In a career spanning seventy years, Charles Aznavour wrote and recorded over a thousand songs, recorded ninety-one studio albums and appeared in more than fifty films. “If I stop, I die” his character states towards the end of this biopic, apologising for his failings as a family man. In portraying Aznavour as a man who despite his successes didn’t know when or how to stop, Monsieur Aznavour regrettably suffers the same fate.

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Though not quite a cradle to the grave biopic Monsieur Aznavour gives it a good crack, tracing the entertainer’s life from his stage debut at the age of nine through to him touring the world forty years later. In the interim he progresses from impersonating a singer-songwriter (Charles Trenet) to becoming one himself, assisted by his partnership with Pierre Roche and the patronage of Edith Piaf. In this role, Marie-Julie Baup provides one of the most captivating cinematic interpretations of the French icon.

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In their third film as a directing team, Mehdi Idir and Grand Corps Malade have fashioned an entertaining, if somewhat conventional, biopic of the famed French troubadour. Our attention is captured from the start, where the filmmakers utilise newsreels to solemnify the singer's family’s survival of the Armenian genocide. Interest in the chronicling the rest of Aznavour’s eventful, though not necessarily riveting, story is maintained by an engaging performance from Tahar Rahim and the presentation of the singer’s hits. The filmmakers’ history of making music videos is used to good advantage here, particularly in the staging of ‘La Bohème’. However, the inclusion of Dr. Dre’s ‘What’s the Difference’ (which uses a sample of Aznavour’s ‘Parce que tu crois’), is a misstep that momentarily halts the film’s tempo.

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Yet like the music in the videos prevalent at the time of the entertainer’s peak, Monsieur Aznavour’s story simply fades away while the performer is still on stage. As for not knowing when or how to stop, Aznavour passed away at the age of 94 years old, less than two weeks after his last performance.​​