Singing One’s Life: Biopics of Edith Piaf and Dalida

This article compares two films about French singing stars: La Môme (La Vie en Rose, 2007), directed by Olivier Dahan and Dalida (2016), directed by Lisa Azuelos, respectively about Edith Piaf and Dalida. It argues that Dahan in La Vie en Rose attempted to make a feminist biopic, which recognises that a famous woman can live mostly for her art or even equate her life with her art. This does not necessarily mean that such a woman, Piaf in this case, is unable to love passionately, but rather that there is no competition between her romantic and professional personas. Piaf’s talent for singing is also presented as a protection against external tragedies and as a source of meaning in her life. By contrast, Azuelos, in a more traditional fashion, plays up the contrast between the successful professional life of Dalida and her unhappy personal life, suggesting that if Dalida chose a different profession, she could be happier.