review for Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris on AllMovie

It was, in 1975, a bizarre idea to try to make Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris, the landmark off-Broadway revue, into a film musical. That said, it is still a bizarre idea -- but today the film probably seems less strange, thanks to the advent of MTV and the onslaught of thousands of music videos. Being a revue, Brel has no storyline and the filmmakers wisely chose not to impose one on it; instead, they created a "situation" and used that as a jumping off point to creating vaguely surreal visual interpretations of each individual song. In other words, they have created a long string of music videos, in which one can see the nascent origins of many techniques that would become part and parcel of the music video industry within a decade. There's a use of color to convey mood, quick alterations of close-up and long shots, fast editing (though nothing compared to what would become common in later years), and a willingness to visually interpret portions of lyrics without necessarily worrying about how they relate to the overall meaning of a song. One's ultimate reaction to Brel will depend largely upon one's attraction to the songs themselves and to the performers singing them. Many find Brel's lyrics insightful and cutting; others think them pretentious or arch, and there are similar differences of opinion concerning the music. Brel himself is on hand to give a marvelous rendition of "Ne Me Quittes Pas," and his delivery is perfect. Elly Stone and Mort Shuman have many memorable moments; Joe Masiell does less well, pushing too hard too often.