Madame Rosa
Directed by: Moshé Mizrahi
Distributor: Warner-Columbia Film
Released: November 1977
Country: France
Simone Signoret was the first French person to ever get an Academy
Award, winning Best Actress for her role in 1959’s tragic drama Room at the Top, beating out Doris Day,
Elizabeth Taylor, Audrey Hepburn, and Katherine Hepburn. I had never heard of her. Signoret had a penchant for playing
prostitutes and mistresses in her younger days, and she and her husband Yves
Montand (who has a small but important role in 1969’s Best Foreign Film Z) are considered two of France’s great
film stars.
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| Momo and Rosa |
Madame Rosa came almost 20 years
after her Oscar, and while she had aged and gained weight, the title role in
this film required her do ramp it up a bit with some extra milkshakes and
French fries. It’s method acting at its
extreme, most famously done by Robert De Niro for Raging Bull, when he added 60 pounds to play boxer Jake
LaMotta. But Signoret’s commitment to
the physical requirements of the role is only indicative of how committed she
was to the emotional aspects of playing the part.
She is not an attractive character to watch, either in a
physical sense nor as a person, but when all is said and done, Signoret is what
makes this a film worth watching.
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| Simone Signoret in her Oscar role, with Lawrence Harvey |
The character Madame Rosa is not really a madam for prostitutes,
per se, but she once was in the biz. She’s
retired and now spends her time raising the children of other prostitutes. Rosa was a Holocaust survivor, having once
lived in Auschwitz, and you can tell she is as tough as they come. She is raising a bunch of kids the mothers
can’t take care of themselves, and treats them all as if they were hers.
The main relationship in the movie is between Rosa and Momo, a
10-year-old Muslim kid, and the oldest of the bunch. Though Rosa is Jewish, she feels the
responsibility to raise Momo in his own faith, though she openly gives her
opinions on that faith. Rosa becomes
older and sicker as time goes on, while Momo matures into a fine young man.
The film is gritty, both visually and emotionally, as Rosa
struggles through her life. She loves
the
kids, but is beginning to lose her ability to function because of her
health, both physically and mentally--in fact, she is afraid of being arrested and being
sent back to Auschwitz. Because of her frailties and her descent into dementia,
roles reverse and it is Momo who gradually becomes the caretaker. This is a film about
transcending cultural differences of religion and ethnicity. Rosa and Momo love each other in a time their
peoples hate each other so much.
 |
| Thin Raging Bull |
Israeli Director Moshé Mizrahi, who would go on to direct Tom
Hanks in one of his earliest films, 1986’s Every
Time We Say Goodbye, does a fine job.
The framing of Rosa’s sixth-floor apartment evinces claustrophobia for the
viewer and the washed-out look of the film emphasizes the difficulty of the
environment for Rosa and for the kids.
But it is Signoret’s acting that shines in this film. Her every move feels like a burden, most
underscored by her having to climb that six flights to her apartment. Every word she utters seems like a chore and
she makes you wish her life could have been easier somehow. Whatever her acting method, the milkshakes
and extra fries paid off.
 |
| Fat Raging Bull |
You can watch the file on YouTube here.
The
Title: French title was La vie devant soi, which correlates to the 1975 Romain Gary novel
on which the film is based, The Life
Before Us.
The
Culture: This one examines the long term effects of
the Holocaust in post-war Europe, and deals with some heavy themes like
Jewish-Arab relations.
Agenda
danger: It’s not heavy-handed, but of course there is
a bit of the “can’t we all just get along?” thing going here.
Best
Picture that year: Annie
Hall
Rating: This isn’t for everyone. But as a character study it’s interesting,
and the relationship between Rosa and Momo is moving. A nice, quiet film worth watching for the
relationships and for the acting.
