Véronique

Notes of intention

The choice of voiceIn Véronique, there is only one voice that matters: hers. This truth imposed itself from the genesis of the project, like a natural law it would have been sacrilegious to transgress. The experience of Maria by Callas taught me this truth: the greatest artists carry within themselves their own story with a narrative force that no external voice can match.

Musical architectureVéronique’s songs constitute the very architecture of the film. They don’t accompany it, they build it, note after note, verse after verse. Fully subtitling her lyrics was an aesthetic choice: allowing viewers to grasp the poetic richness of the words while watching the images.

The archivesIn the secret drawers of Véronique Sanson's existence lay treasures - Super 8 films shot in family privacy, photographs and Polaroids, manuscripts scribbled in the dead of night, recordings of concerts never revealed in broad daylight. These unpublished archives, mixed with the precious funds of the INA and a common thread interview that she granted to me, weave the framework of an introspective journey where each song becomes a chapter, each refrain a confession.

Five years of workThis film was a dream that few people believed in. These five years were not a long, quiet river, but rather a journey strewn with pitfalls. Nothing would have been possible without Véronique’s trust, and in particular access to her personal archives. I owe it to the INA for having resumed production to allow the film to be finalized, and to France Télévisions for allowing it to exist.

The wishLet the public meet Véronique through this film, those who already know and love her as much as those who know her little or not. May people come away with as much love for her and her music as I had making this film.

—Tom Volf