“They haven’t heard the last of Aznavour.” To celebrate the hundredth anniversary of the singer, who died in October 2018, a first trailer for the biopic dedicated to the singer was unveiled. These images feature Tahar Rahim in the role of Charles Aznavour, sometimes on stage, sometimes behind the scenes. But the actor never shows himself face to face, maintaining the mystery of his transformation.
Grand Corps Malade and Mehdi Idir, the directors of Patients and School Life, took up the challenge of adapting the life of Grand Charles to the screen. It “will trace the rise of the singer of La Bohème from the 1950s”, according to the synopsis. “Son of refugees, small, poor, with a husky voice, it was said of him that he had nothing to succeed. Through work, perseverance and extraordinary will, Charles Aznavour has become a monument of song, and a symbol of French culture, we can read in a press release published by the directors. With nearly 1,200 titles performed around the world and in all languages, he has inspired entire generations.”
Also read 100 years of Aznavour: are you an expert on the lyrics of his songs?
Tahar Rahim, starring in Ridley Scott’s Napoléon, lends his features to the late singer. “I am a very, very big fan of the artist and his career, the challenge is extraordinary, and I love the work of Grand Corps Malade and Mehdi Idir,” confided the 42-year-old actor to Le Parisien, in March 2023.
“They were talking to me about this project, but I never thought it would be me. When they offered it to me this fall, I didn’t know if I could do it […] You need a resemblance, but it’s more about incarnation and evocation: I don’t want to to find myself with a mask on my head,” he explained to the daily. But to discover the transformation of Tahar Rahim into Charles Aznavour, you will have to be patient. For the moment, the trailer prefers to keep the mystery and never shows the actor face-on.