Far be it from me to cast aspersions at Comden and Green but they surely saw this movie before ripping it off in Singin' In The Rain. Be that as it may what we have here is an interesting idea ('silent' stars unable or unwilling to adapt to 'sound) that is more or less discarded rather than being exploited. The casting is unusual whichever way you look at it. Clearly a vehicle for Piaf who had signed a contract to make it before re- opening the Moulin Rouge as a Music Hall with Yves Montand 'opening' for her and becoming her lover; on the strength of this Piaf insisted a role be found for Montand and had that been that it would have been great because the chemistry was there and they would probably have allowed Montand to sing. As it was they had also to accommodate Serge Reggiani - he would go on to appear with Montand's wife, Simone Signoret, memorably in Casque d'Or - and Jules Berry, two different styles of acting. It is this casting that fascinates today but at the time the clash of style must have been heard in the Auvergne. Certainly worth a look
Review of Étoile sans lumière
