''Same Old Song'' () is a 1997 French

comedy-drama film Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, illness, betrayal, grief, etc. ...

. It was directed by Alain Resnais, and written by Agnès Jaoui and

Jean-Pierre Bacri Jean-Pierre Bacri (24 May 1951 – 18 January 2021) was a French actor and screenwriter. He frequently worked in collaboration with Agnès Jaoui. Life and career One of Bacri's earliest film appearances was '' Subway''. He co-wrote with Jaou ...

. Jaoui and Bacri also starred in the film with

Sabine Azéma Sabine Azéma (born 20 September 1949) is a French stage and film actress and director. Born in Paris, she graduated from the Paris Conservatory of Dramatic Arts. Career Her film career began in 1975. Azéma appeared in '' A Sunday in the C ...

Lambert Wilson Lambert Nicolas Wilson (; né Willson, 3 August 1958) is a French actor and theatre director. He is a seven-time Cesar Award nominee, four for César Award for Best Actor, Best Actor and three for César Award for Best Supporting Actor, Best Sup ...

, André Dussollier and Pierre Arditi.

Plot

Odile (Azéma), a business executive, is married to weak, furtive Claude (Arditi). In the past Odile was close to successful businessman Nicolas (Bacri), now married with kids and returning to Paris after an eight-year absence. She is looking for a new, bigger apartment from estate agent Marc (Wilson). Her younger sister Camille (Jaoui), has just completed her doctoral thesis in history and is a Paris tour guide. Simon (Dussollier) is a regular on Camille's tours because he's attracted to her, although he claims to be researching his historical radio dramas. Camille has fallen for Marc, and they begin an affair. Nicolas is also looking for an apartment, since he hopes to eventually have his family join him in Paris. The most original feature of this "musical" is that characters break into songs as sung by the original artists, i.e. depending on the circumstances, a female character may all of a sudden start singing in a male voice and vice versa. The judicious choice of songs and variety of styles make for some very funny surprises, considering the complete and voluntary absence of transitions between the talking and singing. The film's debt to Dennis Potter is acknowledged with a dedication in the opening credits.

Cast

* Pierre Arditi as Claude Lalande *

as Odile Lalande, Claude's wife *

as Nicolas * André Dussollier as Simon * Agnès Jaoui as Camille, Odile's younger sister *

as Marc Duveyrier, Simon's boss *

Jane Birkin Jane Mallory Birkin ( ; 14 December 1946 – 16 July 2023) was a British and French actress, singer, and designer. She had a prolific career as an actress, mostly in French cinema. A native of London, Birkin began her career as an actress, ...

as Jane, the wife of Nicolas *

Françoise Bertin Françoise Bertin (23 September 1925 – 26 October 2014) was a French actress. She appeared in over 125 films since 1961. Among these were five films directed by Alain Resnais: '' Last Year at Marienbad'', '' Muriel'', '' The War Is Over'', ...

as Little Lady on Tour *

Jean-Paul Roussillon Jean-Paul Roussillon (5 March 1931 – 31 July 2009) was a French actor. He appeared in more than 80 films and television shows between 1954 and 2008. He starred in the film '' Playing 'In the Company of Men, which was screened in the Un ...

as the father of Odile and Camille *

Jean-Pierre Darroussin Jean-Pierre Darroussin (born 4 December 1953) is a French actor and filmmaker. He was born in Courbevoie, France. Theater Filmography Actor *1992: '' Riens du tout'' (directed by Cédric Klapisch starring Fabrice Luchini, Daniel Berlioux ...

as the man with the cheque * Claire Nadeau and Frédérique Cantrel as Female Guest

Songs

Josephine Baker Freda Josephine Baker (; June 3, 1906 – April 12, 1975), naturalized as Joséphine Baker, was an American and French dancer, singer, and actress. Her career was centered primarily in Europe, mostly in France. She was the first Black woman to s ...

: ''J'ai deux amours'' *

Dalida Iolanda Cristina Gigliotti (; 17 January 1933 – 3 May 1987), professionally known as Dalida (, ; ), was an Italian naturalized French singer and actress. Leading an international career, Dalida has sold over 140 million records worldwide. Some ...

and

Alain Delon Alain Fabien Maurice Marcel Delon (; 8 November 1935 – 18 August 2024) was a French actor, film producer, screenwriter, singer, and businessman. Acknowledged as a cultural and cinematic leading man of the 20th century, Delon emerged as one of ...

: '' Paroles, paroles'' *

Charles Aznavour Charles Aznavour ( ; ; ; born Shahnur Vaghinak Aznavourian; 22 May 1924 – 1 October 2018) was a Armenians in France, French singer and songwriter of Armenian descent. Aznavour was known for his distinctive vibrato tenor voice: clear and ringi ...

: ''Et moi dans mon coin'' * René Koval : ''C'est dégoutant mais nécessaire'' * Simone Simon : ''Afin de plaire à son papa'' * Gaston Ouvrard : ''Je n'suis pas bien portant'' * Albert Préjean : ''Je m'donne'' * Jacques Dutronc : ''J'aime les filles'' *

Michel Sardou Michel Charles Sardou (; born 26 January 1947) is a French singer and occasional actor. He is known not only for his love songs ("La maladie d'amour", "Je vais t'aimer"), but also for songs dealing with various social and political issues, su ...

: ''Déjà vu'' *

Gilbert Bécaud François Gilbert Léopold Silly (24 October 1927 – 18 December 2001), known professionally as Gilbert Bécaud (), was a French singer, composer, pianist and actor, known as "Monsieur 100,000 Volts" for his energetic performances. His best-know ...

: '' Nathalie'' *

Maurice Chevalier Maurice Auguste Chevalier (; 12 September 1888 – 1 January 1972) was a French singer, actor, and entertainer. He is best known for his signature songs, including " Livin' In The Sunlight", " Valentine", " Louise", " Mimi", and " Thank Heaven f ...

: ''Dans la vie faut pas s'en faire'' * Arletty and Aquistapace : ''Et le reste'' *

Édith Piaf Édith Giovanna Gassion (19 December 1915 – 10 October 1963), known as Édith Piaf (), was a French singer and lyricist best known for performing songs in the cabaret and modern chanson genres. She is widely regarded as France's greatest popu ...

: ''J'm'en fous pas mal'' *

Alain Bashung Alain Bashung (born Alain Claude Baschung, ; 1 December 1947 – 14 March 2009) was a French singer, songwriter and actor. Credited with reviving the French chanson in "a time of French musical turmoil", he is often regarded as the most importan ...

: ''Vertige de l'amour'' * Sheila : '' L'école est finie'' * Serge Lama : '' Je suis malade'' *

Léo Ferré Léo Ferré (; 24 August 1916 – 14 July 1993) was a Monégasque poet and composer, and a dynamic and controversial live performer. He released some forty albums over this period, composing the music and the majority of the lyrics. He released ...

: ''Avec le temps'' * Henri Garat : ''Avoir un bon copain'' *

: ''Quoi'' *

France Gall Isabelle Geneviève Marie Anne Gall (9 October 1947 – 7 January 2018), known professionally as France Gall, was a French ''yé-yé'' singer. In 1965, at the age of 17, she won the Eurovision Song Contest 1965, tenth edition of the Eurov ...

: '' Résiste'' * Albert Préjean : ''Amusez-vous'' * Henri Garat : ''La tête qu'il faut faire'' * Alain Souchon : ''Sous les jupes des filles'' *

Eddy Mitchell Claude Moine (; born 3 July 1942), known professionally as Eddy Mitchell, is a French singer and actor. He began his career in the late 1950s, with the group Les Chaussettes Noires (The Black Socks). He took the name ''Eddy'' from the American ...

: ''La dernière séance'' *

Sylvie Vartan Sylvie Vartan (; born Sylvie Georges Vartanian on 15 August 1944) is a Bulgarians in France, Bulgarian-French singer and actress. She is known as one of the most productive and tough-sounding yé-yé artists. Her performances often featured ela ...

: '' La plus belle pour aller danser'' *

Serge Gainsbourg Serge Gainsbourg (; born Lucien Ginsburg; 2 April 1928 – 2 March 1991) was a French singer-songwriter, actor, composer, and director. Regarded as one of the most important figures in French pop, he was renowned for often provocative rel ...

: ''Je suis venu te dire que je m'en vais'' *

: ''Je vous dérange'' * Téléphone : ''Ça c'est vraiment toi'' * Dranem : ''Quand on perd la tête'' *

Johnny Hallyday Jean-Philippe Léo Smet (; 15 June 1943 – 5 December 2017), better known by his stage name Johnny Hallyday, was a French rock and roll and Pop music, pop singer and actor, credited with having brought rock and roll to France. During a career ...

: ''Ma gueule'' *

Pierre Perret Pierre Perret (born 9 July 1934 in Castelsarrasin, Tarn-et-Garonne) is a French singer and composer. He lives in Nangis, France. Biography Perret spent much of his childhood in a café which his parents owned, where he learned to use jargon ...

: ''Mon p'tit loup'' * Claude François : ''Le mal-aimé'' *

Michel Jonasz Michel Jonasz (born 21 January 1947 in Drancy, France) is a French composer-songwriter, singer and actor. His compositions include: ''La boîte de jazz'', ''Joueurs de blues'' and ''Les vacances au bord de la mer''. Born of Hungarian immigra ...

: ''J'veux pas qu'tu t'en ailles'' * Julien Clerc : '' Ce n'est rien'' * Claude François : ''Chanson populaire'' *

: ''Blues du blanc''

Production

Filming began on 6 January 1997.

Accolades

The film won the César Award for Best Film, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Original Screenplay or Adaptation, Best Editing and Best Sound in 1998. It won the

Louis Delluc Prize The Louis Delluc Prize ( ) is a French film award presented annually since 1937. The award is bestowed to the Best Film and Best First Film of the year on the second week of each December. The jury is composed of 20 members, consisting of a group ...

in 1997. At the 48th Berlin International Film Festival in 1998, Resnais won the Silver Bear for outstanding artistic contribution.

Box office

The film opened in France the same week as '' Alien Resurrection'', opening on 158 screens and grossing 30.3 million French Francs ($5.3 million) for the week, compared to 38.9 million French Francs for ''Alien Resurrection'' from 507 screens, and finishing in second place at the French box office. It went on to gross $39 million.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Same Old Song 1997 romantic comedy-drama films 1997 films Best Film César Award winners Films directed by Alain Resnais Films featuring a Best Actor César Award–winning performance Films featuring a Best Supporting Actor César Award–winning performance Films featuring a Best Supporting Actress César Award–winning performance Films set in Paris Films shot in Paris 1990s French-language films French musical comedy-drama films 1990s musical comedy-drama films Louis Delluc Prize winners Jukebox musical films Silver Bear for outstanding artistic contribution 1990s French films 1997 musical films