Little sparrow

Published Thursday, August 2, 2007

This challenging biopic explores the life of French singer Edith Piaf, nicknamed the "Little Sparrow," whose life burned brightly for 47 years.

Actress Marion Cotillard - herself a talented singer - brings her own magic to the role of Piaf, who made an epic journey from the slums of Paris to the stages of New York. Born in 1915, she was abandoned by her mother as a toddler and left by her father, a circus acrobat, in the care of his mother, who ran a brothel.

The film focuses tightly on Piaf’s passion for singing, but it also explores her romances and friendships with the greatest names of the period: Yves Montand, Jean Cocteau, Charles Aznavour, Marlene Dietrich, Marcel Cerdan and others.

la vie en rose

Stars: Marion Cotillard, Clotilde Courau, Jean-Paul Rouve, Sylvie Testud

Directors: Olivier Dahan and Sebastien Caudron

Rating: PG-13 for substance abuse, sexual content, brief nudity, language and thematic elements

Theater: Ragtag