Claude Lelouch in songs – episode 3: Charles Aznavour and Edith Piaf

On the occasion of his Symphonic Cinema Show, a musical journey through his works, the filmmaker reveals to us the secrets of making some of the cult songs from his films. This week: the story of Edith and Marcel.

It was only supposed to be a one shot! In November 2022, to celebrate its 85th anniversary, its 50 films and a career spanning more than 60 years, the Palais des Congrès in Paris welcomed “ Claude Lelouch – The Symphonic “. A show in the form of a journey in music and images through his filmography, where the musicians of the Symphonic band performed the most beautiful music from his feature films on a unique montage projected on a giant screen. But a packed and enthusiastic room could only give rise to encores.

So from November 10, “Claude Lelouch – Le Symphonique” takes a stroll across France, passing through the Salle Pleyel in Paris on November 15. The opportunity for First to meet the filmmaker so that he can tell us about the cult songs that populate his cinema. And this series continues with Edith and Marcel which celebrated its 40th anniversary this year.

It was obvious that Charles Aznavour, given his strong and special links with Piaf, played his own role and composed (with Mama Béa who also lends her voice to Piaf for all his songs on screen) and performed an original song. : I was only waiting for you ?

Claude Lelouch: Obviously, but this film has a particular story which begins in 1960 when I met Edith Piaf in the street…

In which circumstances ?

It was 1960. I was making my first feature film, The Proper of man, in Paris in front of the Galeries Lafayette. And there was a car, a traction car that bothered me because it was in the field. I ask my first assistant to go talk to the person driving and ask them to move the vehicle a few meters. He goes there then comes back immediately to tell me that there is no driver. I then go there myself. And if in fact there is no one at the wheel, I take a look in the back and I discover… Edith Piaf! I am obviously stunned. She asks me what I want. And I feel like I’m in a dream. I stammer to her that I’m a filmmaker, that I’m making my first film and that she happens to be the favorite singer of my whole family and of me in particular, and that she loved the man I most admired: Marcel Cerdan. And there, while explaining to me that her driver has gone shopping because she has difficulty walking and that he will return in fifteen minutes, she invites me to keep her company. So I got in the car. And for 20 minutes, she talked to me about Marcel Cerdan and I prayed that the driver would never come back! (laughs)

What did she tell you about Cerdan?

What strikes me is the love and tenderness with which she spoke about it. We only talked about that. And then at one point the driver came back, I got out of the car, I told her that I didn’t know how to thank her, that she had just given me one of the most beautiful moments of my life. And there, before leaving, she said to me: “Listen, if one day it amuse you to tell everything I told you in a film, I’ll give it to you! » This is what I did in Edith and Marcel and as soon as I get started, I’m going to see Charles Aznavour.

How then is “created” I was only waiting for you »?

I first ask him if he is ready to embark on the adventure. He tells me that we can’t refuse anything to Edith… and to Claude Lelouch! (laughs). I talk to him about my film, what I want to do with it and, for the song, I tell him: “I was only waiting for you, I was only waiting for you… If we started from this sentence which tell their love so well, it would be great.” Charles was hooked straight away and with the talent he had, everything happened very quickly. He called me back two days later. The song was there. And I find it magnificent.

Claude Lelouch- The Cinema- symphonic show. November 10 at the Zénith de Caen. November 15 at the Salle Pleyel in Paris. November 17 at the Zénith in Rouen. December 1st at the Zénith de Caen. December 3 at the Zénith de Lille