LA VIE EN ROSE (EMI Classics, $18.98 SRP)
Legendary French torch singer Edith Piaf comes to tragic life in this beautifully remastered collection of The Sparrow’s hits, making up the soundtrack to Olivier Dahan’s biopic. While the eleven tracks here are by no means comprehensive, songs like “L’Hymne à L’Amour (The Hymn of Love),” “Rien de Rien (Nothing of Nothing)” and “Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien (No, I Do Not Regret Anything)” very fairly represent this Gallic Garland’s style and flair, with the occasional comic accent breaking up the epic gloom. (It is an énigme des âges why only the English version of “La Vie En Rose” is included here.) The value of this disc to the soundtrack collector is threefold, as Christopher Gunning’s suitably lush and moody orchestral score is included, too, with four Piaf interpretations (three of them by gifted mimic Jil Aigrot) added to the mix, as well. An essential disc for the cultured film fan. –Elizabeth Meyer

La Vie En Rose opens at the Ciné Art at Showcase North on Friday, July 20th.