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On connaît la chanson

Same Old Song
On connait la chanson.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Alain Resnais
Produced by Bruno Pésery
Written by Agnès Jaoui
Jean-Pierre Bacri
Starring Agnès Jaoui
Jean-Pierre Bacri
Music by Henri Christiné
Bruno Fontaine
Cinematography Renato Berta
Edited by Hervé de Luze
Distributed by AMLF
Release date
  • 12 November 1997 (1997-11-12)
Running time
120 minutes
Country France
Language French
Budget $7.9 million
Box office $39 million

Same Old Song (French: On connaît la chanson) is a 1997 French film. It was directed by Alain Resnais, and written by Agnès Jaoui and Jean-Pierre Bacri. Jaoui and Bacri also starred in the film with Sabine Azéma, Lambert Wilson, André Dussollier and Pierre Arditi.

Odile (Azéma), a business executive, is married to weak, furtive Claude (Arditi). In the past Odile was close to successful businessman Nicolas (Bacri), now married with kids and returning to Paris after an eight-year absence. She is looking for a new, bigger apartment from estate agent Marc (Wilson). Her younger sister Camille (Jaoui), has just completed her doctoral thesis in history and is a Paris tour guide. Simon (Dussollier) is a regular on Camille's tours because he's attracted to her, although he claims to be researching his historical radio dramas. Camille has fallen for Marc, and they begin an affair. Nicolas is also looking for an apartment, since he hopes to eventually have his family join him in Paris.

The most original feature of this "musical" is that characters break into songs as sung by the original artists, i.e. depending on the circumstances, a female character may all of a sudden start singing in a male voice and vice versa. The judicious choice of songs and variety of styles make for some very funny surprises, considering the complete and voluntary absence of transitions between the talking and singing. The film's debt to Dennis Potter is acknowledged with a dedication in the opening credits.

The film won the César Award for Best Film, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Writing, Best Editing and Best Sound in 1998. It won the Louis Delluc Prize in 1997. At the 48th Berlin International Film Festival in 1998, Resnais won the Silver Bear for an outstanding artistic contribution.


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