Mr Aznavour by Mehdi Idir and Grand Corps Malade will be at the top of the bill this Wednesday. The directors of Patients et School life tackle a more classic exercise with this third opus. They are trying their hand at the biopic which regularly appears on the screens to revive big names and highlight the performances of actors.
Here, it is Tahar Rahim who slips into the skin of Charles Aznavour (1924-2018) to recount the struggles and other bohemianism that the singer experienced before achieving the status of international superstar. This very academic film takes off especially in its second part (when Charles becomes Aznavour) but it ticks the boxes of the discipline.
The life of Charles A.
It must be admitted that although Charles Aznavour was undeniably a very great man, there is nothing overly rock’n’roll about his life. Good point: the authors allow us to glimpse the less sympathetic aspects of the artist who was so perfectionist that he could be odious and neglect those around him. Contrary to Dalida by Liza Azuelos, they emphasize her creations more than her private life.
An invested actor
Like many performers before him (hello Elsa Zylberstein in Simone), Tahar Rahim must dream of a success worthy of that experienced by Marion Cotillard with The Kid. He worked like crazy, agreed to wear makeup to try to look like his model. He is unrecognizable but the prosthetics with which he is adorned hinder his interpretation. It’s hard to get used to it, although the actor’s talent is indisputable.
Great encounters
Famous people often rub shoulders with famous people. This is the case for Lee Miller, played by Kate Winslet in Ellen Kuras’ film. These meetings are so many little extras in Mr Aznavour. They play on a phenomenon of complicit recognition when we come across Edith Piaf, Charles Trenet, Johnny Hallyday or Frank Sinatra at the same time as him. We can play the midinettes via screen.
Unforgettable songs
Articulating the film around Charles Aznavour’s most famous titles works rather well. As in Walk The Line by James Mangold around Johnny Cash or Bohemian Rhapsody by Bryan Singer on Freddie Mercury, we often find ourselves thinking “Hey, he sang that” or even humming when we recognize certain legendary hits like Take me (yes, you have it in your head now).
The crystal ball
Unlike the subject of the biopic, the viewer knows what will happen to him. When Charles Aznavour doubts, we could tell him that he will succeed! We would like to reassure him just as we would like to recommend Amy Winehouse to stop drinking in Back To Black of Sam Taylor Johnson or Claude François not to touch the electricity in Cloclo by Florent-Emilio Siri. The biopic turns the public into clairvoyants. We know that Donald Trump will be president of the United States although he still does not know it in The Apprentice d’Ali Abbasi.
A sure value
To make a successful biopic, you have to start with a sure bet: a name that everyone can identify with, almost a brand. Mr Aznavour immediately announces the color in its title. As did Elvis by Baz Luhrmann and much more Rocketman by Dexter Fletcher who relies on the title of an Elton John song rather than his name. Aznavour’s “Monsieur” is a mark of respect but also a good way to bring a French touch to international distribution. Well seen!
