Monsieur Aznavour

Original title:	Monsieur Aznavour
Director:	Grand Corps Malade, Mehdi Idir
Release:	Vod
Running time:	133 minutes
Release date:	Not communicated
Rating:

From his poor childhood to his rise to fame, from his triumphs to his failures, from Paris to New York, discover the exceptional journey of an artist. Intimate, intense, fragile and indestructible, devoted to his art until the very end, here is one of the most immortal singers of all time: Monsieur Aznavour.

Cookie's Review

The Caucasian-sounding music transports us from the very beginning of the credits. In the first scene, we see Charles Aznavour sitting on a bed in Lyon in 1960, apparently telephoning his sister. Then, in flashback, we're in Paris, in the good old days, Charles is a little boy in his parents' restaurant, where the customers, now friends, are eating and dancing in the middle of the room to the sound of traditional Armenian music. The children even advertise the establishment by walking around with a sign, the parents having decided to change their name to Aznavour to rhyme with “Chez Aznavour on y court”. Friends are welcome, but they often don't pay the bill, much to Mrs. Aznavourian's dismay, jeopardizing the restaurant's finances.

The teenage Charles already had a talent for performing in small theatrical companies, but it was his sister Aida who would later introduce him to her circle of friends, artists including Pierre Roche, pianist and composer. They formed a real duo, playing in small, sometimes shabby cabarets, but they persevered. Opposite in character and style, Pierre liked to go out and meet women, while Charles, a hard worker, devoted himself to writing songs. As the years went by, they met Edith Piaf, who saw their duet in a cabaret and was captivated by their swinging music. This gave them access to better venues, made them famous and enabled them to travel abroad following her tour.

The lead actor, Tahar Rahim, is stunning, not only in the timbre of his voice as he performs his songs, but also in his physical appearance, despite a less-than-perfect resemblance at times, and in the evolution of his clothing. Nothing disturbs us, and we believe in Charles, who is right there in front of us, with the great Edith Piaf at his side, with her cheek played by the excellent actress Marie-Julie Baup.

This film gives us a better understanding of Charles Aznavour's childhood, his difficult beginnings, his anxieties, his setbacks and then his worldwide successes, his eternal dissatisfaction that drives him to keep on working, as he says himself: if he stops, he's dead. The film is abundantly illustrated by numerous songs, and it's as if we were attending his concerts, not without emotion. The film may seem long, but it was necessary to shed light on his childhood, the exodus of his parents through the projection of black-and-white archive footage of Armenia, his encounters, his loves, the birth of his songs that would become hits the world over, on a par with Frank Sinatra.

Monsieur Aznavour
Written and directed by Grand Corps Malade et Mehdi Idir
Produced by Eric et Nicolas altmayer et Jean-Rachid Kallouche
Starring Tahar Rahim, Bastien Bouillon, Marie-Julier Baup, Camille Moutawakil
Photography : Brecht Goyvaerts
Art Design : Stéphane Rozenbaum
Costumes : Isabelle Mathieu
Editing by Laure Gardette
Music by Varda Kakon
Production Companies: Kallouche Cinéma et Mandarin Compagnie
Distributed by Pathé Films (France)
Release Date : 23 Octobre 2024 (France)
Running Time : 133 minutes

Seen October 8, 2024 at Pathé Wepler (Paris)

Cookie's Mark:

Sabine's Review

In 2024, Charles Aznavour would have been one hundred years old. This son of Armenian refugees, poor, small, with a veiled voice, became through hard work one of the most famous french artists, in France and throughout the world. Recording more than 1,200 songs, he wrote or co-wrote more than a thousand, for himself and other artists such as Edith Piaf, Juliette Gréco, Gilbert Bécaud, Sylvie Vartan, Johnny Hallyday.

The project for a biopic retracing this fabulous destiny started before his death, which occurred in 2018. Supervised by the singer's children, Monsieur Aznavour is directed by the duo Grand Corps Malade and Mehdi Idir (Patients, La Vie Scolaire). Over two hours, this movie traces his rise in five chapters, through the highlights of his career. The directors highlight the hard work and perseverance it took for this artist to make a name for himself, while facing criticism.They take up the principle of the movie Cloclo by Florent Emilio Siri, associating a song with a moment in his life. Les Deux Guitares recounts his childhood, La Bohème his youth,... Thanks to a big budget, the historical reconstructions are successful. The American influence is felt in the numerous moving or overhead shots filmed with a crane. The musical work is impressive. Too bad they only explore the artist's flaws towards the end.

Tahar Rahim impresses in his interpretation of Aznavour, finding facial expressions, shoulder movements, intonations. This actor is a chameleon, as he had already shown in the series The Serpent. Marie-Julie Baup composes a very convincing Edith Piaf, with her cheekiness and her cracks, just like Bastien Bouillon for Pierre Roche, Aznavour's friend. This trio performs the songs. Generally speaking, the actors are all credible in their interpretation of celebrities.

This biopic, designed for the international market, pays a beautiful tribute to this french giant singer and composer. It will delight the fans. Let's hope that it will allow a new generation to discover this incredible destiny.

Monsieur Aznavour
Written and directed by Grand Corps Malade et Mehdi Idir
Produced by Eric et Nicolas altmayer et Jean-Rachid Kallouche
Starring Tahar Rahim, Bastien Bouillon, Marie-Julier Baup, Camille Moutawakil
Photography : Brecht Goyvaerts
Art Design : Stéphane Rozenbaum
Costumes : Isabelle Mathieu
Editing by Laure Gardette
Music by Varda Kakon
Production Companies: Kallouche Cinéma et Mandarin Compagnie
Distributed by Pathé Films (France)
Release Date : 23 Octobre 2024 (France)
Running Time : 133 minutes

Seen October 14, 2024 at Pathé Wepler (Paris)

Sabine's Mark:

Mulder's Review

Monsieur Aznavour is not just another biopic, but an immersive journey into the intimate, tumultuous world of Charles Aznavour, conceived by the duo Grand Corps Malade and Mehdi Idir. The film sets itself apart by constructing a biographical fresco that avoids hagiographic shortcuts. Structured in five chapters punctuated by key songs from Aznavour's career (Les Deux Guitares, La Bohème, etc.), it reveals both the moments of glory and the inner trials of an artist whose relentless quest for recognition has often obscured the man behind the legend.

As Charles Aznavour, Tahar Rahim delivers an impressive performance, in which every mimic, every voice inflection and every shoulder movement recreates the singer's aura, blurring the boundary between actor and character. Like a chameleon, Tahar Rahim manages to embody Aznavour without falling into caricature, giving the film its most vibrant scenes, particularly during the musical performances. Alongside him, Marie-Julie Baup plays a powerful yet vulnerable Édith Piaf, while Bastien Bouillon stands out in the role of Pierre Roche, Charles Azanvour's friend and musical partner. This trio infuses the story with an authenticity that, combined with the precision of the historical reconstructions, transports the viewer to the Paris of yesteryear.

However, the film suffers from a certain narrative rigidity, adopting an academic, almost too wise approach, where Charles Aznavour's evolution unfolds in an unsurprising linearity. The camerawork, while masterful, sometimes lacks the boldness that would transcend the story, leaving room for scenes that are certainly well-polished, but struggle to surprise. While the directors skilfully play with the codes of the biopic by integrating key moments from the singer's life, they often take a back seat to Charles Aznavour's music, at the risk of diluting their own vision of the character. This seemingly respectful choice lends the film a certain classicism, but prevents it from achieving the tragic, introspective dimension one might expect from such a complex portrait.

The production clearly benefited from considerable resources, with meticulously reconstructed sets and faithful costumes that recreate the period with rare visual precision. However, the care taken with the aesthetics is not enough to conceal the weaknesses of a narrative that leaves little room for the shadows and asperities of the character. Charles Aznavour appears in a glorious light, but without the duality that made him so fascinating: the perpetually dissatisfied man, seeking success to the detriment of his own inner peace.

Beyond these reservations, Monsieur Aznavour remains an engaging portrait, peppered with moments of emotion carried by songs that arouse as much nostalgia as admiration. It celebrates a mythical artist while evoking his struggles and successes with sobriety, making this biopic an enjoyable viewing for fans of the singer, even if the lack of risk-taking in the staging and the absence of psychological depth might frustrate some.

Seen on October 23, 2024 at Gaumont Disney Village, Room 5 seat A19

Mulder's Mark: