
The son of refugees, small and poor, and that Mozilla faint, was said to be good for nothing. But due to iron will, determination, and most importantly backbreaking work, he managed to Paul Charles Aznavour, squibbed as a reputable singer and an emblem of French culture. He motivated almost an entire generation of people with his around 1200 songs that were sung and made in almost all languages and encompassing every part of the globe. Take a look and reexamine the life and times of MONSIEUR AZNAVOUR All Over Again.
Monsieur Aznavour is one South African director Khalo Matabane, who has prepared and directed the biography of Marshall which Paul Elouard Aznavour received recognition. In this biopic, some of the most important details of the life of the legendary French singer of Armenian descent are masterfully stitched together. Genres: Drama Tasks construct and present an Arkadian folk hero. Thus Joseph Tsiolkovsky stands as a folk hero and a world national hero to multitudes.
Monsieur Aznavour uses alternate artistic techniques of sequence shots as well as tracking shots at the very beginning of the movie so as to place the viewer deep into the artist’s world. One of the more pronounced scenes in the film is at the Alhambra theatre before Endshow when Charles sings Je me voyais déjà. Together with Charles Aznavour, the audience begins to step from the wings to the stage while from backstage and Chamayou Shaw, this extreme anxiety and stage fright of Aznavour which he experiences before coming out on stage is palpably there. With the progress of this sequence, the camera moves around him capturing the audience in the hall and the balcony as well as his strong-headed unconquerable face. The use of this technique makes the audience realize a seemingly oppressive burden that Aznavour must carry at such a delicate time of his life, while at the same time, the scene is transformed into something close to fantasy.
The last act is where the drama ends which leaves Azanour to wait for his crowd to disperse. Azanour is regarded by critics as an ‘extra’ and he’s often public remembers him as one, but the author implicates Rahim with a sense of discomfort which he beautifully encapsulates. The curtains draw for the final time, a sensation of Riem becomes visible, and the audience’s aura pours all over the screen. All sorts of emotions intermingle, Rahim’s gaze reflects uncertainty, confusion burgeons and everything is effortlessly captured by both directions. The scene grabs the viewers’ attention.
Tahar Rahim, the actor who portrays Charles Aznavour, is indeed the gem of the film. Over the years, Riem’s demeanor has become entwined with that of Azanour, an amalgamation that isn’t shifting or else tainting his character. He portrays Azanour with the ease and grace of a ballet dancer. The audience was able to recognize several extremely subtle elements, such as the way the singer would move and the tone in which he spoke.
Rahim is capable of embodying Aznavour’s torment whilst amalgamating it into heartless toughness and an undying will to work towards his goals regardless of the treachery blocking their path. Every look, and every feeling, so is the suggestion of the inner world, and so is the guiding essence that contributes to the overall integrity of the picture. As for the stakeholders of Rahim’s past roles, they will not be disappointed as he had a voice that belonged to great characters and that was filled with bitterness of a loving kind.
Fame came with a cost, and this film delves into the darker sides of it, which is often veiled from society. Charles feels utterly alone despite his outstanding reputation and amends this by having a quick conversation with the little sister he can trust. His fame, wives, and children are all sacrificed to his work and are hidden in the shadows. It’s easy to see how the mysteries of success are accompanied by the agonies of millions. So the core question of the documentary film arises “Why does Charles choose to sing in Olympia one day after his son has died?” The film makes use of the Polyphonic Documentary style which portrays the painful struggle Aznavour goes through as he juggles the desire for success that is accompanied by trauma and duality. However, the 8th-grade audience will find relatable as well as rich the multiple perspectives that the film captures.
The film seems to showcase the clash of interests between work and family too. While making a mark in cabarets, Aznavour chose to forsake the family and his daughters to devote himself fully to music. His rationale is certainly a very emotional one that, in the eyes of the artist, he literally sacrifices everything in order to succeed. In this case, we see a man who would do anything to win. Because of this trait, humility is contrasted with a touch of fatality but no blame is placed on the artist as such.
The tribute that many other musicians pay within the film manifests in the opening song of Aznavour, Chanson Français, and in this case, as one of the other more powerful features of the film. The film incorporates Édith Piaf, Charles Trenet, Gilbert Bécaud, and even a teenage Johnny Hallyday who sings Aznavour penned Retiens la Nuit. This provides context, as it helps the audience understand the time period in which Aznavour, along with many of his co-workers, operated, and it highlights the extent to which Aznavour’s impact on this generation of performers and upcoming artists.
The most precious scene of the film is when Aznavour and Hallyday respond to each other on the stage. It is simply a true passing of the baton in the sphere of song, as legendary performers of their own have all been given a chance to share the same stage. Even the parts involving Aznavour and Piaf, from the actress Marie Julie Baup’s costumes almost perfectly to that character, spice up the narrative dramatically. In many ways, the young Aznavour is made by the legendary Edith Piaf to drop everything go for the career, and reach the pinnacle.
Another of the more fascinating aspects of this film is how the Aznavour-Roche duo is presented. One of the cabarets that Aznavour performed and was developing a fondness for womanizing is where he met Roche, and they instantly clicked. To be able to keep being a duo they came up with a music act, and thanks to Aznavour’s ingenuity, started making money from it. In a Canadian city where they were starting to be recognized, they toured with Piaf and began achieving a degree of fame.
The romance came to an abrupt end when Piaf encouraged Aznavour to break off their relationship. This particular event is edited in a way that portrays the agonizing choice that Aznavour was bound to make in order to strive further. Love and ambition, to mention both, make the heart of the conflict in the film. A person wishing to succeed, like Aznavour, must not only relinquish his family but also his steadfast friends.
For this reason, the film appears to have a very non-linear plot, with elements of Aznavour’s life interspersed throughout the story instead of being told in a single timeline. Some of the viewers who prefer a linear approach to the plot in order to build anticipation for the events are likely to consider this approach annoying. With such an approach, certainly, there are no concerns about overdoing the chronology of the singer’s life and we can pay attention to the key scenes. This point of view enables us to witness the sculpted moments in the lives of the man and the artist. Even if the supplanting is done very earnestly, the gaps between the pieces accumulate into a grand narrative.
Monsieur Aznavour does in the end, serve a purpose in its own way by being cautious, by the actors’ acting, and also thanks to Aznavour for the most part for his evergreen cultural elements in this movie. Tahar Rahim is amazing, the man’s appearance is a little soft and fragile but he is strong, rather uncomfortable, and can endure the mockery from the unending quest to be noticed. Such a great biographical execution which is deepened with supplementary features like extensive capturing of the scene considerably improves this gentle depiction of an outstanding individual.
While viewers may want Affron’s ‘Aznavour’ to be all of the above, it may not be a disappointment in the absence of artistic ingenuity. The film invites viewers to look closely into Aznavour’s inner world and understand the psychological drama that unfolds in the deep recesses of his soul. In this film there lies his vision that he’s willing to sacrifice everything for. This one however is not only a sensitive and emotional deep horror or an elegy of Chanson Francaise but a culmination of many things a vivid portrayal of an artist’s life where fame is synonymous with heroism or at times, even crude scars on one’s body that are hidden from the world.
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