The Oscar nominations were announced today, and as I suspected, this guy isn’t going to get a look in. Actually, that’s a bit unfair as Gainsbourg - or Gainsbourg (Vie Héroique) to give it its full title - hasn’t been nationally released in the States, despite premiering as part of the Tribeca film festival last year.

Perhaps not well known enough in America, and with an Oscar win for a lead in a French language music biopic still fresh in the memory (Marion Cottilard) it seems even less likely that he’d get a nod, but Eric Elmosnino is superb. Gainsbourg is one of the best music biopics of recent years, and skillfully blends animation and puppetry into his life story, from growing up in Nazi-occupied Paris, to writing some era-defining music, to bedding of some of the most beautiful women on the planet.
 

 
Fans of Gainsbourg’s music should check out its soundtrack, a mixture of re-recordings by the cast, stripped down pieces that dance around themes for the “here’s how I wrote my biggest hit” moments, and orchestral re-arrangements of some of Gainsbourg’s best melodies by the Bulgarian Symphony Orchestra. The scenes of Gainsbourg writing with Brigitte Bardot are great, especially if the actual lyrics had passed you by up til now (thanks, subtitles!).
 
Bulgarian Symphony Orchestra “Initials BB”

 
Gonzales “Gainsbourg cherche “Je t’aime… moi non plus””

 
Laetitia Casta “Bonnie And Clyde”

 
As if Elmosnino’s performance as the legendary pop lothario wasn’t good enough on its own, it should be noted that he actually sang all the lead vocals on the film’s soundtrack himself. He doesn’t just look like Serge, he sounds like him too. It’s uncanny. Here he is with the band Dionysus performing the somewhat slightly controversial Gainsbourg hit “Nazi Rock” (Serge’s Jewish identity is one of the main themes of the film):
 

Gainsbourg has just come out on DVD in the UK and is available to buy on Amazon, as is the soundtrack.