Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris (1975)

Three attendees at a puppet theater don various roles in order to sing a variety of songs by Jacques Brel, all while hippies and other eccentrics cavort about them.

Director:

Denis Héroux

Writers:

Eric Blau (screenplay), Eric Blau (play),

Stars:

Elly Stone, Mort Shuman, Joe Masiell

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Elly Stone	...	Lady With Shopping Bag
Mort Shuman	...	Taxi Driver
Joe Masiell	...	Marine
Jacques Brel	...	Himself
Annick Berger
Moni Yakim
Bernard Lafontaine
France Lombard
Sophie Héroux
Nico Sirakos
Jean Schianno
René Quivrin
Paule Tanneur
Martial
Jean Nény	...	(as Jean Meny)

Storyline

Jacques Brel Is Alive, etc. once toured American and European theatres. The show is comprised of 35 songs written by the famous travelling troubedor Jacques Brell (who also stars in the film version). The film centers on various aspects of life (love, marriage, death, war, etc.).

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Plot Keywords:

song | theater | puppet theater | puppet | stock footage | 

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Genres:

Drama | Music

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

France Canada USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 January 1975 (Canada)

Also Known As:

O Jacques Brel, panta zontanos kai zei sto Parisi

Filming Locations:

Nice, Alpes-Maritimes, France

Box Office

Budget:

CAD 850,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

The American Film Theatre, Cinévidéo, The Ely Landau Organization Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Did You Know?

Connections

Version of Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris (1974)

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Soundtracks

"Jackie (La chanson de Jacky)"
Written by Jacques Brel and Gérard Jouannest
Performed by Mort Shuman

User Reviews

Jacques Brel Lives In Our Hearts...

My introduction to the music of Jacques Brel was through The American Film Theater's adaptation of the long-running off-Broadway revue JACQUES BREL IS ALIVE AND WELL AND LIVING IN PARIS. Starring two of the original cast (Elly Stone and Brel's English lyric translator Mort Shuman) and a cast replacement (Joe Masielle), Brel's haunting music is vividly brought to life in an eclectic film. There's no real plot to speak of, but here, you don't need one- the music speaks for itself. Even The Master appears to sing one of his hits ("Ne Me Quitte Pas"), and his back-up cast effectively sing about love, loss, pain and the ultimate triumph of the Human Spirit. For Broadway buffs, it's a treat to know that several other actors who appeared on stage in this revue have cameo appearances (Shawn Elliott, Judy Landers and Annette Perone). The joyous news is that Kino Video will be finally releasing the film on VHS and DVD in April 2003- after watching a butchered print taken from commercial tv, you can bet that this movie is going to be watched on my DVD player over and over. Do yourself a favor and experience this wonderful film...your heart will NEVER forget it!