Review of Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life (2010) by David R — 09 Aug 2010

This anti-biopic has been praised for its use of animation to foreshadow the singer's metamorphosis into a sacred monster of French popular culture. This is effective when the young refugee is shown hiding from Nazis beside an ungainly puppet based on the â??rapacious Jewâ?? of wartime propaganda.

However, the reversal implied when the head changes to Gainsbourgâ??s Svengali-like alter-ego is trite and soon enervated as a formal device.