Love Songs-DVD
Added 3/8/2009
Great movie/musical-only the French can get away with a storyline like this!
I bought the CD too, and am very happy with it.
All the actors have amazing voices and the music is catchy and tres' bien!
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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Musical Paris
Added 2/4/2009
"Love Songs"
Musical Paris
Amos Lassen
"Love Songs" is not your typical movie musical and is in no way traditional. It is a blend of a classical quartet with acoustic guitar and the singing is integral to the story.
Ismael (Louis Garrel) lives with his girlfriend Julie (Ludivine Sagnier) and they share their bed with Alice (Clotilde Hesme) who works with Ismael. The three walk the streets of Paris and they party and sleep together. There are occasional jealousies but by and large the three are fine together. When death suddenly strikes those who are left have to come to terms with losing someone they love and we see new relationships being formed and the youth men and women are there for each other and as their spirits return, they find that new commitments are possible.
The film is homage to love, life, death, youth, friendship, music and of course Paris. The film takes us into its arms and gives us a musical that is French to its core and it is all expressed in song. At first I felt like this was going to be a piece of fluff but it soon became charming. Replete with thirteen songs, the movie looks at sexuality which is porous and it is a story of romance cut short by tragedy and then it shows how it is possible to again find love.
The songs give us the pure and genuine emotions which are difficult to achieve by spoken word. The lyrics flow from the actors in realistic ways. This is more than a movie, it is an experience.
6 out of 6 people found this helpful.
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French Musical Drama
Added 1/4/2009
This has to be one of the more ill conceived ideas in film history. A dramatic musical? No, sorry this one just flat out doesn't work. In Paris (Dans Paris), similar flavor, similar cast, but without the music - that works.
The positives - the music is pretty, the songs do move the story line along, and the singing / instruments are all well done. The film is set in real live Paris - near the Bastille. Work a day Paris, not the tourist Paris. The French is beautiful. And the actors have a certain allure.
The negatives - this unreasonable shuffling of partners and mixing it all up, female/female/male, female/female, male/male... and all without passion. In the opening threesome, they all read books. Zero excitement here. The songs, just way too many of them. Nothing really happens in this story.
Here is the whole film: a man and two women live together. There's a party at Julie's parent's house. The three go to a concert. Julie has a heart attack and dies. Everyone grieves. The lead man sleeps with a younger man. There's a bunch of jealousy all around. And the film almost ends with him visiting Julie's grave and seeing visions of her, she sort of releases him. He goes to the younger man's apartment and makes out with him on the balcony, the end. I haven't spoiled this film for anyone reading this synopsis.
There are no special features on the DVD, just trailers. In French with well done English subtitles.
It is an R rated movie. Not for nudity, there is absolutely none. Not for language, there is no foul language. Not for violence. It's the subject matter and suggested things under the covers that yielded the R rating, the MPAA at their best. I find it hard to believe that anyone under 16 would be remotely interested in this film. For that matter, anyone older than 16.
Just cannot recommend this film experiment.
2 out of 13 people found this helpful.
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A Classic in its genre
Added 12/23/2008
Even if the French/English translation is not 100% acurate - even if the poetry has been lost in translation - this movie is a real Classico/modern sex tale of 2008.
A love triangle - sadness and love are the main theme of the movie
Great Paris shots - color and black and white - the streets - cafes - cigarettes .............. you are transported in Paris by nights most of the time.
It is the photography and musicality that makes this movie a piece of art - sometimes compared to the "parapluies de cherbourg" because of the songs styles - but for the rest we are in 2008 and deep in it.
This is VERY french, with a real style that is unique and will probably be a Classic in its genre.
If you want a trip to Paris with love stories - this is the one to get
4 out of 4 people found this helpful.
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A charming confection of a film
Added 12/12/2008
This is perhaps Honore's most accessible film to date, even though it is a polyamorous musical. Louis Garrel continues to impress and the smaller roles of Sagnier and Hesme are given ample room to shine as well. The music is beautiful, particularly the song about the Bastille, sung by Sagnier's character and her family in an opening scene. The even smaller roles of the family members are exquisite. I particularly felt for Mastroianni's character (spelling?)... please watch this film if you are a fan of french cinema, and want to escape reality for some bittersweet Parisian confection.
4 out of 4 people found this helpful.
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