AZNAVOUR BY CHARLES - French Film Festival

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https://www.affrenchfilmfestival.org/film/aznavour-by-charles/

Date Reviewed: 10/03/2020

Review by Lizzy Caillaux-Bowles

Intrigue and mystery are sparked from the very beginning of this documentary biographical movie about our much-loved and celebrated French-Armenian singer, lyricist, actor and diplomat, Charles Aznavour, when he reveals his secret room at his home to Marc Di Domenico (Film Director) in 2017, one year before his death.

Charles Aznavour’s secret room is piled with personal stored treasures which he has never shared before, unlike his music, acting and public life.

Marc discovers the room filled with reams and reams of Aznavour's own films, he captured throughout his personal life.

Aznavour filmed to capture as he said, “The present moments that only film can do”, his intention to revisit these films he shot on alone times in the afternoon, yet he rarely did, because as he said “I see in the present”.

Through these films he tells Marc “You will see my whole life unfurl again”. Stating the images, we saw through the media and stage and lights gave a “design of my life”. “You saw me through that medium and you knew me, yet I saw you too through my films, I too was watching you and I knew you”.

We are taken on an incredible and fascinating journey by Aznavour through his films to places, people, how he saw and pondered life in a different times to ours, a memoir of his thoughts, his intentions through his films, which were to see and feel humanity in that moment of life.

This is, perhaps, the shaping of the depth of his music, capturing moments felt and seen then shared with us through his songs.

We are treated to his world travels, his childhood stories, recollections, all sparked through his own films, which we are viewing as he tells his tale. He remunerates about his dreams early on as a child, his book discoveries that sparked the urge to write, as he calls it, his own journey to his Odyssey.

He tells us of his ancestry, the where and why of his family’s difficult migration to finally arrive in France, where he would be born.

Aznavour poetic and presence is captured throughout the film, as he speaks of his life during his Paris times, his sacrifices, his losses, his views on war, his early auditions, his first marriage, first child and what unfolds.

We are truly privileged and entertained entering his world, seeing jazz recordings, that will have you clicking your fingers and tapping your feet.

We’re privy and entertained by his trip, via ship to New York to meet up with Edith Piaf, falling in love on the way even more with his then Evelyn. Beautiful footage capturing raw moments, his wants, his aversions.

Aznavour’s drive, passion and ambition take him to Carnegie Hall in 1963 where we are shown a slice of his performance of “For Me... Formidable”. We learn and travel with him on his life’s journey and get to see and hear about his inspiration behind one of his most loved songs “She…1974” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1YipLB-rQQ, the love of his life, wife Ulla Thorsell, whom he married surrounded by stars we all know and love, such as Sammy Davis Jnr and our recently loved and lost movie star Kirk Douglas and many more. Aznavour, a star amongst stars!

Take this incredible journey in film with Charles Aznavour, directed beautifully by Marc Di Domenico. His life has been given a voice through this film, where he gets to speak to us directly about it.

Charles was a gift to us all through his music, his talents and now his own private films. Don’t miss this film, you will fall in love with Charles Aznavour or all over again. “Viva la vie”