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LP
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PCR 058LP
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Le Hasard et la Violence is a strange French-Italian movie which came out in 1974 and was directed by Philippe Labro and written by Jacques Lanzmann. It was a time of thesis films on ultra-violence such as Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange (1971) and John Boorman's Deliverance (1972). Labro's feature film differs from those of his American counterparts by an almost dreamlike approach and a soft psychedelia. A sort of lysergic atmosphere that has more to do with the idea of an LSD trip at Castel's than with Californian counterculture. Mid-life crisis is embedded in this story of criminologist Laurent Berman (Yves Montand), vacationing on the French Riviera to write an essay on violence. He is both the victim of an assault and of his love for Constance Weber (Katherine Ross), a young doctor who pushes him over the edge. Within this cinematic paradigm, it was a stroke of genius to ask Michel Colombier to compose the music for his film. Michel Colombier, to recall, is a musician of classical formation, who went to the Conservatoire Supérieur de Musique in Paris. His music for Le Hasard et la Violence reflects his career: from Gainsbourg to the Beach Boys, via Paul Williams. A soundtrack that goes from neoclassical to contemporary, via groovy pop and slow music. Not to mention the main theme, a killer ballad with timeless lyrics. There is in the song performed by Drupi (known in France for "Vado Via"), a kind of romanticism specific to Colombier. Let's forget the post-post modern irony that is no substitute for intelligence and be caught by the emotional power of this soundtrack.
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PCR 051LP
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In the early sixties Michel Magne has already made a name for himself though pigeonholed as "rive gauche" owing to his experimental compositions ("Musiques Tachistes"), his collaborations with Françoise Sagan and his musical adaptations of Jacques Prévert, Charles Péguy and Bernard Dimey for the magnificently Christ-like La Mort D'un Homme (Chemin De Croix) (Barclay, 1961). Things suddenly change when composing the music for Gigot by Gene Kelly and with Jackie Gleason the king of "mood music" rediscovered today by people like Joseph Lanza and Boyd Rice. When nominated at the Oscars, as the doors of Hollywood open wide Michel Magne chooses to remain in Paris feeling no enthusiasm at the idea of becoming a Californian. From then on, wreathed in success as he is, a more popular cinema is making eyes at him. Starting with Henri Verneuil with A Monkey in Winter starring nothing less than the greatest name of the time in France, Jean Gabin and a "rising newcomer", Jean-Paul Belmondo. With dialogues by Michel Audiard from the book by Antoine Blondin. A "French quality" that would not be to the taste of the nouvelle vague aficionados. Rather, this "daddy's cinema" is nothing less than the reflection of a certain Gaulish spirit of rebellion, all the same fiercely individualistic and that, disabused of all ideologies, doesn't want to die for ideas as the song by Georges Brassens goes. The music of Michel Magne outlines the nostalgic wanders of Albert Quentin (Jean Gabin) who after an adventurous youth on the Yang-Tse-Kiang now lives a quiet life with Suzanne (Suzanne Flon) whom he met at the Bourboule and manages the Stella hotel at Tigreville (actually Villerville in the Normand Calvados) and takes care of Gabriel Fouquet (Jean-Paul Belmondo), a young adman whose heart was broken in Madrid. The genius of Magne is found in his evocations of Spain and China not as they were at the time but as the two main characters picture them with the help of not just a few drinks. Two dreamers treating themselves to a blessed interlude where "o tempora, o mores" they do not have to cope with anti- speciesism (apology of bullfighting, cultural appropriation concepts (stereotyped Spain and China) nor the Évin law (elevation of inebriation to a fine art status). Here is a jolly good record you will want to go back to every time the right-minded ones try to mess with your basic rights. Henri Verneuil's cult original soundtrack from the 1962 movie.
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PCR 035LP
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The music from Les Tontons Flingueurs (aka Crooks in Clover aka Monsieur Gangster) is as instantaneously recognizable as the James Bond theme thanks to a short and recurring melodic motif that can still stick in the heads of 21th century kids. Monothematicism is a word used by musicologists to refer to the use of stylistic variations based on a single musical theme as can be heard in the Tontons: on the banjo, during the nose punch sequences, played jazz, blues, gloria or Hully Gally style. Though the Tontons music may on first listen sound nothing different than a straightforward yet catchy soundtrack, it turns out to be a real exercise in style. When reading Michel Magne's autobiography L'amour de vivre it clearly appears that mixing folk music and sound experiments was a mindful artistic choice. In the movie, Antoine Delafoy (Claude Rich) who is engaged to Patricia is merely a Michel Magne caricature. He embodies a contemporary music composer in search of the "absolute anti-chord" by using a water tap. In reality and despite his classical musical education, Michel Magne has indeed had a venture into avant-garde music, going as far as organizing an infrasounds concert at the Salle Gaveau venue (Paris) on July 15th, 1954. On December 3rd, 1956 his low-frequency sounds contributed to an "empirique" show at the Théâtre des Trois Baudets (Paris) with Alexandro Jodorowsky, Jean Michel Rankovitch, and Tinguely. At the same time, he wrote music on words by Françoise Sagan for Mouloudji. In 1959 he recorded an album of "musiques tachistes" from which a show with dances was staged by Michel Descombey. His taste for provocation and avant-garde did not prevent Michel Magne from composing and arranging popular music. He hence wrote the music for six Georges Lautner movies including the famous Tontons Flingueurs in 1963. Being part of the avant-garde long-haired world what could Michel Magne think of Michel Audiard -- a most kind character who had nevertheless been burned by supporters of the "nouvelle vague" including journalist Henry Chapier who described Les Tontons Flingueurs as being "chansonnier" cinema, meant for disenchanted quinquagenarians. In between melodic effectiveness and daring arrangements and tonality, Magne's work is worth being listened to with fresh ears, cleared of clichés! Jean-Emmanuel Deluxe is the author of numerous publications including Filles de la pop and Tricatel Universalis" He writes for Rock & Folk, Citizen K, Schnock and Shindig.
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