Let's end the suspense early for the Oscar for Best Actress next year. If Marion Cotillard is not delivering an acceptance speech in Hollywood in 2008, then it will be a crime. Her performance as the legendary French singer, Edith Piaf, in the incredible film La Vie En Rose, is honestly one of the greatest performances I have ever seen. My wife has always been a huge fan of Edith Piaf, so we thoroughly enjoyed this great film by Olivier Dahan.
There have been a lot of bio-pics, particularly of singers, recently. But this is not an actress doing an impression of someone famous. Marion Cotillard truly lives the tortured yet beautiful life of Edith Piaf. Of course, the music is amazing and makes the movie even more enjoyable. Piaf's voice is haunting, inspiring and reassuring all at once. If you have 
not ever heard her sing, listen here or here and most especially listen here to one of her final performances. This last song is one that inspired her to perform one last time toward the end of her life. As she said, if she could not sing, she would not want to live.
As is usually the case with a film like this, it is being shown on a limited number of screens so you may have to hunt around for it. It's worth the hunt. Edith Piaf ended her life with an anthem called "No Regrets." Her life was a full one and through this film, we have a chance to better understand her and her music.
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