Dalida

With her powerful performances and dramatic emotional investment to her singing, unmatched even today, Egyptian born singer and actress, named by her Italian parents Yolanda Cristina Gigliotti, better known as Dalida, undoubtedly holds a unique place in the history of European and wider--including Middle East, Russia, Japan, Canada--popular music.

By the time I reached my teens (in early 1970's) a middle-aged gentleman from the neighbourhood has already accrued a good collection of Dalida's records, and that's how I was introduced to her singing, and remained her fan ever since, for four and half decades already. Contributive to that is the circumstance that last ten years I've been living and working in Lebanon, with Dalida's strong presence in its musical scene, and with her faithful audience, very much alive even three decades after her untimely demise.

That's why I have been very enthusiastic to see the movie based on her life, but also a bit concerned about it. Now that the movie is out and I have seen it, I'm very pleased to say that it has met my expectations to the greatest extent.

A number of elements are greatly contributing to the solid success and good quality of the French produced biopic, simply titled "Dalida" (2016). Based on my earlier findings and details known, story follows Dalida's life meticulously and faithfully, life filled with professional successes and personal torments and unhappiness. Actors have done an extraordinary job, which is especially important in the case of the leading actress, Sveva Alviti, who has brought to screen the title character--portrayed at the right measure, faithfully, decently and respectfully--but also actors impersonating key players in Dalida's life, her brothers (the younger one, Bruno-Orlando, plausibly depicted by Riccardo Scamarcio, performing as her career manager since 1966) as well as her professional companions, and partners in her private life. Finally, identification achieved thanks to the fascinating physical resemblance of the leading actress, as well as her successfully accomplished impression of Dalida's on-stage (and otherwise) presence and mannerisms, is certainly not disadvantageous.

According to her biographers, Dalida performed and recorded in more than ten different languages, while being fluent in at least half of that number. However, due to the fact that her career has shot to stardom in France, and her success has been most persistently maintained across the French-speaking music scene, lyrics of her songs are mainly in French. Therefore, to me, a non-French speaker, her songs were appealing primarily because of the power of her performance, ranging between its modest intimacy and dramatic intensity. Henceforth, only after watching this movie subtitled in English I have realized how much lyrics used in her songs were matching the on-goings in her own life. As if song makers and lyricist were retelling her life in real time. Having her screenplay based on the book written by Dalida's already mentioned brother Orlando, and thanks to proper choice of such songs with real life-relating lyrics, and their excellent timing, screenplay writer and director, Ms. Lisa Azuelos, has offered to the viewers most dramatic and suggestive revelations, easily implying such exciting, and--within the context of Dalida's private life troubled by failed relationships and personal difficulties, mishaps and tragedies--often touching connections between the songs and reality.

Though shot as biography feature film (biopic), meant primarily to entertain, then to inform, by appearing so well connected to reality, true to the facts, naturally gaining from the circumstance that the main actress is almost a dead ringer for Dalida, further inspired by clearly Dalida's own voice performing all included songs, it almost feels like watching a biography documentary.

To Dalida's faithful long-time followers, this is a great chance to reconfirm their fandom, to all others--including a co-spectator at the movie screening I attended, my wife Minnie--an excellent opportunity to get acquainted to this most gifted, duly celebrated singer, whose life was tragically cut short, but whose legacy, primarily her songs (but also, her high ranking as a personality, e.g. personality who had the greatest impact on French society), still lives and remains for posterity, as a pleasant reminder of her impressive and memorable talents.

I remember Dalida's songs from my childhood. This film is a good biopic and worth to watch to learn about her more.

At first, I found it a little bit too tragic as a film but at the end her real life is unfortunately tragic. The music was obviously great. Sveva Alviti and Riccardo Scamarcio who act as Dalida and her brother/manager Orlando was great.

I wish, I would find more than Dalida's love affairs in the film such as; her dreams, her motives, her relationship with the music.

As a result, I can recommend the film to learn more about one of the best female singers in history and also it was a nice film to watch.

Beautifully written and portrayed journey through Dalida's success- filled career and through her rather melancholic personal life.

Sveva shines as Dalida - she does her justice, and with all the right emotions at that. The picture offers a beautifully written and directed insight into the life of the legend that is Dalida. The transition between different phases of her life is light and allows you to dig deeper into what drove her success and ultimately her fall.

While the film could've done better with Sveva's lip-syncing, the music is carefully selected, introduced, and fills the theater with Dalida's warm and unique voice.

Probably will not be as commercially successful as the contextually similar La Vie en Rose with Marion Cottilard but insightful and beautiful nonetheless. Highly recommended.

Every biopic is a risk for the viewer. because he has his version about the life of the lead character. maybe memories. and a lot of impressions. "Dalida" is one of rare biopics who escapes from the circle of clichés and full of good intentions sketches. maybe, because it has the right director and the ideal lead actress. maybe for the beautiful elegance for present a chain of tragedies, hard work, fragility and need of happiness. maybe for the science to give to you the feeling to see a docu-drama. the admirable thing - it is not a film for the fans of Dalida. it is not exactly story of a precise existence. it is far to be a bitter fairy tale. it has the magnificent gift to be a film about chance and the price of it, about choices and about a woman looking for herself. all in a manner who, I believe, is more than inspired.

Great Movie i went to see the movie in Egypt Cairo last week..and guess what i watched it Twice..same day two times back to back ( the cinema was packed with Dalida fans from older and younger generation) it was worth the time and money spent... those who are find of the great singer ..her music her songs her voice or those who lived that era would defiantly like the film..i wont repeat what was written in previous reviews..ill just add that one the film strength elements is that places it was shot in...they reflected her reality places..Although her childhood part was Filmed in Morocco which is not the case..not in Egypt Shobra Neighbor Hood where she was born and Raised..Nor Alexandria city when she lived as well...therefore even the Arabic Language in this part of the film is with a strange accent that is Moroccan not Egyptian..i wished they filmed in in her original places. i give the actress a high mark for the effort in Imitating every single gesture hair and makeup,,perfect... one of the Goofs is that they missed adding the most important Egyptian Song ( Kela Helwa W Kelmetain- a nice word or two) which she sang right before her suicide and was a major Hit worldwide.i was disappointed they omitted that song in the film. recommend to be watched and i w'd defiantly watch it again for a third time