Grab a pack of Gauloises and curl up with this bio-pic treat. Originally reviewed for DVD Snapshot.
Official Synopsis:
Renowned comic book artist Joann Sfar's
Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life is
a completely original take on one of France's greatest mavericks, the
illustrious and infamous singer-songwriter Serge Gainsbourg (Cesar
winner Eric Elmosnino). Starting with his childhood in Nazi-occupied
Paris, Sfar follows him all the way to pop superstardom as he
romances many of the era's most beautiful women, including Juliette
Greco, Brigitte Bardot, and Jane Birkin. Employing a witty,
surrealistic style and a soundtrack of the musician's greatest hits,
Gainsbourg: a Heroic Life
is a quintessential time capsule to '60's Paris.
Our Take:
Gather 'round, children, and I'll tell
you of a time when smoking was chic... and few smoked better than
Serge Gainsbourg. Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life
captures the musician and legendary lover with his ever-present
cigarette and unusual worldview. Reformed smokers and drinkers should
approach this with caution, but fans of music (and drector Joann
Sfar's style) may jump right in.
Through
a childhood during the Nazi occupation to stardom as a gravel-voiced
pop poet, Gainsbourg is presented as a sophisticated Lothario even in
youth. First a painter (Sfar's own illustrations are used here), he
grows to be one of the world's most popular musicians, thanks to his
jaunty, unusual, and frequently frankly sexual songs. (There's a sly
reference to the double-entendre “Lollipop” song, while “Je
t'aime... moi non plus” gets a wittily uncomfortable airing.)
