Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life

2010 2h 10m FR

👍

6.9

SOLID

★6.9TMDB · 362

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A glimpse at the life of French singer Serge Gainsbourg, from growing up in 1940s Nazi-occupied Paris through his successful song-writing years in the 1960s to his death in 1991 at the age of 62.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Éric Elmosnino
Serge Gainsbourg
Lucy Gordon
Jane Birkin
Laetitia Casta
Brigitte Bardot
Doug Jones
La gueule
Anna Mouglalis
Juliette Greco
Mylène Jampanoï
Bambou
Sara Forestier
France Gall
Kacey Mottet Klein
Lucien Ginsburg

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Joann Sfar
Writers: Joann Sfar
Languages: French
Countries: France, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Released 16 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: France, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Joann Sfar, shot by Guillaume Schiffman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Olivier Daviaud. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Maryline Monthieux shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Éric Elmosnino and Lucy Gordon and Laetitia Casta carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt1329457 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Joann Sfar directs. Guillaume Schiffman behind the camera. Olivier Daviaud scores. Maryline Monthieux cuts. Produced in France, United States of America. Dialogue in French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 16 years ago.
2International production across 2 countries: France, United States of America.
3Directed by Joann Sfar, shot by Guillaume Schiffman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Olivier Daviaud. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Maryline Monthieux shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Éric Elmosnino and Lucy Gordon and Laetitia Casta carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt1329457 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 12 themes, including "beach", "jazz", "composer", "parent child relationship".

The technical file

Cinematography: Guillaume Schiffman
Original score: Olivier Daviaud
Editing: Maryline Monthieux
Production design: Christian Marti
Costume design: Pascaline Chavanne
Runtime: 130 min · 2h 10m
Status: Released
Original language: FR
Certification (US): 12
IMDB: Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life (2010)

Awards

César Award for Best First Film

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Joann Sfar

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2024-04-10
★ 7/10
It's one thing knowing the history of his famous song "Je t'aime" - it's quite another when you see the lyric displayed before you by way of a subtitle! No wonder it was banned - and no wonder he, and his publisher, knew exactly what buttons to press amongst the prudish establishment to maximise the success and publicity is would attain. That success is somewhat down the line, though, for the eponymous character (Eric Elmosnino) who lived his relatively short life to the full. He was in his teens when the Nazis occupied Paris and those experiences were to set a template for the future of this strong-willed Jewish lad who, at that stage, just wanted to be a painter. Oddly enough, he owed much of his survival throughout that period to an SS officer and after the war he jumped ship to become more of a stage performer. Sometimes quite comically, but usually impactfully, his decisions are all egged-on by his own, personal, full-sized demon whom we all see gradually guide him down the path of carpe diem. His unique style of music is curiously successful, sometimes despite itself - but his personality ensures that his private life is anything but. His relationships start out as impassioned affairs, but never prove sustainable for long before he is looking for his next affaire d'amour. Elmosnino is on top form delivering this entertaining caricature of a chain-smoker full of joie de vivre and excess - except where it came to his parents, the last vestige of some sort of anchor for his otherwise boundary-less existence. The presentation is almost fantastic, we see him live what purports to be reality whilst also visualising the goings on in his mind - a lively, vibrant and eccentric place; and though director Joann Sfar acknowledges the roles of Jane Birkin (Lucy Gordon) and Brigitte Bardot (an effective Laetitia Casta) in his life, they don't overwhelm the underlying depiction of a charismatic, flawed and intriguing individual who really only thought of his own satisfaction throughout his adult life.

Production companies