Love Conquers All~

French actress Marion Cotillard
receives Oscar for her portrayal of Edith Piaf~

Film trailer: (here)

Piaf's great love~world boxing champ Marcel Cercan above right

Marion and partner, Guillaume Canet,
award-winning French actor, director and horseman

Marion, Guillaume, and their son--Marcel 

Edith Piaf and Theo Sarapo...she chose his
Greek stage surname, which means, 'I love you.'

Their relationship was not in the film--but was
a gift at the end of her life. 

“Hold me close and hold me fast 

The magic spell you cast 

This is la vie en rose 

When you kiss me, Heaven sighs 

And though I close my eyes 

I see la vie en rose 

When you press me to your heart 

I'm in a world apart 

A world where roses bloom 

And when you speak 

Angels sing from above 

Every day words 

Seem to turn into love songs 

Give your heart and soul to me 

And life will always be 

La vie en rose.”

Edith Piaf penned those lyrics on a napkin in a Paris café following the 1944 liberation of her hometown from Nazi occupation. The 1946 International hit made Piaf the most popular singer in France, and the highest paid female entertainer in the world.  

‘The Little Sparrow’ was on the streets by age 15 and at age 17 was mother to her only child, Marcelle, who died from meningitis as a toddler. Despite serial heart-wrenching losses, she gave France a post WWII anthem to love’s hopes, dreams, and transformative powers. 

Following the success of ‘La Vie en Rose’--Piaf's great passion, world boxing champ Marcel Cercan---died in plane crash while racing to NYC to reunite with her. His death, along with her three near fatal car accidents--enslaved the songstress to prescribed morphine and boatloads of booze.

Actress Marion Cotillard collected an Oscar for her stunning reincarnation of Piaf in the film that stopped short of Piaf’s redemptive third marriage to Theo Sarapo. 

Born in Paris to a Greek orthodox family, Theo was a natural-born artist who returned from serving in the French-Algerian war for 33-months...introspective and haunted. He and Piaf seemed matched souls when they met through a mutual friend.

They toured France, Belgium, Germany, and Holland together...falling in love despite the 20-year age gap. In October 1962, they married in Paris. Their duo, “A Quoi ça Sert l’Amour” 'What is love?" was a bonus success.

A planned U.S. tour was cancelled when Edith fell ill and they decamped to the French Riviera to recoup—where a brain aneurysm felled The Sparrow.

Theo resumed his career never overcoming her loss. He died in a August 28, 1970 automobile accident at age 34 and was buried with her at Père Lachaise beneath a shared tombstone that reads, ‘Love Conquers All.’

On accepting her Oscar for ‘La Vie en Rose’, Marion Cotillard exclaimed, ‘Thank you life! Thank you love!’ In the final scene, she channels Piaf singing 'Non, je ne regrette rien' (here) when Piaf could barely stand. Reminiscent of Jack Kerouac's advice, 'Be in love with your life. Every minute of it.'