Philippe Rombi
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Anybody any thoughts on the new score of Philippe Rombi “Les Enfants de la Resistance”?
Again Rombi gives me strong Alan Menken vibes. Specifically “Mirror Mirror”. Sounds to me like the stepsister of that score, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
I like, that this score is again less electronic. But somehow I don’t find the main theme very strong. In the past Rombi did better. But at least for me his best score since “Mon Crime”.
Any other opinions?
I did sample this awhile back. I’m afraid it didn’t do much for me. It’s pretty and orchestral and everything, but with few “hooks” to grab me, I felt (these hooks can be melodies, but also interesting things in terms of orchestration or texture…I didn’t quite hear that).
I like Rombi, but mostly his Ozon collaborations, like FRANTZ, ANGEL, L’AMANT DOUBLE. Occasionally something else, like LA NOUVELLE GUERRE DES BOUTONS. So I’m all pro Rombi in general. Perhaps I should give it another chance, now that you’ve brought it up.
I must admit, at second listen I liked it better. But I know what you mean. It’s nicely orchestral and all, but if you are not fan of the main theme there is not much to find that you haven’t heard equally or better somewhere else. I mentioned Mirror Mirror, which has similarities but is really a brillant score.
I’m a HUGE Menken fan (he’s right outside my top 10), but that connection didn’t occur to me when I listened to it (then again, MIRROR MIRROR is one of the Menken albums I’ve heard the least). So another argument to have another go at this.
Not too familiar wiht Rombi. I checked out some scores quite some time but somehow they didn’t click with me although I heard a lot of praise and it theoretically should fit my taste… Menken is great, the Disney works are classic butt LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS thrones above these since childhood.
I just decided to turn this thread into a common Philippe Rombi thread.
I am listening again through some of his scores.
Last weekend “UN HOMME ET SON CHIEN”, which might be my favorite of his. After a longer time not listening to it I am always struck by its beauty and it manages to grab me emotionally. At last listen last Sunday I was surprised again how many themes this score has. Somehow I remembered just two. But there are more. Strong recommendation for others to get this as this is one of the few Rombi scores that are still available at a reasonable price on CD.Today I listened to UNE NOUVELLE AMIE.
Just a few notes into the main theme and you know this is French music. The two main themes are as well skrikingly beautiful and well varied and elaborated throughout the score plus some suspense music. Like UN HOMME ET SO CHIEN all very accoustic and very little electronics.
Both scores heavily dominated by piano and strings, a few woodwinds, litte percussion and here and there a guitar chiming in.I love both scores.
As we’ve touched on here and in other threads, Rombi is an interesting composer, but I have yet to PROPERLY explore his work.
I own, and love, ANGEL, LA NOUVELLE GUERRE DES BOUTONS, DANS LA MAISON, FRANTZ and LES TEMPS DES SECRETS. I have sampled maybe 10 more over the years, max. But after that, it’s stop. I’ve obviously heard of UN HOMME ET SON CHIEN, but never heard it, as far as I can recall. Thanks for the nudge to embed myself in some more Rombi, Gerate.
Then there is this album with excerpts from the Ozon movies SWIMMING POOL, SOUS LE SABLE,LES AMANTS CRIMINELS and the end credits of 8 FEMMES composed by Krishna Levy.
I like the album a lot, but the SWIMMING POOL part is the weakest one (still beautiful).
I really like melancholic string and harp heavy parts of SOUL LE SABLE and the adagio from LES AMANTS CRIMINELS.
I have a lot of Rombi albums and am always on the lookout for deals on them. I do at times find used Rombi scores in Montreal. I found one last time, and here’s hoping I find more when I visit in a couple of weeks.
I have listened to UN HOMME ET SON CHIEN and also really enjoy it – haven’t grabbed the CD yet. Also love the War of the Buttons – I think I even have some Rombi CDs I haven’t listened to yet.
I often spend downtime at work looking for deals on CDs for cheap – I have accumulated a few over the years.
MERRY CHRISTMAS
This one never did so much for me. But it was one of the Rombi scores which was available at a reasonable price. What I missed here always were Rombi’s memorable tunes and his harmonic sophistication. And somehow it is quite on the nose as emotional guide for the movie. But ok. It’s a christmas movie about a war incident. So…
I always found it a little “Zimmeric”. But listening to it more often made me discover some of the nice musical moments I was hoping for.
And it has some nice arrangements of christmas carrols.I have a lot of Rombi albums and am always on the lookout for deals on them. I do at times find used Rombi scores in Montreal. I found one last time, and here’s hoping I find more when I visit in a couple of weeks.
Yes. This can become kind of a sport disciplin. I was so disappointed, when I found and ordered “ANGEL” at a good price. And it obviously got lost at delivery. It was a time when the lock at the front door of our house got exchanged and the postman put the inhabitants’ Letters and stuff just on the floor in front of the house. I am afraid, there it got lost, because somebody took it, finding out that he or she has zero interest in that CD and probably throwing it in the bin. 🙁
Keep ’em coming, Gerate. Will give me a great way into these works, your suggestions and remarks.
Sorry to hear about your stolen package, though.
Keep ’em coming, Gerate.
Thank you for the feedback!
Will do so. 🙂Rombi also has a record of comedy scores.
Unfortunately I am not a fan of Rombi’s electronic work.
Ok. He uses electronic textures or percussion in many scores. But usually it is quite reserved. But in the scores for Pat Boone’s comedies it is a little too much synthetic percussion. I almost never like when composers to that. One of the few composers who do it well Was David Arnold in his later Bond scores.
I don’t like it in Rombi’s scores.Apart from that Rombi has a nice playful comedy voice. And not looking at the techno intro, the main theme of Rien A Declarer and La Valse Des Ch’tis are great.
For the Asterix movie he wrote a brillant Rózsa-esque main theme and pairs it with relaxed tea-for-two chacha adaptations. I like that score a lot.
Rombi also wrote a more classical score for the sequel, which I don’t have unfortunately. But it’s on Spotify.
I’ve a lot of love for Philippe Rombi – this is probably my favourite:
Nice! I didn’t know that one yet.
I will definitely check it out.UNE BELLE COURSE is Rombi’s score with the most urban flavour to me. A lovely solo trumpet playing the jazzy romantic main theme paired with some thriller like suspense music. For me that is Rombi’s score with the best balance of his electronic and his orchestral sounds. Very grown up sound.
The first time I listened to LE TEMPS DE SECRETS I found this sounds like a Studio Ghibli anime score, just without the quirky parts.
The waltz is lovely,maybe played a little often throughout the score.Another score for Ozon. MON CRIME is a personal favourite in Rombi’s work. At the beginning of the Overture I immediately heard the main theme from Basic Instinct, but then it turns into a 1920s jazz fest where Rombi really seems to feel at home.
CINQ FOIS DEUX is a good opportunity to mention the songs on the Rombi soundtracks, especially the Ozon ones. Because often these are charming goodies that nicely contribute to the atmosphere of the album. Usually one or two.
In this case it in basically a song sampler with italian songs and about 11 minutes of score which is just one melancholic theme in slightly different versions. Not too exciting. But the songs are good.
As you can guess from the cover this music aims to be simple and enchanting at the same time. And it succeeds. JEUX D’ENFANTS is mostly a piano gliding on a wave of strings escorted by woodwinds.
The track “Invitation” gives at the beginning some Banning Back Home vibes and then leads to a nice Bar jazz rendition of the main theme.
And the album contains multiple versions of La Vie En Rose.With this I am at the end of my physical Rombi collection.
I hope one day I will be able to call a disc of
– LA GUERRE DES BUTTONS
– ANGEL
– RICKY
– DANS LA MAISONmy own. But luckily at least three of them are on Spotify.
And luckily I was able to order a copy of UNE HIRONDELLE A FAIT LE PRINTEMPS. Thanks, Tim, for the recommendation! 🙂
Cheers, Gerate. Thanks for sharing! I say that’s a pretty decent collection of someone who’s not A list (but who seems to have a dedicated following nonetheless).
What is even more weird, I have just watched two of these films, three of them I started but broke up.
Ok. At last, thanks to Tim’s recommendation I managed to aquire another Rombi score.
Beautiful memorable but unobtrusive main theme which makes me think, what advantage does this widely spread opinion have, memorable themes may be to distracting in modern movies?
I don’t get it.I want to hear scores like this in more movies. But I think, the main problem is, not many people are capable of writing such themes and scores.
Only point of critic: Most tracks are under one minute. Some arrangement of them for the album would have been nice. But it is what it is.
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