Marion Cotillard's Road to Oscar©: Marion @ LAFCA ceremony

Sunday, January 13, 2008

Marion @ LAFCA ceremony

GettyImages has some nice pictures up of Marion at the LAFCA awards ceremony, where she was honored with their Best Actress prize:

See the rest of the images here.

Thanks to our anonymous tipster!

27 comments:

Dorothy Porker said...: Beautiful pics! I like the look. I'm worried about tonight too, K. I think both Page (because of the critical/box office success of the film) and Blonsky (because of her personality) have a shot at winning this award. Several weeks ago it seemed like a slam-dunk, but now I'm not so sure. I hope the HFPA has a good head on its shoulders and awards the BEST not the most popular or the cutest.

Did you catch Marion on Ferguson? She was very charming and funny. As always. One question, when are they booking her on Charlie Rose???? It's so dumb not to have her there...; January 13, 2008 at 1:10 PM
k said...: I am really really worried about her chances. A GG win will be so important for her...let's hope she can pull one out. She deserves it!

I didn't get to catch her on Ferguson. Hopefully it'll be on youtube soon!; January 13, 2008 at 4:04 PM
Anonymous said...: I really do not how it works from inside really, but don't you think all people involved in the business (at least at a certain level) already know who wins at the GG ?

And may be they also know who is going to win at the SAG ?

Is it silly to say that ?; January 13, 2008 at 4:33 PM
Anonymous said...: I mean, when you see that the Malaysia News knew the results of the Critics Choice award several hours before they were officially announced, i suppose the big bosses of the studios may probably know one or two days in advance.; January 13, 2008 at 4:39 PM
Dorothy Porker said...: Not sure. I think some insiders definitely would know, but I'm sure there are confidentiality agreements in place to avoid leaks. The whole Broadcast Film Critics thing (where we all knew who would win hours before) seems to be a bit of an anomaly.

However, I don't see it beyond the realm of possibility for Insiders to infiltrate award sites and post about what the know.

The good news is, there's lots of good buzz for Marion within the SAG membership. I'm not sure how the HFPA will vote -- they are known as star-fuckers (which is why I'm predicting Jolie to win best actress...hopefully they'll prove me wrong), and seem to jump on the latest trends, so I can very well envision a "Juno" sweep on the Comedy/Musical side.; January 13, 2008 at 4:40 PM
k said...: I want Sweeney for M/C film, Depp for M/C actor, and Cotillard for M/C actress.; January 13, 2008 at 4:42 PM
Anonymous said...: If Ellen Page does not win at the GG against Marion on the Comedy/Musical side, then she is out of the race.

That is why all her fans in america are making a lot of noise, trying to influeence those bloody foreigners : it is now or never for Page.

It would be the greatest robbery of all Oscar history !

But what can we do against that ?

Let's wait and see.; January 13, 2008 at 4:49 PM
Dorothy Porker said...: I would be pretty furious if Page wins. I'd be okay with any of the other ladies taking the price, but, for whatever reason, I'd have a hissy fit if Page won.

And I agree with you, Anonymous. They have been pushing her non-stop -- I mean, good for the studio, they're running a smart campaign. If she doesn't win, then her chances for Oscar diminish substantially.; January 13, 2008 at 4:54 PM
k said...: Fox has put all their eggs in the Juno basket? How else can you describe the complete Once snub in Best Original Song? I mean, with the number of TV ads I see for Juno daily touting their Globe noms and box office numbers, I'd be surprised if Searchlight has put any money in any of their other films this year.

I liked Juno, for Cera and Garner mostly, but its overexposure has reached almost toxic levels.

If anyone is to beat Cotillard, I'd like it to be HBC, who blew me away in Sweeney Todd.; January 13, 2008 at 4:57 PM
Anonymous said...: As far as the SAG is concerned i am pleased to hear there is a good feeling there for Marion.

The recognition from her peers.

But i would still like her to win at the GG too. If she can win both, then she is right on the target for the oscar, and will be almost impossible to beat.; January 13, 2008 at 4:58 PM
Dorothy Porker said...: I'm watching "Once" in a few minutes! By the way, I did catch Sweeney the other night, and even though I wasn't as impressed by it as you, I thoroughly enjoyed HBC's performance. She's always been a favorite of mine, so if she does beat Cotillard, I'd be alright with it. She's done her time and has turned in a lot of good performances throughout the years. No hard feelings.; January 13, 2008 at 4:59 PM
Dorothy Porker said...: Anonymous, I think that if Marion snags those two awards, the Oscar is hers...or she'll at least get back her front-runner status.; January 13, 2008 at 5:00 PM
k said...: You'll probably be disappointed by Once, at the rate we're going!; January 13, 2008 at 5:01 PM
Dorothy Porker said...: LOL. I don't think so. Re Sweeney, I think a big issue is whether one loves or doesn't love Sondheim. I respect him, but I'm not particularly crazy about him. In this case, I felt the score was repetitive, and the plot line with the lovers was so...bleh. And, to my utter surprise, I enjoyed George Hearn's Todd much more than Depp's. Depp was good -- I thought his carried off the singing bits quite impressively -- and yet, there was something amiss. I can't quite articulate what was missing from the performance, but it just didn't hit me quite as hard as HBC's or that of the little boy (who was excellent, by the way).

"Once," on the other hand...the trailer makes me smile, so I'm very much looking forward to it!; January 13, 2008 at 5:07 PM
Anonymous said...: My feeling is that they threw a few precursors awards away, to Page and to Christie, in order to make everybody happy.

Christie did not even bother to come and pick them up !

But now things are becoming serious.

But i may be too optimistic; January 13, 2008 at 5:09 PM
Anonymous said...: In France it is 11H00 PM now. At what time are the results of the GG ?; January 13, 2008 at 5:13 PM
Dorothy Porker said...: You have four more hours to go until the ceremony begins. I'll be posting it here as it happens.; January 13, 2008 at 5:17 PM
k said...: Oh man, I HATED George Hearn as Sweeney. I saw it even before plans were announced for a film version of Sweeney, and I just didn't like her performance at all.

What I so admire about Depp's performance is that he plays Sweeney as a ghost. He's a shadow of a man, someone who's been eaten up completely by anger and hate and revenge. You see glimpses of Benjamin Barker -- when he speaks/sings about his wife, or Johanna -- but, as Sweeney says, that man is dead.

There's something so twisted about the way he plays him. He's delicate but brutal (the scene where he finally finishes of Pirelli is a good example) -- watch the way he tenderly sings to his blades, his blades which are his family. His revenge literally eats him up to the point where he destroys everything he'd sought out to protect.

Depp's voice is fantastic on it's own, but he acts the songs in a way that I've never heard before.

Sweeney's such a fascinating character and Depp adds all these interesting shades to him. Hearn was such a ham.

And dare I say that I actually prefer HBC's Mrs. Lovett to Lansbury's? I think Lasbury is brilliant, of course, but there's something so subdued and magnetic about HBC in this role. I think of this line from The Worst Pies In London when I watch HBC's Lovett:

"A woman alone/With limited wind"

HBC's Lovett has clearly been on her own for too long -- she's quiet, a little creepy, a little loopy -- but she surprises you with how sharp and intelligent and witty she is. HBC also gives her this light, airy voice (her singing, in particular) that just totally works.

I think Sondheim's lyrics keep the story going. When I hear "repetitive score" I immediately think Dreamgirls, where the music was out of place and dragged the story down. With Sweeney, it furthers the plot, reveals parts of each character's intentions and wishes, and grabs your attention.

Visually it's a masterpiece, and, as far as I'm concerned, the acting, music, and direction couldn't be better. I LOVED the film.; January 13, 2008 at 5:18 PM
k said...: Her = His in reference to George Hearn. Yeesh. Can you tell I'm tired?; January 13, 2008 at 5:19 PM
Dorothy Porker said...: That's amazing (our vastly different takes on Hearn). But I couldn't agree more about HBC -- I thought she was excellent as Lovett while I didn't particularly enjoy Lansbury's! LOL.

I can't argue about the acting/music/direction. The dispositive weaknesses, to me, were the plot and the score, which proved fatal to my enjoyment of the film. But, believe me, I can appreciate and understand why so many people liked it. And I do respect Sondheim tremendously.

"Dreamgirls" sucked, by the way. They're not even in the same ball-park.; January 13, 2008 at 5:24 PM
k said...: I loved the plot. It just built and built and built and then BAM! It's over! Man, I saw it a couple of weeks ago and I still can't stop thinking about the film.

Dreamgirls gets an F----- in my book. A Z-, really.; January 13, 2008 at 5:30 PM
Dorothy Porker said...: Have you seen "There Will Be Blood." Man, that film is haunting me non-stop.; January 13, 2008 at 5:32 PM
k said...: I've yet to see TWBB, though I'd like to.

Sweeney Todd and Once are the films that really stuck with me, and Cotillard's is the performance that stuck with me. Though Amy Ryan and Gone Baby Gone also had an affect on me.; January 13, 2008 at 5:45 PM
Dorothy Porker said...: I loved "Once." What a beautiful, beautiful story. And the music is amazing (Vic was saying "that's a good song!" every five minutes).; January 13, 2008 at 7:21 PM
Anonymous said...: Oooh, she looks like Vanessa Paradis in the third pic.

"I hope the HFPA has a good head on its shoulders and awards the BEST not the most popular or the cutest"

A lot of people are saying Page would be the winner for that reason, because she's the hot new pretty young starlet and that looks/youth is important for actresses at Oscars.

Well I think that's a load of rubbish, because Ellen Page, whilst hardly ugly, really isn't that hot, certainly not a conventional beauty.

Marion has the advantage there in her category, even more beautiful than the stunning Amy Adams. Imgaine if they did give awards out based on looks and popularity - Keira Knightley, Angelina Jolie and even Jessica Alba would win everything!

Almost judgement time now. I better have some great news to wake up to! *nervous*; January 13, 2008 at 8:35 PM
Dorothy Porker said...: loomer...this site is purportedly reporting the winners (http://kydem.blogspot.com/2008/01/2008-golden-globe-winners.html). This can't be real, right? I mean, I know they're live and stuff, but the same thing happened with the BFCA earlier this week. Thoughts?; January 13, 2008 at 8:37 PM
Dorothy Porker said...: I'm glad they were wrong! By a mile.; January 13, 2008 at 10:30 PM

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Awards

___________________

Marion's Wins as of Today:

-Academy Award (Best Actress)
-Golden Globe Award (Best Actress - Musical/Comedy)
-BAFTA Film Award (Best Actress)
-César Award (Best Actress)

-Los Angeles Film Critics Assoc. (Best Actress)

-London Film Critics Award (Actress of the Year)

-Czech Lion (Best Actress)
-Boston Society of Film Critics (Best Actress)
-Santa Barbara Int'l Film Festival (Virtuoso Award)
-Golden Satellite (Best Actress - Drama)
-Cabourg Romantic Film Festival (Best Actress)
-Hollywood Film Festival (Actress of the Year)
-Seattle International Film Festival (Best Actress)
-Palm Springs Int'l Film Festival (Breakthrough)
-African American Film Critics Assoc. (Best Actress)
-Golden Star Award (Best Actress)
-Kansas City Film Critics Circle (Best Actress)
-InterNational Online Cinema Award (Best Actress)

___________________

Marion's Nominations for "La Vie En Rose" (Winners Yet to Be Determined):

NONE -- Marion got her Oscar!

___________________
Marion's Nominations for "La Vie en Rose":
-European Film Award (Best Actress)
-Broadcast Film Critics Assoc. (Best Actress)
-Screen Actors Guild Award (Best Actress)
-Chicago Film Critics (Best Actress)
-National Society of Film Critics (First Runner Up, Best Actress)
-Richard Attenborough Award (Actress of the Year)
-St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Assoc. (Best Actress)
-Detroit Society of Film Critics (Best Actress)
-Dallas Forth-Worth Film Critics Assoc. (Best Actress)
-Online Film Critics Society (Best Actress)
___________________

Praise

"Marion Cotillard’s feral portrait of the French singer Édith Piaf as a captive wild animal hurling herself at the bars of her cage is the most astonishing immersion of one performer into the body and soul of another I’ve ever encountered in a film." Stephen Holden, The New York Times.

"Marion Cotillard goes to the front of the line for every Best Actress award out there...Cotillard, lip-syncing Piaf's songs and digging into her soul with gale-force urgency, gives a performance for the ages." Peter Travers, Rolling Stone.

"Marion Cotillard astonishes...a technically virtuosic and emotionally resonant performance." Carina Chocano, The Los Angeles Times.

"Helen Mirren hasn’t been given her Oscar yet and already I’ve seen the first shoo-in for next year’s Best Actress list: the stupendous, heartbreaking Marion Cotillard whose Edith Piaf is nothing less than monumental, a performance for the ages."
Stephen Schaefer, The Boston Herald.

"I'm not usually in the business of hailing a performance as 'award-worthy,' but why is La Vie en Rose, with its furious turn by Marion Cotillard as Edith Piaf — less a performance than a possession — coming out in early summer?" Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly.

"In La Vie En Rose...the acting achievement by 31-year-old Marion Cotillard can be compared to Oscar-winning turns by Jamie Foxx in Ray, Philip Seymour Hoffman in Capote, and Helen Mirren in The Queen as a remarkable portrait so uncannily rich and detailed it defies description...Screen acting just doesn't get much better than this...She's flawless, even if her movie isn't." Peter Hammond, Maxim.

"If the goal of acting is to completely lose yourself in the personality of another, Cotillard gives a master class. You walk out of the movie feeling you’ve witnessed an individual going through a profound physical and spiritual transformation. It kind of explains why the ancient Greeks regarded theater as a form of religious worship." Robert W. Butler, Kansas City Star.

"Maybe you've heard that the French actress Marion Cotillard gives a great performance in this Edith Piaf biopic. But that over-flogged adjective doesn't really convey how great her performance is. Assisted by expertly designed makeup and prosthetics, Cotillard disappears into the melancholy spirit of the iconic Parisian singer; and with unflagging energy and strikingly precise lip-synchronization, she provides a fresh illumination of Piaf's timeless songs...Cotillard's transformation into the diminutive, birdlike Piaf — who was not conventionally beautiful, beyond the beauty of talent — is so complete that you strive in vain to detect the attractive actress within the uncannily conjured persona...Cotillard's Edith is never less than radiantly convincing...And thanks to Cotillard, Piaf herself, in all her troubled, cantankerous glory, is brought back whole for one final bow." Kurt Loder, MTV.

"Marion Cotillard in 'La Vie en rose' was absolutely astonishing, and the synthesis of the performance with the whole film is superb. As much as inhabiting Piaf, she was also creating a creature, and I thought that was astonishing and inspiring. One of the most remarkable things I've ever seen." Cate Blanchett.

[after winning his BAFTA for Best Actor]:
"Never mind all the other qualities in her astonishing performance. For sheer balls alone, I feel Marion should have this award as well." Daniel Day-Lewis.

"[She] does an old person trying to be young, instead of what everyone does – a young person trying to be old...It's a stunning performance." George Clooney.

"Not only did she craft a flawless impersonation of a famous personality, but Marion's humanity elevated her performance to a devastatingly honest and yet seemingly effortless personification of integrity and grace. To me, this is more than just a great performance; it's a document of this actress's overwhelming ability to love." Ryan Gosling.

"Marion Cotillard in La Vie En Rose. I think that's one of the most extraordinary performances I've ever seen." Keira Knightley.

[describing Marion's performance]:
"Your portrayal of this character is, just, it's like what I was saying earlier to Daniel Day Lewis, transformative; like you transcended, you opened yourself up and poured her in...Another transcendent performance." Oprah Winfrey.

[when asked who he expects to hand the Oscar to in 2008]:
"Marion Cotillard! Did you not see her in 'La Vie En Rose?' She’s transforming! That’s it!" Forest Whitaker.

"Simply the best performance ever." Rosie O'Donnell.

"What a performance by Marion Cotillard. What a story. I felt as if I were actually watching Edith Piaf on screen. For me, her transformation from young to old Edith Piaf was unprecedented in film...Not only did I cry, I sat there with my mouth hanging open at the bravery of Marion's performance. If they give her the Oscar on Academy Award night, they might as well throw the Kodak Theatre in with it. She deserves it all." Marlee Matlin.

"I'm sure you're going to win an Oscar. It is an extraordinary performance; just spectacular." Craig Ferguson.

"One of the greatest performances on film ever." Trevor Nunn.

"I've never seen a performance that's so elastic. She transformed through different ages and time -- I thought the physical changes were remarkable." Julia Stiles.

"Marion Cotillard gave one of the most inspired performances ever — yeah, maybe even better than Meryl Streep!" Ellen Huang.

[Best Actress should go to...]:
"With absolute certainty, Marion Cotillard in La Vie en Rose — a tour-de-force performance, one of my favorites of the last five years easily. As much as I love Ellen Page, [Cotillard] blows away the competition in her category." Jill Bennett.

Oscar Timetable

Oscar Time Table*

Monday, December 3, 2007: Official Screen Credits forms due
Wednesday, December 26, 2007: Nominations ballots mailed
Saturday, January 12, 2008: Nominations polls close 5 p.m. PST
Tuesday, January 22, 2008: Nominations announced 5:30 a.m. PST, Samuel Goldwyn Theater
Wednesday, January 30, 2008: Final ballots mailed
Monday, February 4, 2008: Nominees Luncheon
Saturday, February 9, 2008: Scientific and Technical Achievement Awards presentation
Tuesday, February 19, 2008: Final polls close 5 p.m. PST
Sunday, February 24, 2008: 80th Annual Academy Awards presentation

*Subject to change.

Blog

This blog will focus exclusively on Marion Cotillard's path to the Academy Awards. It is not a fan site, per se, since its existence is limited to a predetermined time (i.e. the blog's life will end next February, 2008). Although I'll surely go on tangents regarding other films and other artists, the purpose is to keep up to date with the latest reviews, interviews and/or accolades of La Vie En Rose and Mlle. Cotillard. I was inspired by Marion's performance enough to chronicle this interesting journey she's on. I truly haven't been moved by a screen performance like this in a long, long time. I'm aware that her success and accomplishments in La Vie En Rose stand alone--in other words, I'm sure "awards" don't really make a performance great or timeless and are tangential to the artistic process. That being said, it seems like a fun idea to follow this crazy process from beginning to end. I hope you enjoy your stay here.

Sunday, January 13, 2008

Marion @ LAFCA ceremony

27 comments:

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