Philippe Sarde
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There was a time I had only two Sarde scores on CD, PIRATES and MUSIC BOX. Didn’t care that much for either of them, so I eventually sold them.
Years went by, and then I suddenly decided that I wanted to explore his work properly. And boy, did I find many gems along the way. His re-use of themes doesn’t bother me in the slightest. Such a great melodist, oozing class and sophistication.
These are some of my favourites:
HELLÉ
DEUX HOMMES DANS LA VILLE
TESS
ALLONS Z’ENFANTS
J’AI EPOUSE UNE OMBRE
FORT SAGANNE
HARLEM
L’OURS
MANGECLOUS
LA FILLE D’ARTAGNAN
DIS-MOI OUI
LE BOSSU
SISTER MARY EXPLAINS IT ALL
MOI QUI T’AMAISI also have a very nice compilation, featuring his work for director Georges Lautner.
What are some of your favourites? I did notice that he featured on a couple of lists in the ‘top 10 favourite film composers’ thread. Like Slint’s and Geratewohl’s.
Funnily I am sometimes struggling with Sarde scores when I hear them in context. Then they appear to me a little over the top like “too many notes”. But I dearly enjoy them on album.
Some personal favourites of mine areTESS
L’OURS
LE PETIT GARÇON
LE GRAND MEAULNES
GARÇON
GHOST STORY
LA GUERRE DU FEU
LES DEUX AMIS
QUAI D’ORSAY
LE LIEU DU CRIME
PIRATESBut there is so much more great music in his work. I enjoy listening to his 6-disk anthology a lot.
HARLEM
Maybe you mean HAREM?
I like Philipp Sarde… though he’s probably not exactly overrepresented in my collection.
I think the first Sarde album I bought was L’OURS, way back when the movie came out. I like that score. Others that come to mind right away that I really enjoy are scores like THE TENANT, LA GUERRE DU FEU, TESS, GHOST STORY…I also have the 6-Disc anthology of his work… but I don’t think I have listened to it all yet.
Maybe you mean HAREM?
LOL, yes. There should be a film called HAREM IN HARLEM!
By the way, some good mentions here that I should check out.
Also I like to mention that as a big John Williams fan I somehow regret that he did not write more scores where his orchestra was reduced to rather classical chamber ensemble size.
Stanley and Iris comes to mind. And some westerns with americana ensembles with banjo, harminca.Anyway, Sarde fills for me that gap perfectly who uses smaller groups in a lot of scores.
THE TENANT
The Tenant is not bad but weird. I don’t feel the need to listen to that too often.
THE TENANT is a brilliant film, and like some of Polanski’s other films like REPULSION or KNIFE IN THE WATER, one can glean its influence (in films like IMAGES or DEAD CALM, for example). I feel like there’s a lot of THE TENANT in much of Michael Haneke’s work.
But never really sought out the score. I remember it as too abstract for my delicate sensibilities. Maybe things have changed; should give it another go.
Actually, The Tenant score reminded me immediately a lot of Williams’ score for Images. But aThe Tenant has in addition that slavic flavor.
Although never having seen Le Droit D’aimer, I know its score because Sarde re-used its main theme for same in Lovesick (1983) and is a huge favorite of mine. Oh is it ever. Was as smitten with it that evening at the cinema as was Dudley Moore’s character with Elizabeth McGovern’s.
New (archival) Sarde CD:
https://www.musicbox-records.com/en/cd-soundtracks/16574-hors-la-loi-la-nuit-ensoleillee.html
I should also point out – now that I’ve bumped this thread – that Sarde’s NEW score for MOI QUI T’AMAIS made it to my top 25 list of last year. Even though it reuses some of his earlier themes, like HELLÉ. But I’ve never had an issue with Sarde’s reuse of themes.
I should also point out – now that I’ve bumped this thread – that Sarde’s NEW score for MOI QUI T’AMAIS made it to my top 25 list of last year. Even though it reuses some of his earlier themes, like HELLÉ. But I’ve never had an issue with Sarde’s reuse of themes.
By the way, apart from me absolutely adoring this score of MOI QUI T’AMAIS I just recognized that the track where the theme from HELLÉ occurs for the first time on the album is actually called “Hellé”.
That implies somehow this is not just a theme reusage but some kind of connection between the films?
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