La Vie en Rose: Production Notes

Synopsis

From the streets of the cutthroat Belleville district of Paris to the dazzling limelight of New York’s glamorous concert halls, Edith Piaf’s life was a constant battle to sing and survive, to live and love. Raised in abject poverty, surrounded by hookers and pimps, Edith’s magical voice made her a star on both sides of the Atlantic. Her passionate romances and friendships with the greatest names of the period — Yves Montand, Jean Cocteau, Charles Aznavour, Marlene Deitrich, boxing world champion Marcel Cerdan — made her a household name as much as her memorable live performances and beautiful renditions of songs she made famous internationally, “La Vie en Rose”, “Milord”, “Hymn to Love”, “Non, je ne regrette rien” and many more. But in her audacious attempt to tame her tragic destiny, the “Little Sparrow” — as she was nicknamed — flew so high that she could not fail to burn her wings.

About the Production

JANUARY 22, 2004, 3.46 PM

Writer-director Olivier Dahan recalls: “I wanted to make a film about what drives an artist. I was in a bookstore flicking through a book about Piaf when the idea suddenly came to me. I immediately sent a text-message to Alain Goldman. Five minutes later, he gave me the green-light. He was right with me from the get-go. In fact, he got back to me so fast, I wondered for a moment what I’d got myself into!”

Alain Goldman says: “I was keen to work with Olivier again. We’re very close, professionally and personally, but I didn’t have anything lined up with him. Then, on January 22, 2004, at 3:46 pm, I received a text-message from him, which read, “A movie about music and love. A tragic, romantic blockbuster. French subject matter, international appeal. A major film about Piaf.” That sums up the movie perfectly. I kept that message, that initial impulse, as a reference. During the writing process, and even further down the line, if we strayed away from it, we could go back to that basic precept. I immediately sensed that we would make the movie, that it would probably open up perspectives and that Olivier’s text-message would remind us that we had believed.”

Olivier Dahan adds: “For me, Piaf is the perfect example of someone who places no barrier between her life and her art. The fusion between your existence and work is the very foundation of a true artist. Like everybody else in France, I knew some of her songs and something about her life, but no more than that. She was the ideal “in” for me to talk about what concerns me. The spark came when I saw a photo of her, as a young woman, walking in the street with her friend Momone. Few people have ever seen what she looked like so young. The prevailing image of her is from the 50s and 60s — the frail icon in the black dress. That photo gave me a glimpse of somebody completely different, who wasn’t yet Edith Piaf and who intrigued me. I pictured a kind of bridge between the prevailing image and that photo of an uncut diamond.”

MORE THAN A STORY, A FABULOUS ENCOUNTER

Alain Goldman says: “Filming a celebrated life is always a long process. Vatel and 1492 taught me that it takes roughly a year to research and digest all the necessary information, and find an interesting narrative form. At first, Olivier, who is very visual and intuitive, didn’t want to write the film. I had to convince him to do it. I needed his precision, his grasp of what is essential. I knew he’d have some very personal things to say in the film — things which he alone could express. It was his unique vision of Piaf’s life that interested me.”

Olivier Dahan explains: “I read everything ever written about her, published or not, from her lifetime to the present day. At the same time, I started to write, combining what stood out for me in my reading and what I wanted to express beyond the question of Piaf’s life. I think I have a good idea of what an artist feels — whether it’s Piaf or any other. Apprehension, anxiety, desire… I didn’t want to make a bio-pic, but I did want everything that was in the movie to be real. It’s just that, at certain points, especially concerning her childhood, which she rarely discussed, I extrapolated, using the few elements at my disposal.”

Alain Goldman remarks: “As the script took shape, I saw how Piaf’s life was even more dramatic than one of her songs – a tragedy with a little bit of everything! Abandoned and raised in a brothel; blind, briefly, in childhood; on the road with her father, before winding up in the Pigalle district of Paris at the prey of a pimp. And just when her career takes off, she is accused of murder and has to start back at the bottom. The greatest novelist couldn’t have dreamed up a better story. Piaf is one of those rare performers with universal appeal — men, women, young, not so young… And not because she appeals to baser instincts. She elevates us. Her voice fascinates people across social and cultural barriers. Everybody can identify with her. Piaf is an icon, a beacon and we need her more than ever today. Her unique stature goes far beyond our borders. That’s why the film has brought interest from so many countries, including English-speaking territories that often remain impervious to French movies.”

Olivier Dahan observes: “During my research, I accumulated lots of facts and, above all, the confirmation of my initial intuition. Piaf is undeniably the archetype of an artist. Generally, when artists begin to self-destruct, their art regresses. In that sense, Piaf is an exception. As her body waned, her art rose higher, became purer. That’s pretty rare. Even in decline, everything was there in her voice and her will to sing and perform as never before. She never gave up.”

He adds: “I don’t believe in the tormented artist. Like everybody else, Piaf clearly had happy times, even when you would least expect. I don’t agree that being unhappy is a prerequisite to being a great artist, or even an artist. On the contrary, you have to work at not being unhappy. In many biographies, the subject’s childhood is skimmed over. Yet, those early years condition the rest of our lives. The key often lies in childhood.”

The director explains: “Almost every scene we shot, including the dialogue, comes from the first draft. I reworked the structure of the script, but not the content. The opening scene is exactly as I began the script. In her writing and speech, Piaf expressed herself very well. I used her words for the dialogue. She went straight to the point without any verbiage. I read her correspondence, including the unpublished letters, and I was struck by the quality of her writing, her honesty and acute judgment.

“Despite the fact that she was hugely famous, for me, the subject of the film was very intimate because I put into the film exactly what I wanted to say. I never felt overwhelmed by her stature. I wanted to paint a portrait. Telling her life-story didn’t interest me per se. The events I show help to build up the portrait. I always tried to be truthful, respectful, connecting with her, without idealizing her. She never idealized herself or her art. When I was writing, I made a point of not meeting anybody who had known her personally. One day, Ginou Richer, who was Piaf’s best friend for twenty years, got in touch. I sent her the script, thinking that this was the real test. She called me to say that I wasn’t wrong about the character. I saw the whole process as a kind of dig, piecing something together without knowing whether the result would be exactly how it was. Even so, my approach wasn’t that of an archeologist but — I hope — that of an artist concerned not to misrepresent people and events. I wanted to express things about the character that were true and exact, in my own way, without betraying her or having to choose between the two approaches. All that I wanted to express freely, through her or with her, had to come out of her real life.”

BEYOND THE ICON, EMBODYING THE PERSON

Olivier Dahan says: “I approached casting the film intuitively. There are a lot of characters and, for each one, my choice went beyond professional considerations. It was gut feeling. Beyond their talent as actors, they all move me.”

He adds: “I didn’t know her personally, but I immediately thought of Marion Cotillard to play Piaf. I saw her in several movies that showed she had the dramatic talent that was vital for the role and that few actresses possess.

“Piaf is an icon. Her face, voice and silhouette are instantly recognizable. For audiences to accept what I was trying to say, there had to be a likeness between the actress and Piaf. Marion is prettier but there is a definite resemblance when you look at early photos of Piaf. I sent her the script and then we met. We didn’t have much time, so we didn’t really do any tests, just a half-day for make-up. However, I asked Marion to research the part in the same way I had, by reading books and watching old footage. I think that she approached the character intuitively, like me, and that was the best way to do it.”

Alain Goldman remarks: “Olivier immediately sensed that Marion bore a marked resemblance to Piaf in the years when it was impossible to hide your true self. Marion did an amazing job. Not only did she get into the mind of the character, she also got into her skin. By some strange miracle, she began to speak just like Piaf, down to the tiniest inflection. She captured her movements, including the stiffness caused by the arthritis in her hands. Marion went way beyond imitation. She brought an incredible power and humanity to her work. When I saw her as Piaf for the first time, even before Didier Lavergne’s magnificent make-up was complete, I just stopped in my tracks. I knew it would work.”

Olivier Dahan explains: “We were pressed for time, so we had to perfect the make-up during the shoot. We hadn’t gone far enough. I stopped shooting for a day to try out various ideas. Didier Lavergne did an incredible job. He said that such heavy make-up would be impossible to film in close-up. I kept urging him on until he got the right result. It was a joint struggle. I had told Marion that, however much make-up she was wearing, it was her I wanted to see. I didn’t want imitation. It was imperative that Marion should not be overwhelmed. I wanted her and Piaf to join together.”

The director continues: “It was the first time I had such a strong relationship with an actress. We shared the same perception of Piaf. We fed off each other. It’s Marion’s voice we hear singing on certain occasions but most of the time she mimed. Miming to Piaf is complex. It’s not just about cranking up the music and singing away. Marion practiced hard to get the breathing and rhythm right. She succeeded in embodying the character while capturing her soul. She makes her come alive.”

THOSE WHO MATTERED TO HER

Alain Goldman says: “The film isn’t a jaunt through Edith Piaf’s life. One of Olivier’s brainwaves was that he distinguished between those for whom Piaf mattered and those who mattered to her. It is her heart that leads us along. The film is an emotional journey — movie with something to say, not a docudrama.

Olivier Dahan recalls: “It wasn’t about running through her hits and, even less so, through the long list of her celebrity acquaintances and lovers. I focused on the people who helped her build herself, which is why we see her manager and his assistant, but not Montand, Azanavour and other greats of the age. I was interested in the private Piaf, the woman, not the public icon. Marlene Dietrich is the only exception to that rule. I also wrote the scene when she met Chaplin, who told her that she had achieved through her singing what he had achieved through movies. As a matter of fact, Marion plays a lot of scenes like a silent movie actress. Like Chaplin, Piaf created a character. She intentionally created a myth and had no qualms about making things up, especially to reporters who swallowed stories that are still accepted at face-value today.”

Clotilde Courau plays Anetta, Edith’s mother, who abandoned her child for a career as a singing artist.

Olivier Dahan says: “Clotilde has a small but crucial role. It’s a very difficult part. Piaf’s mother frequently asked her daughter for money and Edith, despite her bitterness, always helped her. She’s the only one in the family not to be buried with her.”

Jean-Paul Rouve plays Louis Gassion, a traveling showman. The director comments: “I have known Jean-Paul for a long time and I really wanted to work with him. I like the sensitivity that he physically brings to the part.”

Sylvie Testud plays Momone, Edith’s friend at the beginning of her career.

Olivier Dahan recalls: “I didn’t know Sylvie and she was a revelation to me. I had seen her in other movies but they give a false impression of her. She’s very funny. As an actress, she’s as good as she is simple and unpretentious. I like the perspective she has on everything.”

The director adds: “I didn’t know Gérard Depardieu personally. Alain suggested him to me. He plays Louis Leplée, who gave Edith her big break. From our very first meeting, we got on well. Gérard is similar to Piaf. He doesn’t distinguish between life and art. They intermingle.”

Alain Goldman adds: “I got to know Gérard on 1492. In my career as a producer, he was the first actor I signed up for a film. When we got back from the shoot in Costa Rica, he predicted that we’d work together for twenty years. Ever since, I ask him to participate on each of my projects, even if only for a few days. Making a film with Gérard is not just making a film, it’s writing a small page of movie history.”

Pascal Greggory plays Piaf’s manager, Louis Barrier.

Olivier Dahan says: “I had worked with Pascal before. He called me and I completely rewrote the part for him. On Ginou Richer’s advice, he was also the only character I altered. She told me one of the secrets to the character. Louis was madly in love with Piaf and they even dated in the early days. It’s not mentioned in any of her biographies. It shows the character in a new light and Pascal was right to insist.”

The director remarks: “The only part I auditioned was the one for Marcel Cerdan, the boxing world champion. I needed an actor who had a certain likeness and could box. I had known Jean-Pierre Martins for a long time but I hadn’t thought of him for the part. He used to play with a band called Les Silmarils, and I directed a video for them about twelve years ago. After a couple of rehearsals, he had made the part his own.”

Emmanuelle Seigner plays Titine, the prostitute who becomes very attached to Edith.

Olivier Dahan remembers: “I met Emmanuelle to discuss another project that never got made, so I grabbed the chance to work with her. Piaf really was raised in a brothel, but I made up the character of Titine from a factual basis. I thought that prostitutes, with their maternal side, must have liked having a little girl live with them.

Olivier Dahan recalls: “The film wasn’t easy to finance. Alain had to work very hard to secure funding. None of the potential backers seemed inspired by a film about Piaf. So, we had a very short prep time, maybe 3 — 4 months. More than ever, I had to rely on my intuition. There were no read-throughs or rehearsals, which I don’t like anyway. On set, just like when I’m writing, it’s the first draft — spontaneity — that I’m looking for. We had such a frantic schedule that I only saw some sets for the first time the day we were shooting there. The art department worked round the clock. Occasionally, the paint still wasn’t dry on the sets when we started shooting.”

Alain Goldman says: “Every decision was an artistic one. That was the line we had fixed for ourselves and I’m glad we stuck to it. My company carried all the risk. We were constantly at the mercy of running over budget or schedule, and, boy, did we! But the film was so enthralling that we owed it to ourselves to give it every chance to succeed. Some backers pulled out. I have no ill feelings, but it was tough sometimes to hold on. Luckily, TF1 came through for us. The end result is entirely down to Olivier’s talent, but I’m pleased we hung on in there to make it possible for him.

Olivier Dahan adds: “The shoot was spread over four and a half months in early 2006. We shot mostly in studio in Prague, with a few weeks in Paris and Los Angeles. The scenes in New York were shot in studio. Obviously, the film required lots of period sets. Some of them, such as a hallway in a hotel with a view of New York, were built for a single scene or even a single shot. There was a huge variety of sets of all sizes. The film goes from handcarts to limousines as Piaf went from early 20th century rural to mid-20th century urban. I didn’t want to reenact it, but to immerse the audience in it. The narrative had to be impressionist, not linear. I wanted to intertwine various periods, skipping from one period to another by associating ideas or images, like when memories flash through your mind. Olivier Raoux, the production designer, was superb. On top of that, the finesse and chiaroscura of Tetsuo Nagata’s lighting gave me stunning precision visually. It was the first time I had worked with him and I was mesmerized by his mastery of light.”

The director continues: “We began with the scenes in the brothel, with little Manon Chevallier playing Edith aged 5. For the scenes when she’s 10, Pauline Burlet took over. Every scene, from Edith’s childhood through Marion’s scenes, have the same intensity because she was the same person, though at different stages in her life. I applied the same approach to directing the two little girls as I did to directing Marion.

The director adds: “I spent a long time pondering how I should approach one of the big moments in Piaf’s life — which has been told over and over — when she learns that Marcel Cerdan, the love of her life, has been killed in a plane crash on his way to be with her. I imagined the scene as a sequence shot that would sum up her life in some way — happy that morning, broken that night, but on stage even so. The scene was shot on a specially designed set. We rehearsed it and blocked it for a long time.”

On the subject of the soundtrack, the director says: “I let my instinct and senses choose the songs. Some, of course, were automatic choices. I also wanted to hear Piaf sing in English, to lose the image of the French icon. As an artist, she belongs to no one in particular but to anybody who listens to her. Every artist’s ideal is to attain universality.”

Olivier Dahan adds: “Making this film took about three years. Three very eventful years. A lot of people gave of themselves not just to make a film that would get good reviews and do good box-office, but to make a film together that would worthy of the person whose story it tells and of our ambitions. I can still remember evenings spent with friends from the crew in the apartment I had in Prague. On the other hand, I have very few memories of events on set.”

Alain Goldman remarks: “If the groundwork has been done and everything goes to plan, a producer is not much use on set. I went by for the pleasure of watching all these talents at work — Olivier, Marion, the crew and Gérard Depardieu, whom I’d describe as a kind of older brother for me. We were all working in the same direction, inspired by Piaf and Olivier. Watching the movie now, there’s no sense of it being Edith Piaf’s illustrated life story. Strangely enough, you feel as if you knew her personally. It’s definitely the most moving film I have produced.”

Olivier Dahan concludes: “This is definitely the film that gets closest to what I am. For me, the story is always just a pretext, a means of communicating the feelings that I can only express in pictures and sound. I trained in art school, not film school. I try to have a painter’s approach, not in the visual sense, but in terms of the creative process. Over the years, I try to keep it simple, to get better by digging as deep as possible into my own self. Actually, while it tells and respects Piaf’s story, this film is very autobiographical. If my own life were made into a film, it would be no more truthful than this one. The evidence shows that Edith Piaf had faith. Personally, I’m still looking. I’m lacking that inner voice that would guide me. Unless, of course, it is intuition…”

by Marion Cotillard

In my early 20s, I really got into a number of singers of “la chanson réaliste” movement and I listened to a lot of Fréhel, Yvette Guilbert, Aristide Bruant and, of course, Edith Piaf. More than the others, her songs moved me because she sang of pure, true, absolute emotions with a voice that got you in the guts. At the time, I knew almost nothing about her, but I already knew by heart songs like Les amants d’un jour, L’hymne à l’amour and La foule. On several occasions since then, I’ve listened to her songs just before a scene in order to reach a vulnerable, emotional state. Piaf helped me as an actress long before I got the chance to play her.

Very early on, my agent told me that Olivier Dahan was writing a film about Piaf and had thought of me for the part, but experience has taught me not to pay too much attention to rumors like that until you have the script in front of you. In the next few months, from time to time I’d hear other rumors or push the whole thing out of my mind, and then one day, Olivier asked to meet me. We got on right away and felt very comfortable with each other, as if it was obvious that our paths would cross one day.

Before that meeting, I had glanced over a few photos of Piaf. I didn’t want to be presumptuous and invest too much energy in a part I hadn’t even been offered, but I couldn’t help setting out to find her. When I realized that Olivier really wanted to make the film with me, I couldn’t wait to get started. He gave me Jean Noli’s book about the last three years of Piaf’s life. My admiration for her only increased when I found out what kind of life she had had.

At the time, the script was longer, but already quite exceptional. Olivier had built an intimate, balanced, very human portrait of Piaf. His screenplay was full of powerful moments, life-changing encounters, breakups, desertions, hope and love. A regular movie only ever has one scene that reaches that pitch. This one is full of them. In fact, I think it’s probably her intensity, in the good times and the bad, which explains why she only lived to forty-seven. It was an extraordinary role but I soon realized how demanding it would be to play Piaf from her early days to her death. I had never been given a role like that before. Nobody had ever asked me to play a woman like that, a life like that. It was all very new to me. I was nervous but I never felt a glimmer of doubt. That’s probably down to not ever feeling any doubt in Olivier’s mind. He had faith in me and that’s all I needed. The other thing that stopped me totally panicking was that, although I imagined it would be difficult, but I never imagined just how difficult!

In October 2005, right after I finished shooting Ridley Scott’s A Good Year, I got down to work every day. I would open the script, read these amazing scenes and close it immediately, hardly daring to think what was awaiting me. A little voice told me to open the script back up and read some more because one day soon I would be in La Brasserie Julien playing that scene. Or in the apartment on Boulevard Lannes reading Non, je ne regrette rien for the first time, and I would have to play that scene. Or I had be lying on her death bed and I wouldn’t be able to back out! So I’d read some more of the script, with my heart pounding. Many times, I’ve been so apprehensive I feel like calling up a director to tell him to find another actress. But on this film, even when I was a nervous wreck, never, not once!

From the very beginning, I said that I would need to work with a coach. It wasn’t about physical issues or needing reassurance, but I wanted somebody at my side to set out to meet Piaf with me. I’d already worked with Pascal Luneau and he showed me something that was absolutely vital. I had so much admiration for Piaf that some aspects of her were incomprehensible to me, especially the tyrannical aspect. Pascal helped me realize that my admiration prevented me getting to the bottom of her. Losing that admiration didn’t mean not liking her anymore, but reaching another level. I stopped making myself so small in comparison to her and that’s when I got a handle on everything I didn’t like in her personality. Eventually, I came to really love her because I realized that the only thing she couldn’t bear was to be alone. She would go to any lengths not to be alone, even if it meant tyrannizing the people she loved.

We never worked on the physical aspects of the character — the way she walked, move, spoke — and then, the first day on set, I heard “Action!” and this voice I had never heard before came out of my mouth. In fact, my preparation had focused totally on observing and immersing myself in Edith Piaf. I watched so many tapes and listened to so many interviews that they ended up feeding a kind of inner process. From the start, I knew I didn’t want just to imitate her. My aim was to make enough room within me for Piaf to feel at home, without me disappearing completely. I had to welcome her in so that we could get on and create something together.

Part of being an actor is inviting characters in or summoning them up to share with you what you are. When you play Phedra, you kind of call on her. Of course, when you play someone as powerful and present as Piaf, it’s even more overwhelming. Some people may find all that a bit mystical, but all I can say is that after spending so long watching, listening to and loving her, I often had the impression that she was there. I was so deeply steeped in the way she moved and spoke, down to the tiniest inflections of her voice, that it was as if she existed within me. I arrived on set to meet up with her again! I’m not putting any mystical or esoteric spin on all this, it was just an encounter, an extraordinary encounter. Something of her recreated itself in me. It lasted only as long as we were shooting. At certain moments, you felt her presence. I often felt like we were working together. And then, you leave your ego to one side and just go for it. It’s frightening but absolutely thrilling. The first scene I had to play like that was set in the apartment on Boulevard Lannes, when Charles Dumont brings her Non, je ne regrette rien. I found myself speaking and moving as if Piaf were inside me. Even if we had to do it again and again, even though it was tough, that’s when I realized that I was going to get a great kick out of playing her.

The make-up tests where sheer hell and a lot of make-up artists fell short! Each time, we had to start over with somebody new. That phase caused me so much worry because the results never came up to our expectations and I knew that, however good my performance was, if the make-up didn’t work, it would be impossible for the audience to believe in it. Didier Lavergne did an amazing job, despite having less time than such a huge challenge usually requires. The make-up still took a certain time to get right and we had to shoot certain scenes again.

Playing Piaf when she was younger was less of a problem because I didn’t have such heavy make-up. On set, Olivier uses few words but they are all spot-on. He directs visually, by describing things. That may seem mechanical, but it’s totally intuitive for him and it worked perfectly for me. He offered us some magical moments, like the sequence shot when Piaf finds out that Cerdan is dead. I knew the dimensions of the set by heart — a long hallway that I had to prowl up and down. We had all rehearsed the scene. Everybody had to be in exactly the right place. There was a real buzz of excitement — exceptional, positive energy. We couldn’t afford to put a foot wrong because it would mean having to start all over again. When I woke up that morning, I thought of Roberto, the steadicam operator, and Chris, the focus puller, and I said to myself that we were going to waltz together. When the scene was in the can, we all had the most wonderful feeling.

The crew members were the first to see my transformation and, to be honest, I felt a kind of stage-fright because I admire them all. I was especially nervous of the scenes when I played Piaf in her later years. I’ll never forget my first scene with Pascal Greggory, Marie-Armelle Deguy, Elisabeth Commelin and Jean-Paul Muel. They were all wonderful. We were all headed toward exactly the same goal.

I like to sing, but the technical process of miming to a tape was the hardest thing for me, simply because I wanted it to be perfect. I worked with a singing teacher to learn how Piaf sang — her body and tongue movements, and breathing. It was so complicated it nearly drove me insane. If I had tapes of her singing a particular song, I analyzed her performance. I noticed that being in rhythm isn’t enough when you’re miming. Your breathing is vital. I would jot down the exact moment when she took a breath, then I’d put the music on and film myself singing to camera. I spent whole nights taking notes on what not to do! I wanted it to be Piaf.

There were some truly amazing moments on this film, like when we were shooting at the Olympia concert hall in Paris, when Piaf makes a wonderful return to the stage with Non, je ne regrette rien. Ginou Richer, who was very close to Piaf, was in the audience. It felt incredible being with her on set. It must have been strange for her. When I arrived on stage to sing that song, with Ginou there, it was absolutely magical.

I’ll never approach a part in the same way again. Piaf taught me so much. In terms of my work, I think I’ll enjoy it even more than before because now I know that characters truly exist in their own right. I’ll have a way to bring them even more intensely to life.

CREDITS

CAST

Edith Piaf MARION COTILLARD

Momone SYLVIE TESTUD

Louis Barrier PASCAL GREGGORY

Titine EMMANUELLE SEIGNER

Louis Gassion JEAN-PAUL ROUVE

Louis Leplée GÉRARD DEPARDIEU

Anetta CLOTILDE COURAU

Marcel Cerdan JEAN-PIERRE MARTINS

Louise CATHERINE ALLEGRET

Raymond Asso MARC BARBE

Marlene Dietrich CAROLINE SILHOL

Edith Piaf aged 5 MANON CHEVALLIER

Edith Piaf aged 10 PAULINE BURLET

CREW

Director – Writer OLIVIER DAHAN

Adaptation and dialogues OLIVIER DAHAN and ISABELLE SOBELMAN

Producer ALAIN GOLDMAN

Associate producer CATHERINE MORISSE-MONCEAU

Director of Photography TETSUO NAGATA A.F.C

Production Manager MARC VADE

1st Assistant Director MATHIAS HONORE

Production Designer OLIVIER RAOUX

Costume Designer MARIT ALLEN

Film Editor RICHARD MARIZY

Casting Director OLIVIER CARBONE

Sound Engineer LAURENT ZEILIG

Sound Mixer JEAN-PAUL HURIER

MARC DOISNE

Sound Editor PASCAL VILLARD

Postproduction Supervisor ABRAHAM GOLDBLAT

Composer CHRISTOPHER GUNNING

Music Consultant EDOUARD DUBOIS

Prague Production Facilities OKKO PRODUCTIONS s.r.o

MARC JENNY / OLDA MACH

London Production SONGBIRD PICTURES LIMITED

TIMOTHY BURRILL

1st Assistant director OLDRICH MACH, Jr

2nd Assistants director VOJTECH HLAVICKA

PASCALE JEANNIARD

UK Casting Director ALEX JOHNSON

Children’s coachs HARMEL SBRAIRE

JIRI KASAN

Script Supervisor VIRGINIE LE PIONNIER

Production manager MICHAL PRIKRYL

Coordinator ELIZABETH BOORN

Accountant MARC PARIS

Production Coordinator Czech Republic DENISA MURINOVA

Unit Manager Prague ZDENEK FLÍDR

ZDENEK FIALA

Unit Manager Paris THIERRY CRETAGNE

Asst. Unit Managers TOMMY KERNE

OLIVIER BILLARD

SACHA REDON

NICOLAS PLOUX

Camera/Steadicam Operator ROBERTO DE ANGELIS

Focus puller CHRISTIAN ABOMNES

Photographer BRUNO CALVO

2nd Unit Director of Photography GILBERT DIT BERTOT LECLUYSE

2nd Unit Camera/Steadicam Operator MATHIEU CAUDROY

Sound assistant JEAN-BAPTISTE FAURE

Asst. Set Designers STANISLAS REYDELLET

LAURE LEPELLEY

Prop handler ANTOINE GALINIE

Set Dressers CÉCILE VATELOT

STÉPHANE CRESSEND

PETRA KOBÉDOVA´

Location Managers FRANCK ROUCHES

EMMANUEL DELIS

STÉPHANE GUITARD

Fitter FRÉDÉRIC DEVILLERS

Key Painter JEAN-NOËL DELALANDE

Costume Supervisors DAVE CROSSMAN

LENKA KOUTKOVA

GIL NOIR

Wardrobe Mistress NATALIE HUMPHRIES

Casting extras BRIGITTE FOURCADE

Key Make-up Artists DIDIER LAVERGNE

LOULIA SHEPPARD

Make-up Artists GABRIELA POLÁKOVÁ

ELISA MARIA COSTA ELLIS

Key Hair Stylist JAN ARCHIBALD

Hair Stylists BARA KICHI

IVO STRANGMULLER

LINDA DVORÁKOVÁ

CATHY JABES

MICHEL PERROT

Key Grips GASTON GRANDIN

ROMAN HOLDEK

Gaffer PATRICK CONTESSE

Backup Film Editor YVES BELONIAK

Sound editors GAEL NICOLAS

NIKOLAS JAVELLE

Dialogue Editor CHARLES AUTRAND

Music Editor KATIA BOUTIN

Director 2nd unit SÉBASTIEN CAUDRON

Boom Operator DIDIER LESAGE

Foley Artist PHILIPPE PENOT

Boxing Consultant ALAIN FIGLARZ

Edith Piaf singer JIL AIGROT

Vocal Artistic Director MICK LANARO

Edith Piaf singer as a child CASSANDRE BERGER

Singer MAYA BARSONY

Recording Sound Engineer STÉPHANE REICHART

Pianist ALCEO PASSEO

Accordionist FRÉDÉRIC FORET

A French — British – Czech – coproduction LEGENDE – TF1 INTERNATIONAL

TF1 FILMS PRODUCTION

OKKO PRODUCTION s.r.o

SONGBIRD PICTURES LIMITED

With the participation of CANAL+ and TPS STAR

In association with SOFICA VALOR 7

SELECT FILMOGRAPHIES

MARION COTILLARD

Edith Piaf

2007 LA VIE EN ROSE by Olivier DAHAN

A GOOD YEAR by Ridley SCOTT

2006 DIKKENEK by Olivier VAN HOOFSTADT

FAIR PLAY by Lionel BAILLIU

TOI ET MOI by Julie LOPES-CURVAL

SAUF LE RESPECT QUE JE VOUS DOIS by Fabienne GODET

2005 MARY by Abel FERRARA

EDY by Stéphan GUERIN-TILLIE

LA BOÎTE NOIRE by Richard BERRY

MA VIE EN L’AIR by Rémi BEZANÇON

CAVALCADE by Steve SUISSA

2004 UN LONG DIMANCHE DE FIANÇAILLES by Jean-Pierre JEUNET

Best Supporting Actress, Cesar 2005

NARCO by Tristan AUROUET & Gilles LELLOUCHE

L’ÉCOLE by Lucille HADZIHALILOVIC

BIG FISH by Tim BURTON

2003 JEUX D’ENFANTS by Yann SAMUELL

TAXI III by Gérard KRAWCZYK

2002 UNE AFFAIRE PRIVÉE by Guillaume NICLOUX

2001 LES JOLIES CHOSES by Gilles PAQUET-BRENNER

Nomination for Most Promising Actress, Cesar 2002

LISA by Pierre GRIMBLAT

2000 TAXI II by Gérard KRAWCZYK

FURIA by Alexandre AJA

1999 DU BLEU JUSQU’EN AMÉRIQUE by Sarah LEVY

LA GUERRE DANS LE HAUT PAYS by Francis REUSSER

1998 TAXI by Gérard PIRÈS

Nomination for Most Promising Actress, Cesar 1999

1996 LA BELLE VERTE by Coline SERREAU

COMMENT JE ME SUIS DISPUTÉ (MA VIE SEXUELLE) by Arnaud DESPLECHIN

1994 L’HISTOIRE DU GARÇON QUI VOULAIT QU’ON L’EMBRASSE by Philippe HAREL

SYLVIE TESTUD

Momone

2007 LA VIE EN ROSE by Olivier DAHAN

2006 L’HÉRITAGE by Gela BABLUANI

2005 LA VIE EST À NOUS ! by Gérard KRAWCZYK

LES MOTS BLEUS by Alain CORNEAU

2004 VICTOIRE by Stéphanie MURAT

CAUSE TOUJOURS ! by Jeanne LABRUNE

TOUT POUR L’OSEILLE by Bertrand van EFFENTERRE

DEMAIN ON DÉMÉNAGE by Chantal AKERMAN

2003 DÉDALES by René MANZOR

VIVRE ME TUE by Jean-Pierre SINAPI

FILLES UNIQUES by Pierre JOLIVET

STUPEUR ET TREMBLEMENTS by Alain CORNEAU

2002 AIME TON PÈRE by Jacob BERGER

TANGOS VOLÉS by Eduardo de GREGORIO

LES FEMMES… OU LES ENFANTS D’ABORD… by Manuel POIRIER

UN MOMENT DE BONHEUR by Antoine SANTANA

THE CHATEAU by Jesse PERETZ

DEAD MAN’S MEMORIES by Markus HELTSCHL

2001 JE RENTRE À LA MAISON by Manoel de OLIVEIRA

JULIES GEIST by Bettina WILHELM

CE QUI COMPTE POUR MATHILDE by Stéphanie MURAT

2000 LA CHAMBRE OBSCURE by Marie-Christine QUESTERBERT

LES BLESSURES ASSASSINES by Jean-Pierre DENIS

LA CAPTIVE by Chantal AKERMAN

SADE by Benoît JACQUOT

LUCIE by Guillaume NICLOUX

JEDERMANNS FEST by Fritz LEHNER

1999 KARNAVAL by Thomas VINCENT

MARÉE HAUTE by Caroline CHAMPETIER

JEU D’ARTIFICE by Eric JAMEUX

ANNALUISE ET ANTON by Caroline LINK

1998 THE MISADVENTURES OF MARGARET by Brian SKEET

SENTIMENTAL EDUCATION by C. S. LEIGH

IN HEAVEN by Michael BINDLECHNER

1997 LES RAISONS DU CŒUR by Markus IMHOOF

1996 LOVE ETC. by Marion VERNOUX

BEYOND SILENCE by Caroline LINK

1995 LE PLUS BEL ÂGE by Didier HAUDEPIN

COUPLES ET AMANTS by John LVOFF

1994 ÉTERNELLES by Erick ZONCA

DIRECTOR

1998 JE VEUX DESCENDRE

PASCAL GREGGORY

Louis Barrier

2007 LA VIE EN ROSE by Olivier DAHAN

2006 PARDONNEZ-MOI by MAIWENN

LA TOURNEUSE DE PAGES by Denis DERCOURT

2005 GABRIELLE by Patrice CHÉREAU

2004 ARSÈNE LUPIN by Jean-Paul SALOME

2003 SON FRÈRE by Patrice CHÉREAU

RAJA by Jacques DOILLON

24 HEURES DE LA VIE D’UNE FEMME by Laurent BOUHNIK

2002 LA VIE PROMISE by Olivier DAHAN

NID DE GUÈPES by Florent Emilio SIRI

2001 UN ANGE by Miguel COURTOIS

2000 LA CONFUSION DES GENRES by Ilan DURAN COHEN

2000 LA FIDELITE by Andrzej ZULAWSKI

1999 JEANNE D’ARC by Luc BESSON

LE TEMPS RETROUVE by Raoul RUIZ

POURQUOI SE MARIER LE JOUR DE LA FIN DU MONDE ? by Harry CLEVEN

1998 ZONZON by Laurent BOUHNIK

CEUX QUI M’AIMENT PRENDRONT LE TRAIN by Patrice CHÉREAU

1997 LUCIE AUBRAC by Claude BERRI

1994 LA REINE MARGOT by Patrice CHÉREAU

COMME UN AIR DE RETOUR by Loredana BIANCONI

1993 LA SOIF DE L’OR by Gérard OURY

VILLA MAURESQUE by Patrick MIMOUNI

L’ARBRE, LE MAIRE ET LA MEDIATHÈQUE by Eric ROHMER

1988 LA COULEUR DU VENT by Pierre GRANIER-DEFERRE

LES PYRAMIDES BLEUES by Arielle DOMBASLE

1985 LA NUIT PORTE-JARRETELLES by Virginie THEVENET

GRENOUILLES by Adolfo ARRIETA

1983 PAULINE À LA PLAGE by Eric ROHMER

1982 LE CRIME D’AMOUR by Guy GILLES

LE BEAU MARIAGE by Eric ROHMER

CHASSE-CROISÉ by Arielle DOMBASLE

1979 LES SŒURS BRONTÉ by André TECHINE´

1978 FLAMMES by Adolfo ARRIETA

1976 DOCTEUR FRANÇOISE GAILLAND by Jean-Louis BERTUCELLI

EMMANUELLE SEIGNIER

Titine

FILM

2007 LA VIE EN ROSE by Olivier DAHAN

LE SCAPHANDRE ET LE PAPILLON by Julian SCHNABEL

FOUR LAST SONGS by Francesca JOSEPH

2005 BACKSTAGE by Emmanuelle BERCOT

2004 ILS SE MARIÈRENT ET EURENT BEAUCOUP D’ENFANTS by Yvan ATTAL

2003 LES IMMORTELS (Os Imortais) by Antonio-Pedro VASCONCELOS

CORPS À CORPS by François HANSS

2002 LAGUNA by Denis BERRY

STREGHE VERSO NORD by Giovanni VERONESI

1999 BUDDY BOY by Marc HANLON

LA NEUVIÈME PORTE by Roman POLANSKI

1998 PLACE VENDÔME by Nicole GARCIA

1997 NIRVANA by Gabriele SALVATORES

1997 RPM by Robert YOUNG

1996 LA DIVINE POURSUITE by Michel DEVILLE

1995 POURVU QUE ÇA DURE by Michel THIBAUD

1994 LE SOURIRE by Claude MILLER

1992 LUNES DE FIEL by Roman POLANSKI

1989 IL MALE OSCURO by Mario MONICELLI

1988 FRANTIC by Roman POLANSKI

1986 COURS PRIVE by Pierre GRANIER-DEFERRE

1985 DÉTECTIVE by Jean-Luc GODARD

JEAN-PAUL ROUVE

Louis Gassion

FILM

2007 LA VIE EN ROSE by Olivier DAHAN

L’ÎLE AUX TRÉSORS by Alain BERBERIAN

2006 NOS JOURS HEUREUX by Olivier NAKACHE & Eric TOLEDANO

BUNKER PARADISE by Stefan LIBERSKI

LE TEMPS DES PORTE-PLUMES by Daniel DUVAL

2005 MADAGASCAR by Eric DARNELL & Tom Mc GRATH

(Melman’s voice in French)

2005 JE PRÉFÈRE QU’ON RESTE AMIS by Olivier NAKACHE & Eric TOLEDANO

2005 BOUDU by Gérard JUGNOT

2004 UN PETIT JEU SANS CONSÉQUENCE by Bernard RAPP

UN LONG DIMANCHE DE FIANÇAILLES by Jean-Pierre JEUNET

PODIUM by Yann MOIX

RRRrrrr!!! by Alain CHABAT

2003 MOI CÉSAR, 10 ANS 1/2, 1 m 39 by Richard BERRY

2003 MAIS QUI A TUÉ PAMELA ROSE ? by Eric LARTIGAU

2002 MON IDÔLE by Guillaume CANET

JOJO LA FRITE by Nicolas CUCHE

2002 MONSIEUR BATIGNOLE by Gérard JUGNOT

Most Promising Actor, Cesar 2003

ASTÉRIX ET OBÉLIX: MISSION CLÉOPÂTRE by Alain CHABAT

2001 TANGUY by Etienne CHATILLEZ

2000 LE PETIT POUCET by Olivier DAHAN

1999 KARNAVAL by Thomas VINCENT

TRAFIC D’INFLUENCE by Dominique FARRUGIA

1998 SÉRIAL LOVER by James HUTH

CLOTILDE COURAU

Anetta

FILM

2007 LA VIE EN ROSE by Olivier DAHAN

2002 MON IDOLE by Guillaume CANET

LA MENTALE by Manuel BOURSINHAC

UN MONDE PRESQUE PAISIBLE by Michel DEVILLE

EMBRASSEZ QUI VOUS VOUDREZ by Michel BLANC

LE NOUVEAU JEAN-CLAUDE by Didier TRONCHET

2000 EXIT by Olivier MEGATON

PROMENONS-NOUS DANS LES BOIS by Lionel DELPLANQUE

LA PARENTHÈSE ENCHANTÉE by Michel SPINOSA

EN FACE by Mathias LEDOUX

1999 DETERRENCE by Rod LURRIE

MILK by William BROOKFIELD

1998 LE POULPE by Guillaume NICLOUX

HORS JEU by Karim DRIDI

1997 MARTHE by Jean-Loup HUBERT

FRED by Pierre JOLIVET

1996 LES GRANDS DUCS by Patrice LECONTE

1995 L’APPÂT by Bertrand TAVERNIER

ÉLISA by Jean BECKER

Suzanne Bianchetti Prize 1995

Nomination for Most Promising Actress and Best Supporting Actress, Cesar 1996

1995 TOM EST TOUT SEUL by Fabien ONTENIENTE

1993 POLSKI CRASH by Kaspar HEIDELBACH

THE PICKLE by Paul MAZURSKY

1993 MAP OF THE HUMAN HEART by Vincent WARD

1990 LE PETIT CRIMINEL by Jacques DOILLON

Best Actress, European Film Awards 1991

Nomination for Most Promising Actress, Cesar 1991

JEAN-PIERRE MARTINS

Marcel Cerdan

FILM

2007 LA VIE EN ROSE by Olivier DAHAN

2005 L’EMPIRE DES LOUPS by Chris NAHON

2003 LAISSE TES MAINS SUR MES HANCHES by Chantal LAUBY

MUSIC (Member of the band LES SILMARILS)

2003 “4 Life”

2000 “Vegas 76″

1997 “Original Karma”

1995 “Silmarils”

GÉRARD DEPARDIEU

Louis Leplée

FILM

2007 LA VIE EN ROSE by Olivier DAHAN

ASTÉRIX AUX JEUX OLYMPIQUES by Frédéric FORRESTIER

MICHOU D’AUBER by Thomas GILOU

2006 QUAND J’ÉTAIS CHANTEUR by Xavier GIANNOLI

2005 OLE by Florence QUENTIN

COMBIEN TU M’AIMES ? by Bertrand BLIER

BOUDU by Gérard JUGNOT

JE PRÉFÈRE QU’ON RESTE AMIS by Olivier NAKACHE & Eric TOLEDANO

2004 LES TEMPS QUI CHANGENT by André TECHINE

36, QUAI DES ORFÈVRES by Olivier MARCHAL

NATHALIE… by Anne FONTAINE

2003 TAIS-TOI by Francis VEBER

BON VOYAGE by Jean-Paul RAPPENEAU

2002 ASTÉRIX ET OBÉLIX: MISSION CLÉOPÂTRE by Alain CHABAT

AIME TON PÈRE by Jacob BERGER

2001 LE PLACARD by Francis VEBER

VIDOCQ by PITOF

CONCURRENCE DELOYALE (Concorrenza sleale) by Ettore SCOLA

102 DALMATIANS by Kevin LIMA

2000 LES ACTEURS by Bertrand BLIER

VATEL OU LE VERTIGE by Roland JOFFE

1999 UN PONT ENTRE DEUX RIVES by Gérard DEPARDIEU & Frédéric AUBURTIN

ASTÉRIX ET OBÉLIX CONTRE CÉSAR by Claude ZIDI

1998 LA PAROLA AMORE ESISTE by Mimmo CALOPRESTI

THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK by Randall WALLACE

1997 HAMLET by Kenneth BRANAGH

THE SECRET AGENT by Christopher HAMPTON

XXL by Ariel Zeitoun

1996 UNHOOK THE STARS by Nick CASSAVETES

BOGUS by Norman JEWISON

LE PLUS BEAU METIER DU MONDE by Gérard Lauzier

1995 LE GARÇU by Maurice PIALAT

LES ANGES GARDIENS by Jean-Marie POIRE

ÉLISA by Jean BECKER

1994 LA MACHINE by François DUPEYRON

MY FATHER, THE HERO by Steve MINER

UNA PURA FORMALITA by Giuseppe TORNATORE

LE COLONEL CHABERT by Yves ANGELO

1993 GERMINAL by Claude BERRI

HÉLAS POUR MOI by Jean-Luc GODARD

1992 1492: CONQUEST OF PARADISE by Ridley SCOTT

1991 MON PÈRE CE HÉROS by Gérard LAUZIER

TOUS LES MATINS DU MONDE by Alain CORNEAU

MERCI LA VIE by Bertrand BLIER

1991 GREEN CARD by Peter WEIR

1990 URANUS by Claude BERRI

CYRANO DE BERGERAC by Jean-Paul RAPPENEAU

1989 I WANT TO GO HOME by Alain RESNAIS

DEUX by Claude ZIDI

TROP BELLE POUR TOI by Bertrand BLIER

1988 DROLE D’ENDROIT POUR UNE RENCONTRE by François DUPEYRON

CAMILLE CLAUDEL by Bruno NUYTTEN

1987 SOUS LE SOLEIL DE SATAN by Maurice PIALAT

1986 LES FUGITIFS by Francis VEBER

TENUE DE SOIRÉE by Bertrand BLIER

JEAN DE FLORETTE by Claude BERRI

1985 POLICE by Maurice PIALAT

1984 RIVE DROITE, RIVE GAUCHE by Philippe LABRO

LE TARTUFFE by Gérard DEPARDIEU

FORT SAGANNE by Alain CORNEAU

1983 LES COMPÈRES by Francis VEBER

LA LUNE DANS LE CANIVEAU by Jean-Jacques BEINEIX

1982 LE GRAND FRÈRE by Francis GIROD

LE RETOUR DE MARTIN GUERRE by Daniel VIGNE

1982 DANTON by Andrzej WAJDA

1981 LA CHÈVRE by Francis VEBER

LA FEMME D’À CÔTE by François TRUFFAUT

LE CHOIX DES ARMES by Alain CORNEAU

INSPECTEUR LA BAVURE by Claude ZIDI

JE VOUS AIME by Claude BERRI

LE DERNIER MÉTRO by François TRUFFAUT

1980 MON ONCLE D’AMÉRIQUE by Alain RESNAIS

1980 LOULOU by Maurice PIALAT

1979 BUFFET FROID by Bertrand BLIER

1978 LE GRAND EMBOUTEILLAGE by Luigi COMENCINI

LES CHIENS by Alain JESSUA

LE SUCRE by Jacques ROUFFIO

PRÉPAREZ VOS MOUCHOIRS by Bertrand BLIER

1977 LE CAMION by Marguerite DURAS

DITES-LUI QUE JE L’AIME by Claude MILLER

1976 BAXTER, VERA BAXTER by Marguerite DURAS

RENÉ LA CANNE by Francis GIROD

BAROCCO by André TECHINE´

1900 by Bernardo BERTOLUCCI

LA DERNIÈRE FEMME by Marco FERRERI

1975 MAÎTRESSE by Barbet SCHROEDER

SEPT MORTS SUR ORDONNANCE by Jacques ROUFFIO

1974 VINCENT, FRANÇOIS, PAUL ET LES AUTRES by Claude SAUTET

STAVISKY by Alain RESNAIS

LES VALSEUSES by Bertrand BLIER

1973 LES GASPARDS by Pierre TCHERNIA

DEUX HOMMES DANS LA VILLE by José GIOVANNI

1973 L’AFFAIRE DOMINICI by Claude-Bernard AUBERT

1972 LE VIAGER by Pierre TCHERNIA

LA SCOUMOUNE by José GIOVANNI

AU RENDEZ-VOUS DE LA MORT JOYEUSE by Juan Luis BUNUEL

NATHALIE GRANGER by Marguerite DURAS

1971 UN PEU DE SOLEIL DANS L’EAU FROIDE by Jacques DERAY

LE TUEUR by Denys DE LA PATELLIÈRE

1970 LE CRI DU CORMORAN LE SOIR AU-DESSUS DES JONQUES by Michel AUDIARD

OLIVIER DAHAN

WRITER-DIRECTOR

FEATURE FILMS

2007 LA MOME / LA VIE EN ROSE (and sc.)

2004 CRIMSON RIVERS II : ANGELS OF THE APOCALYPSE

2002 GHOST RIVER (and sc.)

2001 TOM THUMB (and sc.)

1998 ALREADY DEAD (and sc.)

1994 BROTHERS : RED ROULETTE (and sc.)

DOCUMENTARIES

2000 MEHDI CHAREF BY OLIVIER DAHAN

About Mehdi Charef’s film MARIE-LINE

1999 HOMETOWN

Ten portraits of American musicians in their hometown

MUSIC VIDEOS

Since 1992, various music videos for the following artists: Raphaël, Johnny Hallyday, Renaud, Florent Pagny, Zucchero, Stéphane Eicher, The Cranberries, etc.