Post by davidhr on Aug 16, 2022 7:17:28 GMT -5
A few tidbits from Lara’s vacation in Catania, Sicily; the first, from Lara’s Instagram site, and (surprise, surprise), Facebook (only the second post there in almost two months):
or
www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=644988273652136&set=a.259330805551220
with the caption, “Before resuming the concerts, reunion on my Sicilian land with my friend @thierry_martino. On the program, visit of Catania, tasting arancini and granita... The Sweet Life 🇮🇹
Then, courtesy of Thierry Martino on Instagram, a few notes a cappella,
www.instagram.com/reel/ChIClOcDIDx/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y%3D&fbclid=IwAR3OQ9qcaOsZYb4toH-II3Np_A8aSTVczDE_K37x8BxAdSAy993Ygpon80Y
with the caption from him, “We get the 'I love you' we deserve”. Lara looks gorgeous and happy!
Thierry Martino has a long history with Lara, and in 2019 he took over (from Matt Ersin) the job as Lara’s manager. Whether that is still his position is unclear.
In other news, over the past year, there were various hints of Rick Allison’s possible collaboration with Lara on her forthcoming album. Rick addresses this in an interview, the relevant portion of which is at:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRuCrimXbvc
Here Rick does discuss the possibility of making another album with Lara. He noted that the idea first arose in conjunction with Papillon, but Lara was already involved with another team. Then he was re-approached last year by her label about a possible collaboration that he says she was totally open to; he made some proposals, he doesn’t know where the state of those are, or even if they are making another album. He said it’s a little weird for him, since for the last 15 years he has been the one who decides what he is going to do – he just finished work with Ginette Reno
The interviewer noted that, given their history of successes, if this one were to fail – times and audiences have changed, what worked before might not work now - it would somehow taint the work they had done before. Lara, like the locomotive of a train, would be the one who would be taking most of the risk if it crashes. Rick said in the 15 years they worked together there had never been a failure, and he was sure that as long as they put in the work, this one would not crash either, although there are never any guarantees. He could accept someone else being the director for the album, he would just work with her as composer and arranger if that’s what was desired. He emphasized he’s open to the idea if they want to pursue it.
The full interview with Rick (in French) can be found at www.facebook.com/latelierdecedric/videos/567971514962339
While this is interesting, and one can dream, it doesn't seem as if anything is really imminent.
There have been several more articles concerning the movie Lara is in, ‘Arlette’. First about Lara specifically, for the French public (https://www.lavoixdunord.fr/1216737/article/2022-08-15/lara-fabian-fait-ses-premiers-pas-au-cinema-dans-un-film-qui-fait-beaucoup?fbclid=IwAR3IcmMiEryedVZziOKRDd7zUVvwrJCZiblD7ONHrBVtXBeDEI9xSG3tenM) [Thanks to the Lara Fabian est ton autre FB site for the link]. Here’s the translation:
------------------------------------------------------------
Lara Fabian takes her first steps in the cinema in a film that is much talked about
Singer Lara Fabian plays in the film "Arlette", a Quebec political satire that the media talk a lot about in Canada.
Lara Fabian has already turned around some film projects but without really having the opportunity to set foot there. The few times she did, it was to play herself or to sing in it, like in Irwin Winkler's musical De-Lovely.
This time, and this is a first, the Belgian-Canadian artist, who lives in Montreal, does not play a singer at all, but a minister. And, ironically, a French minister. She therefore takes care to erase any Quebec accent to be credible in the skin of the French Minister of Culture. For this first film role, Lara Fabian did not have cold feet because she has a naked scene (spoiler warning).
A controversial film even before its release
The film is called Arlette, it is signed by Mariloup Wolfe and Marie Vien and tells the story of the arrival of Arlette Saint-Amour, a young woman at the head of a fashion magazine, who is propelled to the Minister of Culture. The film, shot in the gold of the real Quebec Parliament, plays on the backstage and manipulations of power, with a lot of reference to a Versailles era of politics.
If the film is talked about a lot in Quebec, it is not only because it denounces the mysteries of political power and the preponderant role of the image. It is also because the title role is held by Maripier Morin. The name may not mean anything to you because her notoriety has not crossed the Atlantic, but in Quebec, she is a reality TV star, who was also a columnist and host before turning to cinema. In 2020, she was accused by singer Safia Nolin of assault and harassment for facts which she partly admitted (other people testified against her afterwards). The case had a lot of repercussions in Quebec. And this film marks her return to public life, not without waves.
The French release date of the film is not yet known.
---------------------------
As to this being the first time Lara was not playing herself or a singer, this obviously ignores the Mademoiselle Zhivago film clips, where Lara really did play a lot of different parts (and exceedingly well).
And then more about Lara’s ‘revealing’ scene [‘covering’ mostly material we read last week, but with emphasis for the French public] (https://www.gala.fr/l_actu/news_de_stars/lara-fabian-au-lit-avec-une-femme-cette-sequence-video-qui-risque-de-faire-parler_499980):
--------------------------------
Lara Fabian in bed with a woman: this video sequence that is likely to make people talk
For the needs of the Quebec film Arlette, which marks her first role in the cinema, the singer Lara Fabian did not hesitate to undress during a love scene with a woman.
Those who know her know it, Lara Fabian is fearless. Since her debut, the performer and composer has never lacked outspokenness or self-mockery. At 52, the singer is embarking on a new adventure. She made her film debut in Arlette, the new film by Quebec director Mariloup Wolfe. For this first role on the big screen, Lou's mother slipped into the skin of a French minister. Curious choice, especially when we know that her character ends up in bed with the heroine, Arlette de Saint-Amour, the owner of a fashion magazine who became Minister of Canadian Culture. A challenge that the star approached with serenity, as confided on Saturday August 6 by Mariloup Wolfe and actress Maripier Morin – the interpreter of Arlette – in the columns of Showbizz.net .
Confident, Lara Fabian seized the role which was to go to a French actor: "We were looking for the French minister. We even approached super-known French actors [like Omar Sy, Jean Dujardin], but it wasn't easy. in times of COVID”, remembered Mariloup Wolfe during the interview. Quickly, the idea of making the minister a woman became obvious in the mind of the director. The latter, whose agent and stylist worked with Lara Fabian, had the idea of approaching the interpreter of Je t'aime to portray her sulphurous character: "I told her that it was really on the left and that she had to listen to my pitch", she said.
Lara Fabian: her relaxation surprised her colleague Maripier Morin
Arguments that seem to have convinced Lara Fabian. Far from balking at the sensual scene provided for in the script, the Belgian-Quebecer even showed herself to be more comfortable than her partner, actress Maripier Morin. The actress, also a television host across the Atlantic, expressed her surprise to the Canadian site, surprised to play against a very relaxed Lara Fabian: "She was so game! Me, I arrived on morning all stressed. I put on my little nipple shields. I was freaking out. Lara arrived, all relaxed with nothing. There, I took everything off because I thought I was silly to want to hide ", said the young woman, who said she was proud of the final result. And if her own father was embarrassed during the premiere of the film in Montreal, Maripier Morin does not regret having shot this scene: "It was very poetic. It's one of my favorite scenes in the film, even if you see my buttocks”, assured the latter to our colleagues – it is only the third feature film of her career. A work that is likely to cause ink to flow.
--------------------------------
Then there are a few Quebec reviews of the film itself, and it’s leading lady; here’s one example (https://www.spamchronicles.com/sophie-durocher-criticizes-maripier-morins-arlette-film-and-her-text-doesnt-go-unnoticed/):
-----------------------
Sophie Durocher criticizes Maripier Morin’s Arlette film and her text doesn’t go unnoticed
The columnist Sophie Durocher commented on the presence of Maripier Morin in the film Arlette this Monday and her text, which you can read here, did not go unnoticed.
In particular, she speaks about the review of the film published in La Presse. “Half of his ‘criticism’ is an attempt at intent against Mariloup Wolfe for daring to hire such a controversial actress and against the controversial actress who accepted the role. What a hideous little priest!”
Then she adds: “The La Presse columnist seriously dared to ask the question: ‘Is it too soon to rehabilitate Maripier Morin?’
But who judges, what are the deadlines that morality dictates?”
Sophie Durocher also shares her impressions of Mariloup Wolfe’s film. “If we see it as a grand fable, with archetypal characters, exaggerations, and caricature, we can appreciate it.
Let’s say, after watching series like House of Cards or Borgen, which brilliantly explored the Machiavellianism of politics, Arlette doesn’t have the same depth.”
“And Maripier Morin? She's neither very good nor very bad. She's all right, nothing more,” she adds.
“The only time she touched me was in a scene where she cries and says about politics, ‘I didn’t think it was going to be that hard.’
Sitting in my chair, I thought, Morin must have told herself during filming that this line also applies to the cultural milieu.”
Apparently, her column drew a lot of reactions on the Journal de Montréal website. Some totally agree with Sophie Durocher, others totally disagree. One thing is certain: her words make people react. Additionally, the Journal de Montreal closed comments on Facebook to avoid overflows.
Recall that Maripier Morin has done a first TV interview since her controversial visit to 'Tout le monde en parle' last week…
-------------------------------
There is one particularly substantive review (https://actualnewsmagazine.com/english/critique-arlette-a-project-full-of-pitfalls/):
-------------------
In a key scene from the film Arlette, Mariloup Wolfe’s third feature film, Maripier Morin, decked out in a glittering corset, panties, collar and royal blue cape, is photographed on a throne, scepter in hand. The image – which is found on the front page of a news magazine – is titled “La culture, c’est moi”, in reference to the apocryphal phrase attributed to Louis XIV “l’Etat, c’est moi”.
This anecdote alone could sum up what the artisans of the film tried to create: a satire punctuated with referential images, where social criticism is enhanced by a good dose of erudition and intertextuality, all without losing sight of an audience eager for laughter and entertainment.
Suffice to say that they worked hard to dig their own precipice as the ambition was vast and riddled with traps.
Arlette Saint-Amour (Maripier Morin), designer and director of a fashion magazine, is approached by the Premier of Quebec to rejuvenate the image of his government. Manipulated like a pawn on a chessboard, she finds herself overnight Minister of Culture – “minister of nothing”, as we like to remind her in the National Assembly.
It was without counting the audacity and the determination of the young woman. In a few months, thanks to her looks and her outspokenness, she manages to create a real enthusiasm around culture, to promote artists and books, without regard for the budget, neoliberal convictions and the immense power of her colleague from Finance. A merciless struggle then begins between two visions of the world, two personalities and two generations – a struggle dictated by the power of the image and the ability to take blows.
The premise does not do half measures to demonstrate the challenges and prejudices faced by a woman projected into a male environment, while flaunting the absurdities that reign in the political world. The boys’ clubs, sexism, misogyny, the burden of beauty, neoliberalism, zero deficit, elite corruption and artist hypocrisy are all touched upon at one point or another. The reflections, although interesting, would have deserved to be dug more deeply.
Flamboyance versus truth
Shot in the corridors of the National Assembly, the film seeks to embrace superficiality to better feed it, in particular by multiplying the parallels between the political universe of Quebec and the court of the Palace of Versailles or, randomly, of Buckingham.
Baroque, expressive and grandiloquent arias by Vivaldi, Bach and others open the scenes; they are crowned — somewhat like Bridgerton, the hit Netflix series — with the imposing and haunting voice of Gilbert Sicotte. The sets and costumes are flamboyant. The camera lingers on the grandiose frescoes, multiplies the vertiginous wide shots and takes advantage of the subdued lighting to sublimate the place, without however completely succeeding in making people forget the austerity of the Blue Room.
The story also struggles to avoid the pitfalls of caricature to offer the substance and interiority that would allow the public to identify with the quest of the characters (or at the very least to get involved in it). Even the heroine has only a few scenes scattered here and there – and all in all not very useful – to offer a glimpse of her background, her values and her personal life. Ironic for a film that seeks to explain the chasm that exists between the woman and the politician.
People’s Choice
In her direction, Mariloup Wolfe manages despite everything to immortalize moments of truth and to highlight the talent of actors of the caliber of Paul Ahmarani, Antoine Bertrand and Benoît Brière. In the title role, Maripier Morin pulls out of the game and shows a naturalness that eclipses the woman behind the actress.
However, this erasure is short-lived. Once the credits are wrapped and attention returns to the star, it is difficult not to see the character of Arlette as a mirror held up to the actress – who had in recent years had withdrawn from public life, targeted by allegations of sexual harassment, physical assault and racism — as well as society.
The production, by choosing to put the talent of the actress before her personal story, deliberately asks the question to the public: can we separate the art from the artist? We will see the answer in the room.
Arlette
★★ 1/2
Drama by Mariloup Wolfe. With Maripier Morin, Gilbert Sicotte, David La Haye, Paul Ahmarani. Canada, 2022, 118 minutes. Indoors.
----------------------------------------
One wonders whether Lara truly appreciated what she was getting into when she accepted the part in this movie…It’s not clear how wide a release can be expected.
Interesting picture(s) of the week: from lara_fabian_fan_esp,
And Lara in full vacation-mode, from larafabian_fanpage_
Lara The Ring Fabian put together a medley of what she calls ‘Lara’s most underrated live performances, at
www.youtube.com/watch?v=bT07KminNas
Some of them are from duets, or from songs that Lara has not generally sung on recent tours. The video is 14 minutes, and is labeled part 1. This is really a hopeless task, for there are so many ‘undervalued’ live performances that it would be impossible to cover any significant portion of them, although it’s good to hear the ones she’s chosen.
Lara’s concerts are still a month and a half away, plenty of time for her to continue exploring Sicily, presumably with her daughter and father (who haven’t shown up in any of the photos
.
Stay safe everybody,
David
http://instagram.com/p/ChKfIrQD0gW
or
www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=644988273652136&set=a.259330805551220
with the caption, “Before resuming the concerts, reunion on my Sicilian land with my friend @thierry_martino. On the program, visit of Catania, tasting arancini and granita... The Sweet Life 🇮🇹
Then, courtesy of Thierry Martino on Instagram, a few notes a cappella,
www.instagram.com/reel/ChIClOcDIDx/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y%3D&fbclid=IwAR3OQ9qcaOsZYb4toH-II3Np_A8aSTVczDE_K37x8BxAdSAy993Ygpon80Y
with the caption from him, “We get the 'I love you' we deserve”. Lara looks gorgeous and happy!
Thierry Martino has a long history with Lara, and in 2019 he took over (from Matt Ersin) the job as Lara’s manager. Whether that is still his position is unclear.
In other news, over the past year, there were various hints of Rick Allison’s possible collaboration with Lara on her forthcoming album. Rick addresses this in an interview, the relevant portion of which is at:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRuCrimXbvc
Here Rick does discuss the possibility of making another album with Lara. He noted that the idea first arose in conjunction with Papillon, but Lara was already involved with another team. Then he was re-approached last year by her label about a possible collaboration that he says she was totally open to; he made some proposals, he doesn’t know where the state of those are, or even if they are making another album. He said it’s a little weird for him, since for the last 15 years he has been the one who decides what he is going to do – he just finished work with Ginette Reno
The interviewer noted that, given their history of successes, if this one were to fail – times and audiences have changed, what worked before might not work now - it would somehow taint the work they had done before. Lara, like the locomotive of a train, would be the one who would be taking most of the risk if it crashes. Rick said in the 15 years they worked together there had never been a failure, and he was sure that as long as they put in the work, this one would not crash either, although there are never any guarantees. He could accept someone else being the director for the album, he would just work with her as composer and arranger if that’s what was desired. He emphasized he’s open to the idea if they want to pursue it.
The full interview with Rick (in French) can be found at www.facebook.com/latelierdecedric/videos/567971514962339
While this is interesting, and one can dream, it doesn't seem as if anything is really imminent.
There have been several more articles concerning the movie Lara is in, ‘Arlette’. First about Lara specifically, for the French public (https://www.lavoixdunord.fr/1216737/article/2022-08-15/lara-fabian-fait-ses-premiers-pas-au-cinema-dans-un-film-qui-fait-beaucoup?fbclid=IwAR3IcmMiEryedVZziOKRDd7zUVvwrJCZiblD7ONHrBVtXBeDEI9xSG3tenM) [Thanks to the Lara Fabian est ton autre FB site for the link]. Here’s the translation:
------------------------------------------------------------
Lara Fabian takes her first steps in the cinema in a film that is much talked about
Singer Lara Fabian plays in the film "Arlette", a Quebec political satire that the media talk a lot about in Canada.
Lara Fabian has already turned around some film projects but without really having the opportunity to set foot there. The few times she did, it was to play herself or to sing in it, like in Irwin Winkler's musical De-Lovely.
This time, and this is a first, the Belgian-Canadian artist, who lives in Montreal, does not play a singer at all, but a minister. And, ironically, a French minister. She therefore takes care to erase any Quebec accent to be credible in the skin of the French Minister of Culture. For this first film role, Lara Fabian did not have cold feet because she has a naked scene (spoiler warning).
A controversial film even before its release
The film is called Arlette, it is signed by Mariloup Wolfe and Marie Vien and tells the story of the arrival of Arlette Saint-Amour, a young woman at the head of a fashion magazine, who is propelled to the Minister of Culture. The film, shot in the gold of the real Quebec Parliament, plays on the backstage and manipulations of power, with a lot of reference to a Versailles era of politics.
If the film is talked about a lot in Quebec, it is not only because it denounces the mysteries of political power and the preponderant role of the image. It is also because the title role is held by Maripier Morin. The name may not mean anything to you because her notoriety has not crossed the Atlantic, but in Quebec, she is a reality TV star, who was also a columnist and host before turning to cinema. In 2020, she was accused by singer Safia Nolin of assault and harassment for facts which she partly admitted (other people testified against her afterwards). The case had a lot of repercussions in Quebec. And this film marks her return to public life, not without waves.
The French release date of the film is not yet known.
---------------------------
As to this being the first time Lara was not playing herself or a singer, this obviously ignores the Mademoiselle Zhivago film clips, where Lara really did play a lot of different parts (and exceedingly well).
And then more about Lara’s ‘revealing’ scene [‘covering’ mostly material we read last week, but with emphasis for the French public] (https://www.gala.fr/l_actu/news_de_stars/lara-fabian-au-lit-avec-une-femme-cette-sequence-video-qui-risque-de-faire-parler_499980):
--------------------------------
Lara Fabian in bed with a woman: this video sequence that is likely to make people talk
For the needs of the Quebec film Arlette, which marks her first role in the cinema, the singer Lara Fabian did not hesitate to undress during a love scene with a woman.
Those who know her know it, Lara Fabian is fearless. Since her debut, the performer and composer has never lacked outspokenness or self-mockery. At 52, the singer is embarking on a new adventure. She made her film debut in Arlette, the new film by Quebec director Mariloup Wolfe. For this first role on the big screen, Lou's mother slipped into the skin of a French minister. Curious choice, especially when we know that her character ends up in bed with the heroine, Arlette de Saint-Amour, the owner of a fashion magazine who became Minister of Canadian Culture. A challenge that the star approached with serenity, as confided on Saturday August 6 by Mariloup Wolfe and actress Maripier Morin – the interpreter of Arlette – in the columns of Showbizz.net .
Confident, Lara Fabian seized the role which was to go to a French actor: "We were looking for the French minister. We even approached super-known French actors [like Omar Sy, Jean Dujardin], but it wasn't easy. in times of COVID”, remembered Mariloup Wolfe during the interview. Quickly, the idea of making the minister a woman became obvious in the mind of the director. The latter, whose agent and stylist worked with Lara Fabian, had the idea of approaching the interpreter of Je t'aime to portray her sulphurous character: "I told her that it was really on the left and that she had to listen to my pitch", she said.
Lara Fabian: her relaxation surprised her colleague Maripier Morin
Arguments that seem to have convinced Lara Fabian. Far from balking at the sensual scene provided for in the script, the Belgian-Quebecer even showed herself to be more comfortable than her partner, actress Maripier Morin. The actress, also a television host across the Atlantic, expressed her surprise to the Canadian site, surprised to play against a very relaxed Lara Fabian: "She was so game! Me, I arrived on morning all stressed. I put on my little nipple shields. I was freaking out. Lara arrived, all relaxed with nothing. There, I took everything off because I thought I was silly to want to hide ", said the young woman, who said she was proud of the final result. And if her own father was embarrassed during the premiere of the film in Montreal, Maripier Morin does not regret having shot this scene: "It was very poetic. It's one of my favorite scenes in the film, even if you see my buttocks”, assured the latter to our colleagues – it is only the third feature film of her career. A work that is likely to cause ink to flow.
--------------------------------
Then there are a few Quebec reviews of the film itself, and it’s leading lady; here’s one example (https://www.spamchronicles.com/sophie-durocher-criticizes-maripier-morins-arlette-film-and-her-text-doesnt-go-unnoticed/):
-----------------------
Sophie Durocher criticizes Maripier Morin’s Arlette film and her text doesn’t go unnoticed
The columnist Sophie Durocher commented on the presence of Maripier Morin in the film Arlette this Monday and her text, which you can read here, did not go unnoticed.
In particular, she speaks about the review of the film published in La Presse. “Half of his ‘criticism’ is an attempt at intent against Mariloup Wolfe for daring to hire such a controversial actress and against the controversial actress who accepted the role. What a hideous little priest!”
Then she adds: “The La Presse columnist seriously dared to ask the question: ‘Is it too soon to rehabilitate Maripier Morin?’
But who judges, what are the deadlines that morality dictates?”
Sophie Durocher also shares her impressions of Mariloup Wolfe’s film. “If we see it as a grand fable, with archetypal characters, exaggerations, and caricature, we can appreciate it.
Let’s say, after watching series like House of Cards or Borgen, which brilliantly explored the Machiavellianism of politics, Arlette doesn’t have the same depth.”
“And Maripier Morin? She's neither very good nor very bad. She's all right, nothing more,” she adds.
“The only time she touched me was in a scene where she cries and says about politics, ‘I didn’t think it was going to be that hard.’
Sitting in my chair, I thought, Morin must have told herself during filming that this line also applies to the cultural milieu.”
Apparently, her column drew a lot of reactions on the Journal de Montréal website. Some totally agree with Sophie Durocher, others totally disagree. One thing is certain: her words make people react. Additionally, the Journal de Montreal closed comments on Facebook to avoid overflows.
Recall that Maripier Morin has done a first TV interview since her controversial visit to 'Tout le monde en parle' last week…
-------------------------------
There is one particularly substantive review (https://actualnewsmagazine.com/english/critique-arlette-a-project-full-of-pitfalls/):
-------------------
In a key scene from the film Arlette, Mariloup Wolfe’s third feature film, Maripier Morin, decked out in a glittering corset, panties, collar and royal blue cape, is photographed on a throne, scepter in hand. The image – which is found on the front page of a news magazine – is titled “La culture, c’est moi”, in reference to the apocryphal phrase attributed to Louis XIV “l’Etat, c’est moi”.
This anecdote alone could sum up what the artisans of the film tried to create: a satire punctuated with referential images, where social criticism is enhanced by a good dose of erudition and intertextuality, all without losing sight of an audience eager for laughter and entertainment.
Suffice to say that they worked hard to dig their own precipice as the ambition was vast and riddled with traps.
Arlette Saint-Amour (Maripier Morin), designer and director of a fashion magazine, is approached by the Premier of Quebec to rejuvenate the image of his government. Manipulated like a pawn on a chessboard, she finds herself overnight Minister of Culture – “minister of nothing”, as we like to remind her in the National Assembly.
It was without counting the audacity and the determination of the young woman. In a few months, thanks to her looks and her outspokenness, she manages to create a real enthusiasm around culture, to promote artists and books, without regard for the budget, neoliberal convictions and the immense power of her colleague from Finance. A merciless struggle then begins between two visions of the world, two personalities and two generations – a struggle dictated by the power of the image and the ability to take blows.
The premise does not do half measures to demonstrate the challenges and prejudices faced by a woman projected into a male environment, while flaunting the absurdities that reign in the political world. The boys’ clubs, sexism, misogyny, the burden of beauty, neoliberalism, zero deficit, elite corruption and artist hypocrisy are all touched upon at one point or another. The reflections, although interesting, would have deserved to be dug more deeply.
Flamboyance versus truth
Shot in the corridors of the National Assembly, the film seeks to embrace superficiality to better feed it, in particular by multiplying the parallels between the political universe of Quebec and the court of the Palace of Versailles or, randomly, of Buckingham.
Baroque, expressive and grandiloquent arias by Vivaldi, Bach and others open the scenes; they are crowned — somewhat like Bridgerton, the hit Netflix series — with the imposing and haunting voice of Gilbert Sicotte. The sets and costumes are flamboyant. The camera lingers on the grandiose frescoes, multiplies the vertiginous wide shots and takes advantage of the subdued lighting to sublimate the place, without however completely succeeding in making people forget the austerity of the Blue Room.
The story also struggles to avoid the pitfalls of caricature to offer the substance and interiority that would allow the public to identify with the quest of the characters (or at the very least to get involved in it). Even the heroine has only a few scenes scattered here and there – and all in all not very useful – to offer a glimpse of her background, her values and her personal life. Ironic for a film that seeks to explain the chasm that exists between the woman and the politician.
People’s Choice
In her direction, Mariloup Wolfe manages despite everything to immortalize moments of truth and to highlight the talent of actors of the caliber of Paul Ahmarani, Antoine Bertrand and Benoît Brière. In the title role, Maripier Morin pulls out of the game and shows a naturalness that eclipses the woman behind the actress.
However, this erasure is short-lived. Once the credits are wrapped and attention returns to the star, it is difficult not to see the character of Arlette as a mirror held up to the actress – who had in recent years had withdrawn from public life, targeted by allegations of sexual harassment, physical assault and racism — as well as society.
The production, by choosing to put the talent of the actress before her personal story, deliberately asks the question to the public: can we separate the art from the artist? We will see the answer in the room.
Arlette
★★ 1/2
Drama by Mariloup Wolfe. With Maripier Morin, Gilbert Sicotte, David La Haye, Paul Ahmarani. Canada, 2022, 118 minutes. Indoors.
----------------------------------------
One wonders whether Lara truly appreciated what she was getting into when she accepted the part in this movie…It’s not clear how wide a release can be expected.
Interesting picture(s) of the week: from lara_fabian_fan_esp,
http://instagram.com/p/ChPTACMIFy-
And Lara in full vacation-mode, from larafabian_fanpage_
http://instagram.com/p/ChIaMi4o1Ko
Lara The Ring Fabian put together a medley of what she calls ‘Lara’s most underrated live performances, at
www.youtube.com/watch?v=bT07KminNas
Some of them are from duets, or from songs that Lara has not generally sung on recent tours. The video is 14 minutes, and is labeled part 1. This is really a hopeless task, for there are so many ‘undervalued’ live performances that it would be impossible to cover any significant portion of them, although it’s good to hear the ones she’s chosen.
Lara’s concerts are still a month and a half away, plenty of time for her to continue exploring Sicily, presumably with her daughter and father (who haven’t shown up in any of the photos
.Stay safe everybody,
David
