Edith and Marcel (1983)

The world's most popular entertainer and Europe's greatest boxer: the film puts the love affair of these two national heroes against a backdrop of the end of World War II, hotel suites in ... See full summary »

Director:

Claude Lelouch

Writers:

Claude Lelouch, Pierre Uytterhoeven

Stars:

Evelyne Bouix, Jacques Villeret, Francis Huster

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Evelyne Bouix	...	Edith Piaf / Margot de Villedieu
Jacques Villeret	...	Jacques Barbier
Francis Huster	...	Francis Roman
Jean-Claude Brialy	...	Loulou Barrier
Marcel Cerdan Jr.	...	Marcel Cerdan
Jean Bouise	...	Lucien Roupp
Charles Gérard	...	Charlot
Charlotte de Turckheim	...	Ginou
Micky Sébastian	...	Marinette Cerdan
Maurice Garrel	...	Margot's Father
Ginette Garcin	...	Guite
Philippe Khorsand	...	Jo Longman
Jany Gastaldi	...	Momone
Candice Patou	...	Margot's Sister
Tanya Lopert	...	English Teacher

Storyline

The world's most popular entertainer and Europe's greatest boxer: the film puts the love affair of these two national heroes against a backdrop of the end of World War II, hotel suites in New York, transatlantic plane flights, Cerdan's loss of the world middleweight title to Jake Lamotta, and Piaf's gift for tragic love songs.

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Plot Keywords:

marcel cerdan character | edith piaf character | character names as title | three word title | 

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

TV-G

Did You Know?

Trivia

In 1960, when shooting his first movie in Paris, as a car was in the way, Lelouch wanted to ask the driver to move it a few meters further. The only person in the car was Edith Piaf, in the backseat, waiting for her driver. As he was a great admirer of both Marcel Cerdan and Edith Piaf, she took a few minutes to tell him how she and Marcel Cerdan met. Edith Piaf then told Lelouch that if he was a movie director, that story would be a gift from her. And he shot Edith and Marcel.

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Alternate Versions

The video version released by Connoisseur Video (under the Cinematheque Collection banner) runs 140 minutes. The full-length French version runs 170 minutes.

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Soundtracks

C'est Merveilleux
Music by Marguerite Monnot
Lyrics by Henri Contet
Performed by Édith Piaf

User Reviews

Edith and Lelouch

At first sight, Lelouch is a pretentious character making stupid movies but, hopefully, there is a film starting from which you fell in love with the man and his way of filming, this film might be "un homme et une femme", "tout ca pour ca" or "les uns et les autres" but it can as well be this one. Lelouch takes the story in the most anti-Hollywood way as possible. We are quite far from the films which try to recall the legends of the great human beings and to explain their great geniuses with great sounds and filming effects. Lelouch makes a film as realistic as a movie can be. Of course, Lelouch proposes an agreement, you accept is naive-concrete way of doing things and he will take you back to the 40's and, you will met both Cerdan and Piaf. The film is an invitation that you wish never to finish. The actors are simply incredible, Evelyne Bouix never acted so good, Jean Bouise is, as always, fantastic etc. Certainly, the suicide of Dewaere influenced Lelouch so to make a masterpiece and he did it.

Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

13 April 1983 (France)

Also Known As:

Edith and Marcel

Company Credits

Production Co:

Les Films 13, Parafrance Films

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1