Gainsbourg Interviews

Cinémoi talks to Gainsbourg director, Joann Sfar and his leading man, Eric Elmosnino, about their collaborative efforts, in front of and behind the camera, for the re-imagining of the legendary French singer, Serge Gainsbourg.

Director Joann Sfar talks about his personally journey with Gainsbourg, from initial conception with his graphic novel (the film’s source), to his initial casting choice of the great man’s daughter Charlotte Gainsbourg in the title role (she would drop out six months later due the inevitable difficulty of undertaking THIS particular role). Sfar, was unwilling to re-cast the titular character… until the day he met Eric Elmosnino.

Gainsbourg treads the unconventional boards laid out by previous postmodern biopics, I’m Not There, 24 Hour Party People and the sublime Ian Curtis biopic, Control. Continuing in this generic vein, Sfar carefully accretes his subject’s character and life through odd, often animated chapters that poignantly recount Serge’s loves and lows in all their surrealist glory.

Gainsbourg is released nation-wide Friday 30 July, courtesy of Optimum Releasing.

With thanks to uniFrance