Artist Same Old Song

The idea of stringing assorted bits of pop tunes into the flow of a movie did not originate with Moulin Rouge. Alain Resnais' 1997 film Same Old Song pushes the border between straight-up musical and whimsical referential collage as a tribute to British TV writer Dennis Potter, who created the series and filmThe Singing Detective. An English-language trailer for Same Old Song even conveniently noted that the characters, an ensemble embroiled in a comical romantic circle, "all have one thing in common: they love to sing." The songs are woven into the dialogue, but the actors don't sing them: Instead, such stars as Edith Piaf and Serge Gainsbourg lent their voices to the film.

Updated 12/07/2009