Romy Schneider, a thwarted singing career

The career of a singer in the cinema of Romy Schneider is a story of annoyance. In the mid-1950s, she shone in Sisi. Two films give her the opportunity to sing: she performs in particular monptit, in 1957. A star in Germany, she became a real star in France, where the musicality of her accent left no one indifferent. Screenwriter Jean-Loup Dabadie and composer Philippe Sarde noticed her, and imagined having her sing in Things of lifeof Claude Sautet. In a song as famous as the movie, Helen’s SongRomy Schneider reveals her voice, as fragile as she is.

If Claude Sautet is a great music lover, nothing goes as planned. “[Il] going to hate the idea that his screenwriter and his composer, a little behind his back, are forcing his hand on the idea of ​​a song”reports Stéphane Lerouge, director of the collection “Listen to the Cinema” at Universal Music. Helen’s Song is recorded by Romy Schneider and Michel Piccoli, but will only serve as a trailer. Two years later, she turns Caesar and Rosalie, with Yves Montant. Philippe Sarde again offers Claude Sautet to blackmail the actress. “Total Blocking”he recalls. Rosalie’s songprovided in the manuscript, will become a simple letter read by the actress. Romy Schneider will never sing again in the cinema.