Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.5

La Môme Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 19, 2009

In 2008, Olivier Dahan's "La mome" won two Oscars - Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role (Marion Cotillard) and Best Achievement in Makeup (Didier Lavergne and Jan Archibald). To celebrate its success, French distributors TF1 put together a spectacular Blu-ray release, which happens to be English-friendly and Region-Free. The disc also contains a number of extras, including a director's commentary, making of, gallery of deleted scenes, the film's 135-page script, as well as a number of interactive features.

"Non, je ne regrette rien"

Olivier Dahan’s La mome is an incredible account of the life of French icon Edith Piaf. It effectively recreates her fascinating journey from the backstreets of Belleville, Paris to the city’s most glamorous music halls. La mome is not a documentary film, yet it could have easily been one; the emphasis on detail in it is incredible.

The story of La mome begins on February 16, 1959 in New York City, where Piaf (Marion Cotillard, War in the Highlands) is about to perform one of her hits. She gets on the stage, begins singing and collapses. The screen goes black for a few seconds and then we are taken back in time to witness how Piaf became an icon.

Simply put, the singer’s life was a mess. She was abandoned by her mother, who used to take her on the streets of Paris where she sang for scraps, and taken to a brothel by her father where she was raised by a lonely prostitute (Emmanuelle Seigner, Place Vendome). Eventually, Piaf went back to the streets together with her friend Mômone (Sylvie Testud, Fear and Trembling). There, she was discovered by Louis Leplee (Gerard Depardieu, Maitresse), a night club owner who would make a star.

Piaf had many love affairs. She married twice but her hectic lifestyle had her marriages doomed from the very beginning. After a serious car crash, Piaf also became addicted to morphine. From that point on, none of the people who attempted to love her were successful. Piaf died from cancer at the age of 47, leaving a legacy of unforgettable songs - “Valse de l'Amour”, “Chante Moi”,” Mon Legionnaire”, “Notre Dame de Paris” and of course the timeless “Non, je ne regrette rien” .

Putting on film what exactly took place in Piaf’s life is undoubtedly a very challenging task. After all, even today a lot of it remains veiled in secrecy. La Mome reflects all that. The film is structured as a giant mosaic of events, many completely detached from one another.

Though there is great emphasis in La mome on Piaf’s polarizing behavior off the stage, the film does not veer off into sensationalism. On the contrary, all of her triumphs and downfalls look as sterile as possible.

Many of Piaf’s greatest hits can be heard in La mome. Some of them are actual archival recordings, others are dubbed recordings. When they are not on, Christopher Gunning’s lovely music score fills in the rest of the film.

La mome also benefits from an incredible cast. For her impersonation of Piaf, in 2008 Marion Cotillard won an Oscar for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role. Other notable French actors who contributed to the film are Gérard Depardieu, Sylvie Testud, Emmanuelle Seigner, Pascal Greggory and Jean-Paul Rouve.

A quick note to those who are going to see director Dahan’s La mome for the first time: While this is an incredibly detailed account of the iconic singer’s life, it is not a complete one. For a number of different reasons, director Dahan and his co-writer Isabelle Sobelman have chosen not to address a few rather controversial and well documented events from Piaf’s life.

La Môme Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Olivier Dahan's La mome arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French distributors TF1.

For nearly two years, TF1's LE release of La mome was the most spectacular Blu-ray package in any region. Now, the LE is out of print and only this double set is still in circulation.

La mome looks fantastic! I've long maintained that it was the best Blu-ray transfer that I saw during the format's early days. It conveys an impeccable contrast, terrific clarity and excellent detail. The color scheme is also outstanding. Yellows, reds, greens, blues, browns, blacks and whites look fantastic. Furthermore, neither edge enhancement nor macroblocking are a serious issue of concern. On the contrary, the image is tight to the frame yet natural looking. The actual print is also notably healthy – there are absolutely no debris, scratches, specks or dirt on it. Simply put, this is a fantastic presentation of a fantastic film. (Note: Even though this Blu-ray disc is marketed by many online vendors as Region-B "locked", it is in fact Region-Free. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location).

La Môme Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: French DTS-HD HR 5.1 and French Dolby Digital 5.1. I opted for the French DTS-HD HR 5.1 track and later on did a few random comparisons with the French Dolby Digital 5.1 track for the purpose of this review.

The French DTS-HD HR 5.1 track does not disappoint. The bass is deep and potent, the rear channels very active and the high frequencies not overdone. The dialog is crisp, clear and very easy to follow. Furthermore, there are absolutely no cracks, pops, hissings, or dropouts that I detected. The balance between the dialog and the music is outstanding. All in all, TF1 have provided a terrific track that truly does justice to this outstanding film.

The French Dolby Digital 5.1 track is also rather pleasing. Dynamically, it is not as potent as the French DTS-HD HR 5.1 track, but it certainly fairs well. As expected, the dialog is as crisp and clear as it is on the French DTS-HD HR 5.1 track.

TF1 have provided optional English and French subtitles for the main feature. This being said, those of you with digital projectors will be pleased to know that this Blu-ray disc allows you to place the subtitles either inside the image frame or below it. Furthermore, TF1 have also colored their subtitles – when Edith Piaf sings, the text for her songs is in red (in French and English).

La Môme Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Blu-ray disc:

Original theatrical trailer - in 1080p, not subtitled.

Script - the entire script for the film, a total of 135 pages, has been scanned and added to this Blu-ray disc. In text format, in French.

Interactive features - TF1 have added up five different options that allow one to get specific information about the cast, the shooting, Piaf's songs, and the script, as well a bookmark favorite scenes from the film and access exclusive photos.

An audio commentary - director Dahan and crew members comment on the film. In French, not subtitled.

DVD:

Making of - a standard featurette offering plenty of footage from the shooting of the film as well as numerous comments from the cast and crew.

Deleted / extended scenes - seven deleted scenes not subtitled in English.

Surprise - the two young actresses who play Piaf perform her famous "Milord"

La Mome a New York - footage from the premiere of the film in New York, director Dahan and Mrs. Cotillard's meetings with the press, the interviews they did, etc. In French.

La Mome Piaf - an Allerton Films documentary on the life and music of the French icon, and director Dahan's film. In French, not subtitled.

La Môme Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It is very unfortunate that not a single local distributor stepped up to release La mome on Blu-ray. I can only guess why! This being said, quite some time ago TF1 produced a spectacular LE Blu-ray, which is now out of print. The double set herein reviewed is still available at selected vendors. If you don't already have it in your collections, you should consider adding it up. Highly Recommended.