Well, I thought this was wonderful, even if 1/3 of my cinema-visiting party thought it was too "fanboyish".
The actors chosen to play Gainsbourg, Bardot, Birkin and Gall are astonishingly accurate, and I love the touch of magic realism in the beak-nosed id/devil creature that follows Gainsbourg around. (Apparently the film's based on a graphic novel, which would explain that.)
The narrative is fairly straightforward and familiar - cocky, impudent immigrant kid struggles with his Jewishness and ugliness, reinvents himself as a ladies' man, writes amazing songs, shags some of the most beautiful women alive, scandalises France and smokes a lot of cigarettes - but it's handled brilliantly.
It's inspired me to spend all morning listening to Serge's finest. My current favourite is the ridiculous "Comic Strip" ("Sh-bam... Pow... Plop... WHIZZZ!!!")
The only real disappointment is that the Whitney Houston incident is omitted, but that's probably a bigger deal to anglophone viewers than it is to French audiences.
The actors chosen to play Gainsbourg, Bardot, Birkin and Gall are astonishingly accurate, and I love the touch of magic realism in the beak-nosed id/devil creature that follows Gainsbourg around. (Apparently the film's based on a graphic novel, which would explain that.)
The narrative is fairly straightforward and familiar - cocky, impudent immigrant kid struggles with his Jewishness and ugliness, reinvents himself as a ladies' man, writes amazing songs, shags some of the most beautiful women alive, scandalises France and smokes a lot of cigarettes - but it's handled brilliantly.
It's inspired me to spend all morning listening to Serge's finest. My current favourite is the ridiculous "Comic Strip" ("Sh-bam... Pow... Plop... WHIZZZ!!!")
The only real disappointment is that the Whitney Houston incident is omitted, but that's probably a bigger deal to anglophone viewers than it is to French audiences.
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