Quand j'étais chanteur

We watched this lovely film on TV last night and both of us enjoyed it tremendously. I judge films by how memorable they are; even good films that are appreciated at the time disappear in my, admittedly, porous memory but this film for some reason cemented itself in my memory immediately. I admit that I enjoy films about male/female relations or the lack thereof if that is the case; the French are the planet's masters of this examination of the human condition and they do it very well. The Singer is an examination of that most sensitive of times in relationships: the period of discovery, before people understand what is happening to them, whether there is enough glue to hold this tentative relationship together. I thought that the director knew exactly what he wanted his actors to do and their professionalism allowed them to play these most sensitive of roles so well.

As you can imagine there are no huge points of realization or transcendence in this beautifully played out examination: nothing that we have been led to expect from Hollywood, just quiet, introspective searching and waiting to see if the puzzle pieces fall into place as the singer hopes they will. As you can see, the movie is an examination of these two people very tentatively feeling each other out to see if they have a future. The viewer's joy is watching this endearing and gentle examination. I found the movie a tremendous viewing experience but very tentative, very gentle and very knowing.

In a rather disappointing fortnight, „Quand J'étais Chanteur" was the nicest discovery at the Cannes film festival: a simple story, beautifully told and acted. A middle-aged, overweight and worn-out ballroom singer (Gérard Depardieu, in his best role since "Cyrano de Bergerac" in 1990) falls in love with a tormented woman half his age. And although both know that more than a brief affair is almost impossible, there's is a chemistry between them that has become rare in movies. The unknown director Xavier Giannoli displays a phenomenal sense for atmosphere and is clever enough not to spell everything out. You might actually feel that you can breathe more freely during this movie - and certainly afterwards. Merveilleux!

In this beautiful romantic drama of an aging singer struggling to hold on to youth and love, Gérard Depardieu gives a perfect portrayal of a lounge lizard who used to be more famous. He still highlights his hair, plans out performance wardrobes, negotiates contracts, signs autographs and poses for pictures, but most of his audience is past middle-age and his gigs are sometimes in old folks' homes. He puts feeling into his singing, picking out individuals in the crowd and making her feel like he's singing only to her, but you can see the expression in his eyes: he's done this all before, and before it was far more fulfilling.

One evening, he spots the beautiful Cécile de France in the audience. She's a realtor who works with his pal, Mathieu Amalric, and Gérard is immediately smitten. Cécile doesn't return his feelings, and as he pursues her, it's simultaneously sweet and heartbreaking to watch the push and pull. To complicate matters, Mathieu also has feelings for Cécile, and Cécile has custody troubles with her ex-husband.

The story itself is interesting enough to carry the movie since it's an unusual love triangle, with both men presenting different strengths and weaknesses. Gérard is his usual irresistible self, but Mathieu is pretty cute, and with both guys making moony eyes at her, Cécile has a tough decision on her hands. It makes sense that she's drawn to both, since they're both shy, insecure, and sensitive in their own way. As a bonus in addition to the storyline, you've got eye candy all around, and as an extra bonus, you can listen to Gérard singing several songs! He's such a doll, and I'd love to get a copy of the soundtrack.

A note to my fellow English-speaking audiences: I watched this movie without subtitles and was able to understand about ¼ of the dialogue, with only two years of French under my belt. If you're looking to test your lessons, this is a great movie to watch. I loved it so much, I'll be watching it again after picking up some more French!

In Xavior Giannoli's film, an ageing lounge singer (a magnificently ramshackle Gerard Depardieu) seduces a pretty young woman; and then falls in love with her. She quite likes him, but with the gap in their ages, it's unlikely that either can be a long-term solution to the problems of the other. He then gets a chance to revitalise his career; and doesn't take it. I spent most of this film wondering when something was going to happen; in fact, almost nothing does, beyond what is predicted by the premise. Although there is sexual contact, the film can be thought of as a French equivalent of 'Lost in Translation', although without that film's annoying sense of self-reverence and faux-profundity. It makes good use of the singer's repertoire which serves as both soundtrack and commentary, the performances are nicely judged, and at the end, in spite of the absence of obvious content, I found myself oddly moved.

On the basis of this one film, Xavier Giannoli seems like a limited director, one who can coax a good performance from an actor--or simply stand out of the way when it's the monumental Depardieu--but who shows little sense of style or drama. I lost count of the number of scenes that go nowhere, that serve only to bring out another of Alain Moreau's foibles. Why does the singer have to share scenes with a goat, for heaven's sake? Poor Mathieu Amalric: here's one of the most interesting actors in France, and his character can only open doors and make introductions.

Gerard Depardieu is splendid, it's one of his five best career performances. He's entirely at ease, spinning his stories to the enchanted but watchful Cecile de France. To play Marion, she has had to turn down the Audrey Hepburn gamine quality; she's very effective in a few scenes.