Monday, February 25, 2008

End of the Road


We’ve finally come to the end of the road. But let’s remember, this was just one of the many wonderful roads awaiting Marion Cotillard.

Throughout this past year, she has demonstrated she is a genuine, thoughtful, obscenely talented person. I’ve enjoyed following her career from the sidelines since last summer. When I saw “La Vie en Rose” for the first time last July, I was so mesmerized that I went back to the theater three more times. I felt galvanized – I had to do something to pay tribute to what I believe to be one of the greatest performances I’ve ever seen, male or female. And so this blog was born.

But it was born with an expiration date. This was not your traditional fan site – I’m too lazy for that! (if you're looking for a fansite, please visit Magnifique Marion Cotillard, kept up wonderfully by the amazing Maria). Rather, it was meant to be a bit of a time-capsule.

It was a risky proposition – Marion was not as well known as she is today. She was starring in a foreign-language film; she did not have the benefit of a huge studio behind her; although famous in Europe and especially her native France, her appearances in English-language films like “Big Fish” and “A Good Year” did not make a huge impact.

And yet something told me that this performance would be recognized – it was too great. I am a dreamer, after all, and not a self-fixated one – I do have dreams for others. So on I went with the blog, reporting little things here and there and receiving lovely messages from Marion's long-time fans. I familiarized myself with her body of work and felt even more inspired to continue this blog. I re-watched “A Very Long Engagement” and remembered thinking back to when I first saw it and how I thought “that girl” who played Tina Lombardi was great. I saw films like “Love Me If You Dare” and “Innocence” and admired an actress who can easily move between romantic comedy and experimental drama. I took in a viewing of “Les Jolie Choses” and found yet another groundbreaking performance by the same actress. In short, I became a fan – I suspect I always will be.

November arrived and K began her invaluable contribution to this blog. It was perfect timing – things got incredibly busy as award season got started. And all along Picturehouse ran a lovely, dignified, intense campaign for their star. There were ups (LAFCA!, Boston Society of Film Critics!), and downs (NYFCC, National Board of Review), then more ups (Golden Globe, BAFTA), and finally the one that really mattered…and we all know how that ended.

This was such a joyous experience for me – a lovely distraction from work – that along with K, we’ve decided to continue with a similar project. While we will not be focusing exclusively on Marion, and will not be updating the blog any more, we are sure to follow closely her career. We are still on the planning stages, so please check back in a few weeks, when we’ll hopefully have a better idea of what the new site will be. *Update* You can now find us here.

In the meantime, thanks again to all the regulars (you know who you are) and all the lurkers (thanks for dropping by!).

K, you’ve been an amazing collaborator and I look forward to continuing our work together. You rock.

And thank you (you definitely know who you are) for putting up with all the time I spent on my blog, all the Marion & Oscar talk, and for cheering just as loud as I did for her last night. You are the best.

Love, Dorothy
________________________________________

I've got very little to add to those sentiments. What a film! What a performance! What a year! What a joy this blog was! I'm mostly just happy to have had the opportunity to contribute, to help shed light on Marion's amazing journey. So I thank you, Dorothy, for inviting me to join in and for starting the blog to begin with! You championed one hell of a performance and did an incredible job following, as Marion would say, this "adventure."

Thank you to everyone for their comments and discussion these past few months. It's been so much fun to get to gush about this performance with people and not sound like a lunatic! I know I'm not the only one here who screamed and jumped and danced about in excitement when Marion finally won her Oscar. Congrats to her, thanks to Dorothy, and thanks to everyone for reading.

K

52 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much for creating this wonderful blog. I have learned so much about this amazing actress from my daily visits to this site, and I can say that I have never been so emotionally invested in a performance before. In the end, this site was a reason for deciding to stick by my prediction for her: seeing the grateful quotes from other actors who appreciated her craftmanship, and I saw the momentum. Ha ha!
I am so excited to follow her career, and I can't wait to see how she challenges herself next.

Dorothy Porker said...

So true, David. I'm a fan for life.

Anonymous said...

Thank you to both of you.

Anonymous said...

Really nice job to the both of you. I can't wait to see what you're up to next. Keep me posted!

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much for creating this. I saw La Vie en Rose a few weeks ago and was so blown away by Marion's performance that I got home and told all my friends that she would win the academy award and bet 50 bucks on it. Since then I have been checking the blog everyday tracking her success. I admit I was a bit nervous at times because of Christie, but I never regretted betting the money because since I had something to lose, I was feeling a fraction of what Marion was feeling, and when she won, we both won. Like you, I also felt like I had to do something to pay tribute to this performance, and for me it was risking my money even though everyone told me (including my film professor) that she was a foreign actress in a foreign movie and probably wouldn't win. Thanks again for creating this blog, it was great to see that others were as moved as I was by her performance.

Anonymous said...

You're one of my heroes Dorothy. For the life of me I have no idea how someone with a busy professional life found the time and energy to maintain this wonderful tribute site. I appreciate that eventually you were ably joined in this task by K, who equally deserves adulation.

I feel quite sad that this successful project is coming to a natural end. I find myself imagining repeatedly calling your name and running after you like the little boy in Shane as you ride off into the sunset :-)

Don't stay away for too long and like Craig I'm really looking forward to what you and K cook up between you. Whatever it is will undoubtedly display the same class, intelligence, and sense of fun. Bravo Dorthy and K.

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much for this blog, Dorothy and K.

Anonymous said...

Thank you guys you were both the best at keeping us n touch with everything that was going on. That was a wonderfull blod and will sure miss it.

Anonymous said...

thank you !! for Marion thank you very much !!

Anonymous said...

I had heard rumblings about Marion back in June when "La Vie" was in limited release, but I did not see it until November. Since then, I have religiously followed her progress and have rooted for/believed in her all along.

This site was my chief go-to, and it was extremely well organized, run, and updated. It was so nice to see an update basically everyday; I never felt left to dry as a fan.

Thank you so much for lauding such a performance and dedicating a site to Marion -- my faith was solidified by this site.

Anonymous said...

did you know that the man who was sitting next to her at the Oscars and who kissed her on the shoulder when she won is her longtime friend and confident Bastien Duval who directed the "Mon Clown" documentary

Anonymous said...

I've got say, my two passions in life for years have been the stupendous and incomparable Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett, but after Marion's performance I've found a third one. She's breathtaking! I loved her so much in La vie en rose!
Tks everyone for all the update, you rock!
Hope to hear from you again!

siutou_amy said...

Thank you, Dorothy and K for the wonderful ride that was silently campaigning for one of the best performances of all time. :)

Anonymous said...

Hey Dorothy & K,

I’ve found your site googling info about Marion. I have never left a comment but I guess this is my last chance then ;-)

From the moment I watched the movie, I was also moved by her performance and just knew the Academy must have gone crazy not to acknowledge her talent. Hopefully, they did the right thing.

Her portrait of Piaf was not only the best among the nominees but definitely one of the best I’ve ever seen!

I only hope she chooses wisely her roles in Hollywood!

Way to go, Marion!!! You deserve all the good things that come your way.

And thanks girls for putting up such an amazing blog.

Marta, Brazil

Eoghan McQ said...

What a great write-up. Perfectly capatures the events and emotions of the season...I just want to thank you again for the beautiful gift that this site was, I'm gonna miss it!

Unknown said...

I'm one of those "lurkers" mentioned in your post. Thanks so much for providing all the wonderful photos, clips and commentaries. Dorothy, your commitment to the cause is admirable. We have found a new star in Mlle. Cotillard and you have helped contribute to bringing her marvelous talents into the public eye.

Is Mlle. Cotillard aware of your efforts? I hope so.

Anonymous said...

I'm one of the lurkers who found the site only recently (due in part to the fact that I got around to watching La Vie En Rose early Feb), and I happily dedicated a few hours of my life to knowing all about this talented actress. Her performance was simply the best last year (male AND female) and one of the best of this decade. I don't think I can watch an actress' performance the same way again, simply because she has raised the standards so high.
Thank you to the admins for providing all the info and a haven for fans to come together and appreciate (read: Squee!) this wonderful artiste.

Anonymous said...

i alreay miss thos place!

Anonymous said...

Thank you again to Dorothy and K for your passion and this blog, so those of us around the world with the common goal can exchange opinions.
For those who is Marion's fans for life hopefully will see you at marion-cotillard.org
I will miss you all..
"The united nations fans of Marion Cotillard".

Anonymous said...

Me too, I miss this log :( lol

clare isabella said...

I keep checking back every day hoping they'll be another update on what she's up to now...
Must.Let.Go!

I downloaded this picture of Marion to my phone and have it as my wallpaper now... it makes me smile every time I see it and everyone keeps commenting on how beautiful she is!

Anonymous said...

I am very sad today I noticed that people are now starting to bash Marion on the net and Article.A talented French actress winning an Oscar , I just knew it was too good to last.

Anonymous said...

olivergbyrne, Sorry to hear that!
Who did that in the US or in France? I haven't heard
any news of her here in the US. I think she is here getting ready to work on Public Enemies, hopefully gets some rest as well.

Dorothy Porker said...

It's a real shame. Like K told me, this was said a year ago and now some tabloid saw it fit to re-run the piece. I bet the staff was going crazy trying to dig up some "dirt" on Marion. It's really shameful.

And aside from that, let's remember a concept called "free speech" and separate the artist from the human being who thinks, questions, and comments on those thoughts.

k said...

Nothing Marion actually SAID -- is QUOTED as saying -- is offensive. The author, Peter Allen, misconstrued what she said, gave the quotes his own context, and is trying to make controversy where there is none in order to sell papers.

Marion's publicist can very easily say that her quotes were lost in translation and were taken completely out of context. I don't think we need to worry.

But if any of our French-speaking readers remember that episode and can find/translate it to clear up confusion, that would be amazing.

Anonymous said...

I found this link for the video: http://video.google.fr/videoplay?docid=8832884352978465662

Those who know French, maybe you can guys can give a transcript of what was said? What I noticed in the "interview" was the informality of it. It's like she was chatting about other stuff in general, and the topic of 9/11 came up.
The timing of this news is just too... distasteful. This was taken about a year ago, and those journos decide NOW to dig it up and throw it on her? Seriously.

Anonymous said...

And on one of my video of Marion on youtube I started having tons of very cruel messages calling her a dumb scum , that she should go back to her country...I deleted all of them but its sad because I was starting to think Finally the French bashing is over and the U.S reward something French but I should have known how things work in here.I am now afraid for Marion because I just know how cruel people can be when it comes to French-bashing.I tell you I see lots of bad things coming , it allready started.This makes me feel so depressed , right now I feel like taking a flight home,I'm just sick of all that crap.
Especially that we in this blog know that Marion loves the U.S

k said...

Oliver, what did she say in the video?

Anonymous said...

She said that she his fascinated abut Conspiracy theories and that she likes to see all prospect of things before beleiving in what she his tld.She said she saw a documentary that say that we never went on the moon and she taught it was fascinating, then she said she saw one about 9-11 and she compared it to a building that got burned in Spain the same way that the twin tower did except the twer didnt collapse s she said that for sure she likes to get inform on things before making an opinion n what she beleives.Thats in short what she said.
The way she said it allso,she never said Americans but we.
Anyway this is sickening , all thoses articles trying to do her wrong.

Dorothy Porker said...

Thanks for the clarification, Oliver. I hope her PR people put out a statement to fan the flames. It's become viral at this point -- I keep getting google alerts (granted, mostly gossip blogs) and the comments being made against Marion are beyond the pale. And this is, of course, coming from people who don't realize they're reading a piece from some ridiculous, sensationalist tabloid.

k said...

Yes, thank you for the clarification. I had been able to gleam bits and pieces but my French is intermediate level at best and I was not able to catch everything.

It'll be easy for her people to address this, as it truly was taken out of context (disgusting). There's so much anti-French feelings out there, though, so hopefully people don't take it too far.

Anonymous said...

What a sad unfortunate ending, how predictable and despicable that they’d try and ruin her moment. It looks like this will spread further and a statement will need to be made, I saw it on dlisted and it really upset me.

As was said, this was an informal chat where she was asked about issues of the day and her comments have clearly been misconstrued and taken out of context. It appears she never actually said she believed any conspiracy theory either way and just kept an open mind.

The newspaper it appeared on was The Daily Mail, which happens to be the most despicable, right-wing, homophobic Nazi-esque rag in the UK, which likes to think it’s a moral authority on everything and is notoriously anti-immigration and borderline racist. Look at the vitriolic comments she gets - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/showbiz/showbiznews.html?in_article_id=523729&in_page_id=1773&in_page_id=1773&expand=true#StartComments

Some are now saying she’s like Eve Harrington and after she won the Oscar her true nature has come to light. Idiots! Over comments she made a while ago, that were taken out of context. Marion is genuinely sweet and you can’t fake that, she doesn’t deserve this and I hope this backlash doesn’t last long, it gives the Marion haters a reason to belittle her.

Aside from all that, I was going to say thank you for your excellent work with this blog, always was fun to check in to to catch the latest news. I love how you had "her inevitable path to Oscar glory" as the header like you knew it would come true, even though her prospects looked remote at times. Excellent!

I love how so many are like “who the hell is she” and were expecting Ellen Page to win, everyone who saw it knew it was the performance of a lifetime and that she was the one to beat and would be the foreign language winner to get the Oscar. I know Marion was exhausted and sick of all the intense campaigning and interviews she had to do, but it really was all worth it, as she gave us the best and most deserving Oscar win ever!

Anonymous said...

I am really loosing hope,me myself have been the victim of that Anti-French movement. I really beleive now that a huge part of the United States truly HATE the French , I'm sad to admit it.Marion Victory for me was a light at the end of the tunnel but of course it was too good to last.Very depressing and if you want my opinion it's not gonna get better , if she was American it would be easy to fix that but she's French and that makes it more complicated.
I really feel that her career in the U.S is now in Jeopardy and this makes me very sad.

Eoghan McQ said...

Loom I totally agree with everything you said. How ridiculous the amount of wackos that come out of the woodwork...the tone of that "interview" is totally informal conversation...very pensive and nonchalant. She was simply keeping an open mind!? This is so lame and I'm pretty sure will blow over in less than a week. I just wish that the video had not been uploaded in the first place now, I'm pretty sure this "comment" would not have come to light without it.

maria said...

The closest to an official statement I've been able to find:

Cotillard could not be reached Sunday but her lawyer, Vincent Toledano, told AFP she had "never intended to contest nor question the attacks of September 11, 2001, and regrets the way old remarks have been taken out of context."

I'm seriously depressed at the moment. You wouldn't believe the amount of emails I've been getting. all of which being very disrespectful towards Marion (and myself) and especially not maintaining an even slight level of decency. I will not repeat any of it here but let's just say I'm very sick of humanity right now.

Dorothy Porker said...

It's so unfair, Maria. Sorry you have to go through this -- I just saw one of the comments to your latest posts -- disgusting is all I can say.

k said...

I was just going to post that response from Marion's people, maria.

This is a sad, sad day indeed. The Daily Mail has always been a rag mag...my uncle, who lives in England, says the only good use for it is to line the stables with.

It sounds awful, but I'm doubtful this would be the controversy it is now if a) Marion not won on Sunday, and b) Marion was not French. There is an overwhelming amount of anti-French sentiments here -- driven by this current administration -- and it's so sad. This does not do anything to quell those feelings.

Anonymous said...

I'm so sorry Maria :( you have such a wonderfull site , you dont deserve such comments.
I am sudenly happy I'm going back home at he end of the summer,I dont want to stay in a place were people behave like this.
It's just Evil and I just cant stand it anymore.Poor Marion,very sad for her.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for posting the statement, Maria. This looks bigger than I thought. I thought the backlash was restricted only to these crazy people on the net. I was on a Livejournal community yesterday, and I was seriously disheartened at all the comments.
What's annoying is how everyone was like, "She's so sweet" a week ago based (mostly) on how she looked at the Oscars, and now they are like B!t@h. And what's even worse is that few people are being a voice of reason and saying how the actual statements in French are quite different and not so offensive, but they may as well have been white noise. People just keep believing what they want to believe.

Anonymous said...

What an horrible day for Marion Fans ! It's really bad.

Anonymous said...

Dorothy, I realize that this blog is closed, but doesn't this backlash make you want to write one more blurb on this blog to demonstrate support for Marion?

Dorothy Porker said...

I hope this boils over, David. If things grow worse, I have no choice but to speak up, but I'm hoping that it goes away soon, and I don't want to give it more attention than it deserves. It's almost as if I don't want to spoil this "road" with some roadkill (horrible metaphor, but you guys know what I mean).

Anonymous said...

I know exactely what you mean Dorothy,its true that the ending on this blog is nicer then the ending we have now.Man,I really hate what happend!!!!

Anonymous said...

I agree entirely. Let's hope this all blows over soon- I just want her to be remembered for her dazzling, stunning and extraordianry performance rather than a throwaway comment taken out of context.

Anonymous said...

An amazing blog I wish I had found sooner - Marion Cotillard is a gem in life, and so is this blog - it will be missed by me, but I think it's legacy will live on.

Viva Marion, Viva Dorothy, Viva K

{you are rock, it is true, there is angels in the world!}

Unknown said...

The knee-jerk response to Mlle. Cotillard's comments is appalling to me. Now that her public profile has increased, it's sad to note that people will be judging her without really knowing the facts.

I'm still a Marion supporter (and a Dorothy Porker supporters, too)!

Eoghan McQ said...

From IMDB:

Oscar Winner Cotillard Apologizes

Oscar-winning actress Marion Cotillard maintains that her comments about the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center were "taken completely out context and [have] been crafted into a story that has no merit." Appearing on the syndicated TV show Access Hollywood, Cotillard was asked about her 2007 comments in which she appeared to suggest that the attacks were staged. "At no point did I intend to contest the horrific attacks of September 11, 2001, one of the most tragic days in all of history," she said. "Nonetheless, I sincerely regret if my comments offended or hurt anyone."

It's sad to think that "damage control" was actually necessary. Hopefully it will go some way to making this story disappear though.

Anonymous said...

For the record, all the interview story about the conspiracy theories is from ... French websites. Shame on us, after such a win, why did they need to do that??? Stupid journalists and bloggers always needing to be trash!! I hope that would not handicap Marion's career.
By the way, "my clown" was broadcasted tonight, i hope you'll find videos easily, enjoy it !

Dorothy Porker said...

How was the show? I hope some generous fans put it online soon :)

Anonymous said...

Mon Clown is on Youtube, check Maria's site for the link.

k said...

For anyone who continues to check back here, Dorothy and I can now be found at:

http://www.insidethegold.com

mr hollywood bum said...

Her beauty is superb!