café Les Olivettes -- Liege Luettisch

La Vie en Chantant - I.m alive because I sing

La Vie en Chantant is a storey abouth the Belgium brown café Les Olivettes, where the common folk gets the upportunity to sing and perform, just to feel like a star for a short while.

La vie en chantant is a documentary about the singers of Les Olivettes, the .café-chantant. in Liège, Belgium. You won.t find professional artists performing here, but regular customers. Here they can be stars for a short while and find the recognition they so sorely desire.

On entering the café one early Sunday morning Les Olivettes is already packed. Les Olivettes is an old brown café that has not been renovated since the First World War. The many visitors come here not only for the beer and the wine, but especially for the singing. There is endless singing; opportunities for all kinds of regulars to air the soprano, alto, tenor, baritone or bass voice within them. How they sing! The whole French repertoire is reviewed, especially Brel, Bécaud, Brassens, Montand and Piaf. Some of the singers have even obtained such illustrious nicknames as The girl from Paris, The tiny waist with the great talent, Rudolph Valentino from Liège and The sonorous voice of Clermont sur Bervinne. So also the 83 year old Stéphanie, known as La petite maman des Olivettes. Each Sunday afternoon, her son takes her by car from Seraing to Les Olivettes in Liège where she demonstrates her talent. As a child everyone thought that Stéphanie would have a great future as a singer, but due to the death of her aunt, an opera singer who died on the stage, her father thwarted her singing career. The charming baron Francis also comes to Les Olivettes each Sunday to mingle with the common folk. According to Madame Pipi, Francis is a good acquaintance of the Belgian Royal family. Madame Pipi is the weekend lavatory attendant who mans her post in the cellar and supplies us with the necessary commentary on the singers. The life of the Les Olivette.s managers, the family Roka, is also inextricably tied to that of the café. Denise and Emile Roka met at Les Olivettes and subsequently got engaged and married there. For the singers, as for the Roka.s, the same thing applies: Les Olivettes gives them a reason for living.

Duration: 57'

Director: Patrick Bisschops

Producer: RQB-Group

Winner Special Prix Europe 2006

http://www.nposales.com/;jsessionid=BBB0C60AA96B8B9EFC35A5EC222E5F14?article=9581&template=program

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