I’ve just read through today’s online press covering last night’s premiere of ‘La Môme’. German journalists reported that it got standing ovations. Some loved the emotional portrayal of tragic French singer Edith Piaf. Others didn’t. But everyone loved Marion Cotillard’s performance. One newspaper compared her transformation as the French singer to Charlize Theron’s performance in ‘Monster’ – that got her the Golden Bear in Berlin. Similar Predictions for Marion Cotillard are not rare.

Marion also got praise from the industry’s leading paper Variety (click for full film review): “Versatile, always spot-on thesp Marion Cotillard surpasses herself as the waiflike French songbird whose personal traumas fueled her art. Cotillard nails the assignment, portraying Piaf at 20 to Piaf on her deathbed with a range of gestures, her trademark posture, and a core of eternal hurt melded with ferocious pride. She embodies Piaf’s raspy speaking voice, her imperious street-wise attitude, her simple joy at being lionized by other celebs, and the taste of artistic triumph mixed with the constant hum of genuine tragedy.”

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Great news! Marion Cotillard’s latest and probably biggest project to date will have its world premiere February 8, 2007. The film starring Marion Cotillard in the role of a lifetime as Edith Piaf will open the 57th Berlin International Film Festival. Here some quotes from the press release (source: official site):

The world premiere of La Vie en Rose will open the Berlinale in grand style on February 8, 2007 and be presented in the competition for the Golden Bear as well as the Silver Bears.

From humble beginnings, raised in the Paris slums, she made it into the greatest concert halls around the world. Celebrated yet shrouded in scandal. The film La Vie en Rose tells the story of the passionate life of Edith Piaf.

With this motion picture, director Olivier Dahan leaves a cinematic memorial to this legendary singer, more than 40 years after her death. “La Vie en Rose”, “Non, je ne regrette rien” – her songs will be long remembered all over the world. In her time, friends with Jean Cocteau, Charles Aznavour and Marlene Dietrich, her magical voice and unique stage presence have made her a myth. Her rollercoaster life alternated between times of success and fortune and periods of tragedy and disaster.

Marion Cotillard has signed on to a new project: ‘L’ Ennemi public n° 1‘. Synopsis: The story of Jacques Mesrine, France’s public enemy No. 1 during the 1970s. After nearly two decades of legendary criminal feats — from multiple bank robberies and to prison breaks — Mesrine was gunned down by the French police in Paris.
Also attached are Vincent Cassel as Mesrine and Eva Green. Marion Cotillard and Eva Green will be playing two women who were both Mesrine’s lover and partner in crime at different stages of his life. Jean-Francois Richet is directing. Shooting is to begin in May 2007 for 30 (!) weeks in Canada and France.

Upon doing research on this exciting new project I stumbled upon another interesting news: Marion Cotillard is lending her voice to Gloria, an animated penguin, in the French version of ‘Happy Feet‘. In the original version Gloria has been voiced by US-actress Brittany Murphy.

Marion Cotillard told the French newspaper Le Parisien that she’s going to take a break from filming back-to-back. English translation:

“Sometimes you arrive at a point where to be in the mood for telling stories you have to live your own. Right now, I’m not in the mood for telling a story, I can’t read scripts. That’s why I leave to travel. I’m going to Polynesia and to Peru, to the Amazonian forest. To nourish myself.”

Marion’s new movie ‘A Good Year’ is premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival this month. It runs from 7th till 16th September.

‘A Good Year’ is one of the Gala presentations. Screeening times:

Saturday, September 09 6:30 PM ROY THOMSON HALL
Sunday, September 10 9:30 AM RYERSON

Visit the film’s page at the Festival homepage. According to that film description it seems that contrary to previews reports Marion Cotillard is not playing an American claiming the same land as Russel Crowe’s character (she would be played by Abbie Cornish) but rather the town siren – and I assume a French woman. I have not been able to find out whether Marion Cotillard will be attending the festival.

The trailer for ‘A Good Year’ is here! Go to The Moviebox to watch it. Marion looks great and I think this may be a good romantic film. I’ll get captures soon.

Plot: Based on the novel by Peter Mayle, Crowe stars as English businessman Max Skinner. After inheriting a remote vineyard from his late uncle, Max re-locates in an effort to sell the land. However, while there, he meets a beautiful American woman (Marion Cotillard) who also claims to own the property.

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According to CinemaPassion.Com Marion Cotillard will star in Guillaume Nicloux’s next film ‘La Clé‘. It will be the final piece of a trilogy that include ‘A Private Affair‘ (Une affaire privée), which also starred Marion Cotillard, and ‘Hanging Offense‘ (Cette femme-là). Emma de Caunes, Guillaume Canet, Thierry Lhermitte, Josiane Balasko and Jean Rochefort are also part of the cast. The story follows a young man who starts a search for his father who disappeared. On his quest he encounters numerous characters.

Also in the news: Marion Cotillard isn’t part of the cast for ‘Taxi 4‘, which started shooting last month.