Quand j'étais chanteur

The middle-age tacky singer of romantic songs Alain Moreau (Gérard Depardieu) is singing with his orchestra in the Royat Casino. When he meets the younger real-state agent Marion (Cécile De France) in the show with his friend Bruno (Mathieu Amalric), they have one night stand and Marion leaves the room without saying goodbye to him. Alain has a crush on Marion and seeks her out in her office telling that he wants to buy a house. Alain finds that she has a son and the distant Marion gets closer to Alain but the unrequited love drags him down.

"Quand j'Étais Chanteur" is a weird and messy romance. Gérard Depardieu and his character Alain Moreau are totally out of the league of the gorgeous Cécile De France and they do not have any chemistry along the whole story. The tacky songs of the movie are recommended for very specific audiences where I do not include myself; therefore, it is hard and boring to see Gérard Depardieu singing those songs. The footage of Stromboli (1950) is totally out of the context and last but not the least, the resemblance of Cécile De France with Patricia Arquette is amazing. My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): "Quando Estou Amando" ("When I am in Love")

Alain Mourea twice listens, from an old jukebox, to an Italian song during the movie, it is the song that inspires him but he never sings it himself. The song was by BOBBY SOLO, late 60s. one of the most beautiful songs ever, UNA LACRIMA SUL VISO. Bobby Solo had one of those unforgettable voices, a la Presley, but in his own inimitable style and a handsome presence. Italy produced the best romantic songs in this period, scores of them, another was Cinquetti's "Non ho l'eta per amarti", winner of the 1964 Eurovision song contest and still the best song to come out of it. I believe the singer was looking back at his (lost) youth and beginning of his career as this was THE song that inspired millions of his contemporaries.

After seeing the trailer I didn't expect to enjoy this movie. Lesson: don't judge a movie by its trailer.

Although it is a fairly corny affair, the setting is an unusual one, the performances and production values are high, and the script unexpectedly funny.

However, without a star of considerable magnitude the entire soufflé would fall flat. Fortunately the great Depardieu is on hand, his giant presence matched by his lightness of touch. It's curious how the old American lions - de Niro, Pacino and the others - don't seem to be able to both play their image while sending it up at the same time: they only manage one thing or the other. In this modest movie, Depardieu is both himself and something of a parody of himself. The result is two-for-the-price-of-one enjoyment.

The songs he sings - very well - are all genuine French pop songs which themselves border on self-parody, in the way that so many country-and western songs do - a seam of humour richly mined by Altman in Nashville. There's nothing so subtle here: Quand J'Etais Chanteur is so loosely woven that close scrutiny would unravel it. But for all that, it's surprisingly enjoyable.

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!

'Quand j'étais chanteur' (or 'The Singer') is a lovely, funny, bittersweet film which gives Gérard Depardieu an excellent leading role as cynical, arrogant, washed-up singer Alain Moreau, who sings love tunes for middle-aged lady dancers who adore him. He meanwhile searches for love and finds something akin to it in the person of damaged, deep, prickly Marion (Cécile De France), many years his junior and out of his league.

Depardieu, even approaching his sixties, brings a mix of bravado, charm, and vulnerability to the character of Moreau. Sometimes you can see where he is coming from, sometimes you sympathise, sometimes you laugh, sometimes you are irritated - a well rounded character, believable, and just that little bit broken from a lost chance to rebuild a marriage, the idea that he just might be a nicer guy than the ladykiller he has become.

With Mathieu Amalric as Bruno, friend, estate agent, adversary, and Christine Citti as Michèle, former wife and backing singer, muse and manager, 'The Singer' is an intimate portrait of where life can take you if you just stop and let it. It does not shy away from poignancy and the ubiquitous happy ending, but on the way it makes its creations real and their problems and preoccupations realistic.

The songs, incidentally, are sung by Depardieu and although the lyrics may be lacking in style (certainly in their translation), the delivery and ambiance proves there may well be life in the old dog yet, making it understandable why Moreau has become the obsession and fixation of lonely single, divorced, or widowed women. But under the gloss and the stagecraft is someone just as lonely, just as envious of the passing of time, and this is the ultimate strength of the film, making that obvious.