Warner has released a proof of concept image showing what the animation will look like.
With the SAG strike over and a new three-year contract in sight for actors, it felt like we could all breathe a sigh of relief over the current Hollywood AI takeover. Not forever, but a temporary reprieve nevertheless. Well, guess what? There's no rest for the cinephile, for a new nightmare is upon us. The Warner Music Group has partnered with the Edith Piaf estate to create an AI-based biopic, running for 90 minutes and mixing archival future with animation. Over it all, a feat of technological necromancy will have the legendary French singer narrate her own story or the corporate-approved facsimile of it.
The execs behind the travesty speak of authenticity, but I only see mercenary intent. It's anti-art, sickening in the worst way…
Even the AI-generated proof of concept picture stinks of stolen art, seeming derived from pre-existent films, including Olivier Dahan's Oscar-winning La Vie en Rose. Indeed, why does the world need a new take on this story when that production still shines bright in the collective memory? Sure, it's not great cinema, falling into the many traps of biopic convention, its non-linearity a mannerism that adds little to the overall experience. However, Marion Cotillard's performance is a thing of beauty, the kind of titanic tour de force that will live on, bigger than life or any single person, a legacy just as outsized as the actress' choices.
So, if you yearn for an Edith Piaf biopic, why not give La Vie en Rose a watch? It's available to rent on VUDU, Amazon Video, Apple TV, Google Play, YouTube, and the Microsoft Store.