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
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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