Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris (1975) User Reviews

Brel's Last Film Appearance

[blitzknitz · 5/10 · 14 March 2006]

While this is not the best presentation of Jacques Brel's songs, for those who have access to nothing better it will have to suffice. Best is go directly to Brel CDs and DVDs and enjoy him in French. Next best is to attend an excellent theatrical production such as Jacques Brel is Alive an Well" directed by Gordon Greenberg at the Zipper Theatre in New York which opened March 2006. It even outdoes the original 1968 production, retaining the European flavor of the songs, and pleases even the French.

After that, there's this sometimes silly, confusing and dated movie with Mort Shuman, American songwriter, who together with Eric Blau did the adaptations of the songs for this show. His performance is worth seeing, especially of Jacky.

But the most interesting thing about this show for a hardcore Brel fan like myself is the appearance of Jacques in February of 1974. After this film was made Jacques learned navigation, bought his yacht the Askoy, and took off for a round -the -world -yachting trip. He was no longer living in Paris. By October of the same year he received his lung cancer diagnosis . He was no longer "well".

So this movie, which opens with him in audience puffing on a cigarette, confronted by an Addams family type ghoulish character is Jacques last film appearance and somehow premonitory. His glorious performance of Ne Me Quitte Pas is worth the price of the DVD.

proceed with Caution: Jaques Brel is alive and Insane

[xaviertoy · 5/10 · 15 September 2005]

This adaptation of the stage play is so dated that it almost overshadows the amazing performances. Elly Stone does not have your typical voice but she does have all the power and passion that you could ever add to an interpretation of a Brel song. Watching her sing "Sons of..." is the highpoint of the film.

The worst thing about this film is it starts out so poorly it is hard to recover. The opening renditions are very poorly shot. and there are some non-singing, non-vocal moments of "surrealism" that are too awful to be believed. But as we settle into the idea of not having a plot and not apologizing for this fact, the songs become more straight-forward performances. The heartbreaking "Song for Old Lovers" is the highpoint towards the end. It is, however, unfortunate that such a crazy song as sung by Ms. Stone, namely "Carousel", is ruined by some very petty editing "techniques" that climaxes in an image we've already seen and that wasn't effective the first time.

Some other song highlights are "Next" and "Mathilde", but it is Ms. Stone that really makes you feel the urgency of these songs. If we could just watch her and the other cast just perform these the way they did on stage, it would have been a better film. But the director decides to rely on some cinematic tricks that just look worse after time.

As for Brel's appearance, it is slightly anti-climactic, but utterly moving. His is the saddest and most recognizable of all the songs gathered here, and in its original French the most authentic. We should consider ourselves lucky for the documentation of that moment.

I would advise anyone who is willing to watch this to skip the first 8 chapters or so, and start with "Alone" sung by the Priest at the funeral. Then the film is shorter and you miss the embarrassing opening numbers...

An annoying film but interesting for the performers/performances

[Morgan-41 · 5/10 · 1 April 2007]

This film is of interest because it captures two of the original performers of the original version of the Off-Broadway revue, and because Jacques Brel appears in it. But wow, it couldn't be more 70s. The show is not improved by the faux-surrealism or the "hippie children" running around like escapees from "Pippin" or "Godspell". Elly Stone, who brought Jacques Brel's songs to the US, has an intensely irritating voice but is still compelling. Mort Shuman, another original cast member (I believe he also did some of the translations), is quite good. For some reason they dropped the second female role, and the second male role is played by Joe Masiell rather than the original Shawn Elliott, whom I would have been interested to see. Masiell has an excellent voice but his mannerisms are a little over the top.

The best part of the film is also the worst: Jacques Brel himself, singing one of his most famous songs, "Ne Me Quitte Pas". It starts out with a closeup of his eyes. The camera pulls back, and you see him simply sitting at a table, singing the song. He's stunning. You think to yourself, "What a great chance to see him at the height of his powers! How smart of them to let him just sit and sing!" And then the camera starts moving in, slowly but relentlessly, to just a closeup of his eyes ... and STAYS THERE for the rest of the song! What idiot directed THAT?? Truly a case of the sublime turning into the ridiculous.

Jacques Brel Lives In Our Hearts...

[Trampyre · 9/10 · 4 February 2003]

My introduction to the music of Jacques Brel was through The American Film Theater's adaptation of the long-running off-Broadway revue JACQUES BREL IS ALIVE AND WELL AND LIVING IN PARIS. Starring two of the original cast (Elly Stone and Brel's English lyric translator Mort Shuman) and a cast replacement (Joe Masielle), Brel's haunting music is vividly brought to life in an eclectic film. There's no real plot to speak of, but here, you don't need one- the music speaks for itself. Even The Master appears to sing one of his hits ("Ne Me Quitte Pas"), and his back-up cast effectively sing about love, loss, pain and the ultimate triumph of the Human Spirit. For Broadway buffs, it's a treat to know that several other actors who appeared on stage in this revue have cameo appearances (Shawn Elliott, Judy Landers and Annette Perone). The joyous news is that Kino Video will be finally releasing the film on VHS and DVD in April 2003- after watching a butchered print taken from commercial tv, you can bet that this movie is going to be watched on my DVD player over and over. Do yourself a favor and experience this wonderful film...your heart will NEVER forget it!

JB is alive and well and living with me

[bernie minim · 27 July 2002]

I originally heard this on borrowed vinyl many years ago. When it appeared on cable, I had the foresight to videotape it, and have had the pleasure of watching it numerous times. I recently bought the soundtrack CD, replacing my worn out audio tape, and I listen while driving, singing all the wonderful songs at the top of my lungs, and seeing the video in my mind's eye. I am sure it is not for everyone, and it is way outside my usual musical or movie tastes, but for me it is the berries. True story-I was riding on a ski lift with a couple of strangers, and one was trying to describe this strange musical he had seen to his partner. I piped in with the name, etc. How unlikely- one of the twelve people who ever saw this was there when needed! But beware: this sure ain't rock and roll.

More is less. Stick to the cast recording.

[Sam_Youno · 4/10 · 27 June 2020]

I saw the original cast of "Jacques Brel . . . " in NYC in the '60s, and have loved the cast album in all the years since, both for itself and for the introduction it provided to clips and recordings of Brel singing his own songs. I bought this DVD in the hopes of seeing Mort Shuman and Elly Stone singing the songs I first heard them sing at the Village Gate. Big bummer. Mort and Elly---and Jacques---are here, but they're buried beneath the frenzied prancing of the extras, the silly stagings, some remarkably horrible lip-syncing and all the rest of the unnecessary, overproduced hoopla. The songs, as presented here, approach the unwatchable. My own favourite Brel song, "Timid Frieda" ("Les Timides"), mesmerizing on the CD, becomes twittering and trivial. This film adds nothing to the original cast recording, with the exception of several songs not on the CD. Those include Brel's moving performance of "Ne Me Quitte Pas," which even the notes on the DVD case call "the true showstopper"---a telling admission that the rest of the movie ain't gonna measure up. Wish I could have read that before I bought the DVD.

Brel Lives!

[Trampyre · 9/10 · 15 January 2000]

How rare it is for a musical to be filmed with members of its original stage cast! In this case, 1/2 of the stage version(Elly Stone and Mort Shuman) star, along with a cast replacement, Joe Masielle(another original member, Shawn Elliott, is in the background chorus). AND, as a special plus, this musical revue's subject appears to perform a song himself. The eclectic non-book of "Brel" doesn't necessarily translate well on screen. Ahhhh...but the Songs! Rendered with impeccable feelings of passion, regret and desire, Mr. Brel IS truely alive and well. This film is truly a haunting experience, and make anyone a fan of the late Belgian songmaster.

A powerful singing performance in a poor cinematic package

[rmanory · 5/10 · 6 November 2009]

I have been a Brel fan for many years and it so happened that I never had the chance to see Brel translated in English. I am glad that I found this DVD at the library and I enjoyed most of it. I have read some criticism here on the cinematography, and I fully agree with it. In particular, my criticism is on the voice synchronization. It is very rare to find such poor technical quality in movie, but in this case I do bear in mind that this was play before it was a movie. I am very familiar with the French originals and I was impressed by Mort Shuman's lyrics, and by the powerful performance of Elly Stone. IN particular I found the interpretation of (the very difficult) "Marike" very impressive, in particular since part of it was in (very well pronounced) Flemish. I liked Brel's performance of course, but I would have expected translation subtitles, since the rest of the songs were in English. As a movie, this DVD is unwatchable and I fell asleep watching it. However, after waking up, I listened carefully to the music and the lyrics and realized that this was a very talented crew, but the filming was amateurish. In part this was deliberate, but overall I am sure a remake of this movie as a series of new music videos would be well received by Brel enthusiasts like myself. My rank of 5 is an average of Music 9 and Cinematography 1.

ageless , without compromise

[djar007 · 9/10 · 2 January 2005]

I saw this as a child and listened to the record all my life and took comfort that others felt the boredom , loneliness and sorrow of life blended with the sweet and sincere hearts of the street dwellers and soldiers and other creatures of society. I have just bought the DVD and am able to appreciate the words of wisdom and experience of a man longing, once again and from a more mature perspective.This is a great movie which has merit for people of all ages. I only have to hear a certain word or walk a street late at night and feel like singing one of the many great tracks from this wonderful musical feast.I can still see the old folks and hear the guy who "drives a taxi cab" and wonder how life can be so cruel ,rewarding and damning all in one breath I now have the tribute soundtrack to renew the songs through artists like David Bowie and Dusty Springfield

All's not well and doesn't come alive enough

[TheLittleSongbird · 4/10 · 24 January 2022]

A major interest point in watching 'Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris' is Jacques Brel himself. A truly gifted and honest performer and his songs were not just beautiful and thoughtful but also quite deep and fearless on their various themes (i.e. Love, death, desperation). The film is the tenth of thirteen films from the American Film Theatre series and the second of two musical films, the other being the vastly superior 'Lost in the Stars'.

'Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris' disappointed me. Of the American Film Theatre films, it gets my vote as the worst and is to me the only real misfire (while 'Rhinoceros' had a lot of major problems it was watchable, this though was barely that). It's not a complete failure with some big good things. It is also mildly interesting for curiosity and if one wants to be acquainted with Brel. There are however too many major shortcomings that are impossible to ignore.

Shall start with the good things. The best thing about it by far is Brel himself, who is very moving and infuses a lot of life and honesty to his performance. "Ne Me Quitte Pas" especially is exquisitely performed. The songs are also wonderful, especially "Ne Me Quitte Pas" and "Songs for Old Lovers".

Elly Stone does give a passionate and poignant account of herself, which just about compensates for the fact that there is not a single note in tune in her singing.

However, 'Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris' is very amateurishly shot (especially in the first act to an embarrassing degree), making for easily the worst looking film in the series. Certainly do not mind the surreal style, surrealism has worked great many times on film, but it's too over the top here, perplexes and always completely at odds with everything else and never in harmony. There was just no need for it and made the whole film come over as confusingly bizarre. The translations are also worse than very bad that completely lose the poetry and pathos of the original lyrics, coming over as stilted instead.

All the songs are staged in a way that is either silly or dull, the only one that engaged or moved me was "Ne Me Quitte Pas" solely due to Brel's performance of it. And even that was let down by static photography. The singing, apart from Brel, is mediocre at best and at worst unlistenable. The story is lifeless throughout, was mostly emotionally quite cold and the imagery badly confuses it.

Overall, disappointing. Brel deserved better. 4/10.

An ArtFull Cabaret Show

[musicwad · 11 April 1999]

I love this film because I loved the music... Jacques Brel is a talented songwriter... he writes with much emotion and feeling. I wish this film was available on Video or broadcasted again on television. I have not seen it for over a decade.

Hopefully, it will be revived soon or made available to the public...As long as someone listens to his music... Jacques Brel is still Alive and Well and Living in Paris.

A Wonderful Tour de Force

[pd799 · 10/10 · 17 September 2007]

I saw the Jacques Brel Play in NY with the Original Cast years ago. I have seen the film many times and even saw it when it was shown in Movie Theatres. I now own the DVD. The cast is tremendous and talented. Elly Stone, What else can be said of her.She is a marvel to listen to in person and on record. She is a woman who sings with passion and she is the best person to come along and sing Brel's music. Stone has a vibrant focus in her voice and clear diction and her strong singing comes through with each lyric. The late Joe Masiell has a great screen presence and a voice that can strip paint away. His acting through song is the best on screen. The talented Mort Shuman has great comedic flair with a a great barrel chested voice and demanding presence Overall Jacques Brel is Alive and Well will live on forever on film.

A mediocre testament to one of the century's finest songwriters

[carnivalofsouls · 5/10 · 11 February 2008]

The most unusual entry in the AFT series was no doubt one of the least successful. Though it attempted to make the source material more cinematic through the use of flashy visuals and edits (think a somnambulistic Ken Russell circa Tommy and Listzomania), this only helped to date a production that, considering the music at its centre, had no right to be dated. Jacques Brel was a brilliant French songwriter and while his music found its way into the English and American pop charts thanks to various bastardizations (stand up Rod McKuen and Terry Jacks), his acerbic lyrical style and gallows humour were always lost in the translation. The intention of the off-Broadway musical was to no doubt make amends for this and to introduce an English-speaking audience to some of the finest songs ever written, yet the power of the songs, no matter how great they are, are reliant on the three performers, who, at least in this incarnation, are simply not up to scratch. While Elly Stone's shrill voice does not help matters, the worst culprit is Mort Shuman.

Shuman, a legendary Brill Building songwriter, was responsible for the English translation of Brel's songs and many will know that these translations were scattered across Scott Walker's astonishing first four solo albums of the late sixties. And herein lays Shuman's greatest misstep, as he, coincidentally or not, takes on the task of covering the same songs as Walker. Yet not only does Shuman lack Walker's powerful voice, he also manages to deliver the tunes in a misguided and frequently irritating fashion. Compare his pitiful rendition of Mathilde to the version on Walker's debut, and one will see how crucial the delivery of Brel's songs are to their power, Walker brilliantly straddles an intense line between ecstasy and despair, as compared to Shuman, who lifelessly pouts his way through the song.

Only Joe Masiell's voice seems suited to the material and though many of his scenes are highlights, the undoubted triumph is Brel's haunted, French rendition of If You Go Away, where in a single, deeply moving take, the great man himself, approaching his death in 1978, tears a hole in the film that it has no chance of recovering from. If there is a single reason to view the film, it is for this, otherwise one is recommended to save your cash and purchase Brel's own recordings or the compilation Scott Walker Sings Jacques Brel.

Superb modern work of humanity

[openeyes-1 · 10/10 · 23 December 2004]

I Saw this movie in 1984 when it was screened on local TV. I did not bother to tape it as it was so good I felt it would be repeated. 20 years later it still hasn't been shown and until last year it was unavailable. Kino released it on DVD and I got my copy this year. A true Gem of operatic proportions. The Songs are poignant, moving and strong. "Timid Frieda", for example, moves me to tears every time I see the clip. "Mareke" sung by Elly Stone in that harsh way in Flemish virtually rips the heart out. "Les Bourgeoise" or "The Middle Class" as it is called on this disc is extremely funny but it contains within it the seeds of warning of our impending old age as the characters disappear into the bar and re-emerge having aged by 20 or 30 years.

A Truly Awful film adaptation of a Truly Wonderful stage show

[DJWinston · 2/10 · 30 August 2020]

The live theater experience of seeing a good production of "Jacques Brel is Alive and Well . . ." on stage is something gloriously transcendent. But this film presentation is something beyond awful. I gave it two stars because there were two brief moments that actually worked. Otherwise, skip the whole thing and pray that all prints get lost.

truly awful!!

[whist69 · 1/10 · 15 August 2005]

As a big Brel fan, I saw this today and was intrigued and so bought it. It may have been the show that claims to have introduced non-French speaking audiences to his music but it is the most painfully awful thing that I have every seen and heard. It is so dated and clichéd 70's awful acting. The "performers" none of them appear to be able to sing in the slightest – they just seem to screech through the awful "translations" of his songs. I cringed watching is – it is just so awful. It not only is a travesty of Brel's music, it is also so badly acted and sung. The translations and "interpretations" of his songs are just so bad. Brel himself makes cameo appearances in this production but for the life of me I cannot fathom why he did and allowed them to murder his music like this. This really is the worst of American 70's theatre productions. I sincerely wish I'd saved my money and spend it on another original Brel recording – or almost on anything else than this. I cannot emphasise enough to people not to waste their money on this. Even as a piece of Brel memorabilia it is the kind of thing that I'd want to hide behind some books and not own up to possessing. The original French of his songs are deeply poetic and touch the deepest of emotions – all this production does is make you cringe and think "it can not possibly get any worse" – and unfortunately it does go on and prove you wrong – it does just get worse and worse. Save your money and stick to the original songs sung by him in French and not put yourself and Brel's music through this torture! All I can hope to recover from this is that I am able to dissuade anyone else from making the same mistake as me and buying it!!!!

...a delightful cabaret of music video before it even existed.

[cbe0525 · 30 July 2002]

I saw this film in 1975 as part of the AFI series at UCLA. Walking into the theatre, I had no idea what to expect and had never heard of Jacques Brel before. I became a huge Jacques Brel fan that evening and have enjoyed his music for the last 27 years. This film is a delightful cabaret of music video before it even existed. Ellie Stone's torch singing performance, in particular, made me a fan for life. The rest of the cast was equally dynamic; I can still hear "Next" being sung inside my head. Brel's work is touching, political, brilliant. This film was available on video for a very short time in the early 80's. How I wish I had purchased it then as it is no longer available. I would love to see this film over and over again.

Worst. Movie. Ever.

[jgraz · 1/10 · 10 July 2005]

No hyperbole here: this was simply the worst cinematic experience of my life. And yes, I've seen Manos: Hands of Fate.

I was talked into seeing this by an older "child of the 60s" friend who absolutely loves Brel and this movie. While she went into raptures at every song, I cringed in my seat. I know that many people enjoy this movie, but if you're not already a fan of Brel you should probably avoid this like unanesthetized rectal surgery.

At a basic level, Brel's music is simply not for me. His melodies are at once meandering and repetitive. Harmonic progressions are almost non-existent. I can't recall a single non- diatonic tone in any of his songs. This, coupled with the excruciatingly banal and monkey- wrenched rhyme scheme, was just too much to bear.

While his songs may evoke nostalgia in others, I was reminded of John Ashcroft's "Let the Eagle Soar". The low point of the movie came when I realized that I would prefer Ashcroft's performance to any of the songs presented here.

And the performances....yikes. Elly Stone, poor dear, simply cannot match pitch. Her voice is sharp, strained and impossible to listen to. Joe Masiell is a bit better, but his jackhammer vibrato ruins any sustained tone he attempts. Mort Shuman and Brel himself were my favorites as they were merely boring.

1/2 hour in, I wanted to gouge out my eyes so I could use them to stuff my ears. After an hour, I was seriously considering chewing off a limb so I would have an excuse to leave the theater. Even one week later, I'm still having post-traumatic flashbacks to the horror that was this movie.

I'm sure that most fans will say I'm missing the point -- that the social commentary and "soul" are the reason to see this film. My feeling is that unless you already love Brel, French cabaret and/or surrealist cinema, you'll likely be in too much pain to perceive a point, soul or anything but your throbbing migraine and urge to flee.

A break for Brel fans, should be on tape.

[carpone · 11 May 1999]

For American fans of Jacques Brel, this is a rare opportunity to see him perform. The rest of the cast is excellent. This movie was part of a series of stage performances that the Zanucks put on film. They ran as a subscription series in very limited venues. All were good, some excellent, all very different from what was generally available.

Jacques Brel Is Alive And Well And Living In Paris Review 1975 VOSTFR Chanson Lounge Lizard Mime

[ItsACityOfApes_Movie_Reviews · 17 September 2020]

Jacques Brel Is Alive And Well And Living In The Sewer. This is a chanson and babble artifact. Prince Jacques Brel is one of the most notorious human mimes ever (breakout 1975 Paris) - second only to La Bonhomme who broke out of his invisible box at the Quebec City Winter Carnival 1604. In this compilation movie, we see a combination of such subtle physicality and the babble that made Brel such a threat. Enjoy it for the babble, but learn, should the threat of human mime occur again. Human Alert: MIMES; No Rating: Babble Artifact and VOSTFR designations; Learning merit: 1.

Jacques Brel is alive but foundering.

[TxMike · 21 October 2007]

Almost 40 years ago, when I was a student in Indiana, a group of us drove to Chicago for a day, just to get away from campus. It was spring break 1968, and part of our day was spent in a small theater seeing the live production, "Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris." I remember it well, it was my first up-close live stage production. We had a table right at the front of the room, and we were looking upwards as the performers sang the songs, loosely connected by a vague story line. It wasn't the story we enjoyed, it was the live singing, and really good singing.

Last week I found the DVD of this title at my public library. Eagerly I put it into my DVD player, let it spin, while the surround system was plugged in, much like Michael J Fox did in the opening scene of 'Back to the Future.' I was very disappointed.

My biggest disappointment was the singing. Some of it is so bad that I simply couldn't listen to the whole song. Second, it has a definite 60s and 70s feel to it which, in this case, was not good.

I cannot recommend the DVD. It will be a disappointment for most Jacques Brel fans. This version has no real flow to it, and the singing is not first-rate.