Monsieur Aznavour

I enjoyed the film tremendously. The main actor, Tahar Rahim, who was fabulous in the movie The Prophet, managed to convey well Charles Aznavour's personality, voice, and mannerisms, in a very nuanced and subtle interpretation, after reportedly taking singing and piano lessons and undergoing three daily hours of makeup during the shooting. The film depicted well the obstacles that Aznavour had to overcome in his life and his sometimes difficult relationships with his loved ones. Born of Armenian immigrants, he was not particularly handsome, being a short man with a raspy, sometimes nasal voice. At first, he sang in duo with Pierre Roche and then met famous French singer Edith Piaf and worked for her in various roles. He learned a lot from her but had to leave at some point to pursue a solo career. He managed to reach the top with sheer determination, energy and hard work, at the price of tremendous familial sacrifices. It was very pleasurable to hear all along so many hit songs he wrote (He wrote more than a thousand songs, either for himself or for other artists) and I think the film succeeds in showing his perfectionism and creative process, the use of rhythm for instance regarding jazzy songs that became enormous hits.