4 Hearing Besson
-
Mark Brownrigg
Abstract
This chapter maps the evolution of Eric Serra's compositional style over the span of his collaboration with Luc Besson. It seeks to mount an argument, by example, for more consideration to be taken of the contribution a long-term composer-director relationship makes to the oeuvre of an auteur. The chapter takes each of Besson's films in turn, noting both the key elements that make Serra's style unique and tracking developments in his technique as he evolves from a composer of pop scores into a writer of full-blown orchestral film music. It seeks to relate the music to image and narrative in order to suggest something of what Serra brings to Besson's films. The music for Le Dernier combat is modest in terms of instrumentation, built around the core of a funk group augmented by exotic percussion. Many of the principles defining Le Dernier combat's score are carried forward into Subway's.
Abstract
This chapter maps the evolution of Eric Serra's compositional style over the span of his collaboration with Luc Besson. It seeks to mount an argument, by example, for more consideration to be taken of the contribution a long-term composer-director relationship makes to the oeuvre of an auteur. The chapter takes each of Besson's films in turn, noting both the key elements that make Serra's style unique and tracking developments in his technique as he evolves from a composer of pop scores into a writer of full-blown orchestral film music. It seeks to relate the music to image and narrative in order to suggest something of what Serra brings to Besson's films. The music for Le Dernier combat is modest in terms of instrumentation, built around the core of a funk group augmented by exotic percussion. Many of the principles defining Le Dernier combat's score are carried forward into Subway's.
Chapters in this book
- Front matter i
- Contents v
- List of tables and figures vii
- List of contributors viii
- Preface x
- Introduction 1
- 1 Three French neo-baroque directors 11
- 2 Du côté d’Europa, via Asia 23
- 3 Musical narration in the films of Luc Besson 43
- 4 Hearing Besson 57
- 5 Of suits and men in the films of Luc Besson 75
- 6 From rags to riches 91
- 7 The sinking of the self 109
- 8 Imprisoned freedoms 121
- 9 Nikita 135
- 10 Léon and the cloacal labyrinth 147
- 11 Jeanne d’Arc 161
- 12 An unpublished interview with Luc Besson 175
- Filmography 179
- Select bibliography 189
- Index of proper names and film titles 193
Chapters in this book
- Front matter i
- Contents v
- List of tables and figures vii
- List of contributors viii
- Preface x
- Introduction 1
- 1 Three French neo-baroque directors 11
- 2 Du côté d’Europa, via Asia 23
- 3 Musical narration in the films of Luc Besson 43
- 4 Hearing Besson 57
- 5 Of suits and men in the films of Luc Besson 75
- 6 From rags to riches 91
- 7 The sinking of the self 109
- 8 Imprisoned freedoms 121
- 9 Nikita 135
- 10 Léon and the cloacal labyrinth 147
- 11 Jeanne d’Arc 161
- 12 An unpublished interview with Luc Besson 175
- Filmography 179
- Select bibliography 189
- Index of proper names and film titles 193
