Charles Aznavour lived a long life. And this film of this life is long.
MONSIEUR AZNAVOUR runs to two and a quarter hours and for the most part it is engrossing and entertaining.
Born in Paris in 1924 as the son of Armenian refugees, Charles Aznavour’s formative years are spent in poverty, but distinguished by his parents’ passion for music and theatre. In the early part of the film we are entranced by the parents’ joi de vie, singing and dancing, embracing life in the face of serious hardship.
Charles began performing at a very early age but his career never matched his ambition. Years of honing and hoping, of gambles and rambles, personal life in shambles, serial shagging producing surprise offspring.
His material finds more success in the hands of others, like the imperious Edith Piaf who becomes a highly influential mentor and supporter. But by the 1950s, Aznavour finally realises his own ambitions; his empathetic ‘chansons’ about the heartbreaks, confusions and passions of the common man, mining the dramas of his own life, catapult him to global attention.
He becomes the face you can’t forget, the voice conjuring pleasure and regret, with songs that summer sings tinged with the chill that autumn brings. He may be the beauty or the beast, the famine or the feast, the mirror of his dreams, may not be what he may seem inside his shell. He takes the laughter and the tears and make them all his souvenirs.
Tahar Rahim plays Aznavour with polished panache and a charming charisma. Scene stealer, Marie-Julie Baup in the role of Piaf, likewise manages to play the iconic legend without falling into caricature, capable of slapping and caressing in the same gesture.
Camille Moutawakil, plays Aïda, Aznavour’s sister, brings a spark to this bold female character, a fearless champion, confidante and protector, a loyalist who loved her brother deeply.
Directed by Mehdi Idir and Grand Corps Malade, MONSIEUR AZNAVOUR is a lavishly-mounted production, a true tour de force for production designer, Stephane Rozenbaum, costumier, Isabelle Mathieu, and cinematographer, Brecht Goyvaerts.
As intimate as it is spectacular, MONSIEUR AZNAVOUR serves as a triumphant and potent reminder of the power and impact of music.
