyalty and dreams of equality.

2) The cultural interaction among the troops and their European masters and the people of Europe.

3) The way they are treated as 2nd class and hardly humans at all.

4) Technically this is a very good movie as well, I really like how each chapter starts like a black and white photograph from the timeperiod and turns to colour before the movie continues. The battles are also very well done (actually better than 9th company which another reviewer mentions). Since I have never been in actual combat i can only base this on my hobby reading of military history but the battle scenes ring true without unrealistic heroics or a MTV approach. The picture is of very good quality and sets and detail are very accuarate.

True the focus is mostly on the men from Colonial Africa that have come to fight for their motherland France and their 2nd class treatment og their French superior officers and this is an interesting study, even for those with some knowledge of the subject will still find things that surprise them. Yet their dedication and loyalty is always there. Many are also fighting for the dream that this war will make them equals - a promise made by De Gaulle and yet only the German bullets will not discriminate against them, they will not get leave like French soldiers, their food and equipment is of less quality and their mail between French women is censored and blocked.

Acting and character develpoment is very good, especially with the main characters. The white French sergeant is a paticularily complex role, since he is neither good or bad but a mixture of both and probably the only man that has any ability in mediating between the Africans and their superiors.

This isn't a fast paced action movie, it has a slow yet powerful build up, it covers a length of time and is a story about the soldiers themselves. It is a political movie and was sponsored by French funds and actually brougt about change since former colonial troop pensions have been moved into line with what native born French vetrans receive today. Those inclined towards war movies should like it as well, that is those who look for detail and realisim - not those that think Rambo sets the standard.