Singing One’s Life: Biopics of Edith Piaf and Dalida

Abstract

This article compares two films about French singing stars: La Môme (La Vie en Rose , 2007), directed by Olivier Dahan and Dalida (2016), directed by Lisa Azuelos, respectively about Edith Piaf and Dalida. It argues that Dahan in La Vie en Rose attempted to make a feminist biopic, which recognizes that a famous woman can live mostly for her art or even equate her life with her art. This does not necessarily mean that such a woman, Piaf in this case, is unable to love passionately, but rather that there is no competition between her romantic and professional personas. Piaf's talent for singing is also presented as a protection against external tragedies and as a source of meaning in her life. By contrast, Azuelos, in a more traditional fashion, plays up the contrast between the successful professional life of Dalida and her unhappy personal life, suggesting that if Dalida chose a different profession, she could be happier.