Birthday

Breakthrough

The same aforementioned article on the Envelope reports that Marion has earned yet another accolade for her performance in “La Vie En Rose”:

“The 19th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (Jan. 3-14) has jumped on the Cotillard train with an announcement that it will honor her with the breakthrough performance award. She joins past recipients such as Jennifer Hudson and Felicity Huffman.”

Jennifer Hudson and Felicity Huffman–one Oscar winner and one nominee…good company, says I!

CONGRATULATIONS!

Envelope

The Envelope is featuring Marion on its front page, which screams out the following headline: Watch out for… Marion Cotillard
She’s the darling of film festivals with her portrayal of Edith Piaf in ‘La Vie en Rose.’ And it goes on:

“This awards season it’s all about Marion Cotillard. She’s the 31-year-old French actress whose performance as Edith Piaf in “La Vie en Rose” left critics desperately searching for new words to describe her: ‘incredible,’ ‘breathtaking,’ ‘inspiring,’ ‘gorgeous. ‘”
More…

Lombardi

One of my favorite performances of Marion’s is her portrayal of Tina Lombardi in “A Very Long Engagement.” (And because I want to appear smart and worldly, here’s the French title: “Un Long Dimanche de Fiançailles.” Yes, cut + paste is a wonderful thing).

Marion has a very short role in this lenghty, WWI film, but she practically steals the show. This particular scene is heartbreaking (if you haven’t seen the film, I wouldn’t recommend watching this particular sequence–it’s a bit spoilerish, especially as it relates to the Lombardi character).

As you probably know, this performance earned Cotillard the César award for Best Supporting Actress. The film itself is pretty magical–worth checking out.

ETA: If you noticed, Tina Lombardi didn’t have any regrets either.

Gurus

Yes, I realize it’s still early, but when did that ever stop me? The Gurus O’ Gold have posted their own predictions (subject to change), and I’m loving it! Here’s their breakdown for the Best Actress category:

01. MARION COTILLARD – La Vie En Rose (111 points)
02. JULIE CHRISTIE – Away from Her (95 points)
03. KEIRA KNIGHTLEY – Atonement (79 points)
04. ELLEN PAGE – Juno (69 points)
05. CATE BLANCHETT – The Golden Age (53 points)
05. ANGELINA JOLIE – A Mighty Heart (53 points)

Sweet. For more on their methodology, click
here. Thanks to Awards Daily for the heads up.

Blanchett

This is the first post of its kind, but you should be seeing more of them in the future. Although I’ve had stubborn tunnel-vision regarding Marion Cotillard and my hope that the gods of Oscar fortune smile upon her, I’m perfectly aware of the strong competition she is likely to face. Case in point, Cate Blanchett.

Academy Award-Winning Actress Cate Blanchett is, along with Kate Winslet and Julianne Moore, the heir-apparent to Meryl Streep, arguably the greatest film actress of the past three decades. I first saw Blanchett in “Elizabeth” and I was totally blown away by her performance. To this day, I think voters dropped the ball big time that year when they failed to award her a very well-deserved Best Actress Oscar. She’s made some wonderful films since then, including “The Gift,” “The Missing,” and especially “The Aviator” and “Notes on a Scandal.” Her portrayal of Katharine Hepburn in “The Aviator” earned her a Best Supporting Actress Oscar. She was fantastic in the film and deserved all her accolades. And now she’s back in the saddle (sort of speak) in “The Golden Age.” She’s well-positioned for an Oscar nod. In fact, I think a nod for her is as guaranteed as Marion’s. Just look at the trailer, for God’s sake!

The question is whether she’ll end up taking home another golden boy. There are some obstacles in her way, however: the film is a sequel, it got a mixed reception at the Toronto International Film Festival, and (unfair as this criteria may be), she already has an Oscar. However, like Marion and “La Vie En Rose,” even though the reception to the film has been mixed, Blanchett has received virtually universal praise for her work. Another factor to consider is Blanchett’s complete transformation into Bob Dylan in the upcoming Todd Haynes film “I’m Not There.” It was a bold step to take–one that earned her the Best Actress (although she will probably be positioned in the supporting category for the Oscars and probably the Globes) award at the Venice Film Festival a few weeks ago.

So there it is. Blanchett, I declare, is Cotillard’s closest competition. She’s guaranteed a nomination, even if the film under-performs at the box office. That’s just how it is when you’ve reached the heights Blanchett has reached in a relatively short span of time.

Impressive

Here’s a recent review of “La Vie En Rose.” The reviewer glows about Marion Cotillard’s performance but is a bit conflicted about the film itself. Overall, it is a positive review. Here’s an excerpt:

“The most impressive component of “La Vie en Rose” is the superb acting of Marion Cotillard. Over the course of the movie, Cotillard portrays the singer with such realism that her Piaf transcends the usual boundary between a character of the silver screen and a multi-dimensional person. Even without Cotillard attempting this realist interpretation, the role is challenging. It is her responsibility to convey the paradoxical but simultaneous joys and sorrows that Piaf experiences. These are not run-of-the-mill highs and lows, but events of extreme emotion, making the ease with which Cotillard embodies her role all the more impressive.” More…

Persepolis

Friends, France has chosen its foreign language submission for the Oscars and no, it’s not “La Vie En Rose.” France went with Persepolis, winner of the jury prize at Cannes this year. I’m actually very much looking forward to seeing this film, but you know, it’s still a bit of a let down.

In any case, this is the right spirit:

“Meanwhile, for lovers of La Vie En Rose, there is still hope that its star, Marion Cotillard — undoubtedly the best thing about the film — will be nominated for Best Actress. If that doesn’t happen, THEN I’ll start working up some serious outrage.” More…

Powerful

Check out this great scene from “La Vie En Rose”:

If you noticed, a still from this scene is the one that hovers supreme over this blog!

Manamana

You regular visitors might have noticed a lack of updates during the past few days. No real reason except for the fact that there’s no real news out there, plus I’ve been mad busy at work (which is a good thing).

Anyway, when there’s nothing to say or nothing to do, it helps to watch a little manamana:

Hopefully I’ll have a Marion-related update soon!