In France, you can find a Jacques Audiard/Alexandre Desplats compilation CD, where Regarde les hommes tomber can be heard. And it's recent, so you can find it for a normal price :
http://www.traxzone.com/soundtracks/albums.asp?id=1975
Here is what I found for you !

remowilliams343, August 2, 2006; 1:02 PM

Merci Maître, I already have this one. It's an excellent compilation but it only contains 6 of the
29 tracks.

coma, August 2, 2006; 1:08 PM

Of all the film music I've listened to over the years some of the stuff from French composers ride high on the list of best!

Especially the scores utilizing great American jazz players such as Stan Getz, Chet Baker, Gerry Mulligan and those guys!

victoravalentine, August 2, 2006; 5:56 PM

I am sorry I can't help you, but I would be interested in your reasons for collecting these scores
in particular.
I also like such scores, but my fondness is somewhat restricted to 70s films policiers.

Christian.Quatremain, August 2, 2006; 7:02 PM

Salut Quignon! My interest in these particular scores comes from my love for french movies. I
was a movie buff long before I turned to soundtrack collecting. I've kept my predelection for
everything french and still try to gather the scores of my favorite "polars".

coma, August 2, 2006; 8:27 PM

I have the "Flic" score on LP and somehow I feel that one listen ever was more than enough ! But good luck with searching.

- Dorian

42zaphod, August 2, 2006; 9:35 PM

David, we both seem to be francophiles, but my point was, that, though I like modern French
movies too, I have a special predelection for the 1970s, for movies such as Peur sur la Ville, La
Menace, L'Affaire Crazy Capo, La Bonne Année or Mort d'un Pourri. Movies from this episode
breathe a certain atmosphere you don't find today.

And most of these films feature great music (well, to whom I am writing that, LOL). A pity that
some of this great stuff has not been released at all.

Christian.Quatremain, August 2, 2006; 10:50 PM

Quignon, I was socialised with movies from that era too! My favorites mostly date from the mid
60s to the late 70s. There are so many wonderful scores of early Belmondo, Ventura,
Trintignant and Delon movies yet to be released, ranging from Un Nommé La Rocca to
L'Emmerdeur.

Good to know that there's another francophile round here!

coma, August 4, 2006; 7:45 PM

I am afraid that releases of these mentioned scores (which I would also love to see, hey, count me as a francophile as well) will not happen until someone else takes over the conception of issuing the old French soundtracks. There's obviously no intention on the side of Mr. Lerouge to release complete scores, no matter how good, bad, interesting or famous they may be.

The great content of this CD is about the first list of scores that would deserve a better (read: complete) CD treatment:http://www.soundtrackcollector.com/catalog/soundtrackdetail.php?movieid=52314&labelid=27288

Musicalement vôtre,

- Dorian

42zaphod, August 2, 2006; 11:58 PM

Dorian, there's absolutely no doubt that you are francophile. Sois bienvenue!

I cherish the Ventura compilation you mentioned very much. In fact, it was one of my first
soundtrack CDs and it founded my ongoing adoration for Playtime releases.

coma, August 4, 2006; 7:46 PM

David, which are your favorite French crime scores?
Can you provide us with a short recommendation list?

I am quite sure some nice scores will have slipped my attention.

As for the Lino Ventura compilation, can anyone tell me whether the track La bonne année
features the voice of Mireille Mathieu?

I watched the movie recently on DVD, and I was struck by the great finale.

Christian.Quatremain, August 3, 2006; 11:56 AM

cdrost, I am by no means an expert like D & D, but I can tell you that there is a track "La Bonne Année (From Claude Lelouch's "La Bonne Année")" 2:47 credited to (performer) Mireille Mathieu and (lyricist (my guess)/composer) Catherine Desage/Francis Lai on Disc 06 of the FRANCIS LAY STORY set. So your guess was probably right.

Salut,

Urs

Vive la musique de film européenne!

handstand, August 3, 2006; 12:25 PM

Grüzi Urs,
yep, I know about that track included in that 14-CD set.
Well, the Lino Ventura compilation would be more handy (and probably more to my taste).

Anyways, thanks for your response.

Christian.Quatremain, August 3, 2006; 12:26 PM

Quignon, the track on the Ventura compilation is the instrumental main theme, not Mlle
Mathieu's rendition.

Urs, the "sparrow of Avignon" can be seen and heard in this movie, performing the main title in
a bar scene. ;-)

Favorite french crime scores? Interesting question indeed. I'll supplement it a little later!

coma, August 3, 2006; 12:36 PM

OK, cdrost, I misunderstood your question. Thought it was about just identifying a voice and not - as it was meant - about what version a CD includes.

handstand, August 3, 2006; 1:24 PM

What about the *Ecoutez Le Cinema* series?
The majority of their releases are from French composers and movies.
Are their collections a good representation of French film music?
I have a few of these and I must admit that I enjoy listening to them whenever I get the chance.
I remember one particular composer named Michel Magne which I really liked.
I cannot recall the title of the movie right now.
The music was jazzy.
Any good recommendations from this series that I should just go ahead and purhcase?
Any other recommendations besides this series.

P.S There is also a series of cd's with jazz music called *Jazz In Paris* I believe by Gitanes.
Anyone familiar with these collections?
Any thoughts on these as well before I purchase a few?

serifiot, August 3, 2006; 2:06 PM

seri, I always recommend the Michel Colombier CD L'ALPAGUEUR / LE HASARD ET LA VIOLENCE / L'HÉRITIER (http://soundtrackcollector.com/catalog/soundtrackdetail.php?movieid=24202) my favourite from the Écoutez le Cinéma series. It is a blend of jazz and rock influences, at times cold, then melancholic, then funky, but always highly melodic and catchy. And (at least) L'ALPAGUEUR is a crime flic(k)!

Urs

handstand, August 3, 2006; 2:56 PM

The Michel Magne film music I was referring to is Ecoutez Le Cinema's OSS 117.
As a side note, I had no idea he had conducted "Barbarella".
The one you mentioned Urs I do not have.
If I find a copy, I'll purchase it and give it a listen.

thanX!...

serifiot, August 3, 2006; 7:33 PM

Urs, I totally agree with you about L'Héretier/.../L'Alpagueur by Colombier.

This is one of the very best from the whole series, only rivalled by Le Cercle Rouge, Flic ou
Voyou/Le Guignolo and Mort d'un Pourri.

In particular, I like the variations of the L'Alpagueur main theme. Great stuff!

David, I am looking forward to browsing through your list of favorites ...

Christian.Quatremain, August 4, 2006; 1:03 AM

I have all the 4 volumes of Jazz & Cinéma from Universal/Gitanes. It's mostly late 50's/early 60's jazz -- music that I like a lot, but it has more or less nothing in common with film music as it's generally understood.

The 4th volume is the only CD I know of that has the B-side of "Grisbi", a track which I prefer over the famous and often issued A-side.

These four volumes are all 1:1 re-issuses of older EPs and LPs, containing ALL the tracks from the old releases (learn that, Mr. Lerouge).

FLIC OU VOYOU is likely to be (one of) my favorite releases in the ELC series. No wonder it came out on the first volume, this was a score much needed on the compact disc.

42zaphod, August 3, 2006; 10:30 PM

Well, when I wrote that I prefer 1970s scores for French crime movies I forgot a soundtrack
that I have listened to dozens of times till I got it.

Un Printemps à Paris, with music by Michel Gaucher, is a great CD I would like to recommend to
anyone who likes policiers and smooth (not shallow) jazz. A perfect blend. I do not get tired
hearing ot.

Christian.Quatremain, August 4, 2006; 1:07 AM

Sorry, for the delay in responding! And thanks for the hint to "Un Printemps à Paris",
Quignon. It's already ordered.
As for "smooth (not shallow) jazz", I would recommend you two TV sores which I find
extremely enjoyable: "Frank Riva" by Julien Chirol and "Nestor Burma" by Christian Gaubert.

My other favorite french crime scores (and movies) are:

La Crime (Reinhardt Wagner)
On Ne Meurt Que Deux Fois (Claude Bolling)
Le Doulos (Paul Misraki)
Classe Tous Risques (Georges Delerue)
Mortel Transfert (Reinhardt Wagner)
L'Inconnu Dans La Maison (Francis Lai)
Le Corps De Mon Ennemi (Francis Lai)
Polar (Karl-Heinz Schäfer)
A Double Tour (Paul Misraki)
Dernier Domicile Connu (Francois de Roubaix)
Dites-lui Que Je L'aime (Alain Jomy)
Barocco (Philippe Sarde)
La Dame Dans L'auto avec Des Lunettes Et Un Fusil (Michel Legrand) > VERY! 70s ;-)
En Cas De Malheur (René Cloerec)
Boulevard Des Assassins (Jacques Loussier)
Compartiments Tueurs (Michel Magne)

Yet unreleased movie scores: Poussière d'Ange, Mortelle Randonnée, Buffet Froid, Conseil De
Famille, Péril En La Demeure, Cible Émouvante, Le Voleur, La Balance, Le Deuxième Souffle,
Le Môme, Mauvais Sang, Le Paltoquet...

Two recent releases which truly deserve a listen (and a view):

Anthony Zimmer (Frédéric Talgorn)
36, Quai Des Orfèvres (Erwann Kermorvant / Axelle Renoir)

Besides this, I can only recommend Playtime's 4-CD compilation ";Du Rififi Au Cinéma"; to
anyone who is interested in french crime scores from the 50s to the present. It's terrific!

Any remarks / additions? And btw, I'm still looking for these three CDs... ;-)
Bonne écoute!

David

coma, August 31, 2006; 3:35 PM

Merci, David.

Thanks for the list. There's some stuff on it I will have to check out.

As far as I know, Lai's soundtrack for Le Corps de mon Ennemi has never been released on
CD. So you refer to the vinyl release? I know no more than the main title (as it is part of
different FL compilations), but I like that a lot.

I am somewhat surprised you did not mention ...

- La Scoumoune (François de Roubaix)
- Mort d'un Pourri (Philippe Sarde)
- L'Affaire Crazy Capo (a rather un-Cosmean Cosma score, but very, very good)
- L'Héretier/L'Alpagueur (Michel Colombier)
- Le Cercle Rouge (Eric Demarsan)
- Un Printemps à Paris (Michel Gaucher)
- Une Chance sur Deux (Alexandre Desplat)
- Mes Amis (Ludovic Bource, Kamel Ech Cheikh)
Well, the last two are maybe comedy rather than crime

Superfluous to say, these are my favorites (those that come to my mind right now), but you
have delved into the matter far deeper than me, certainly.

As far as Gaucher's score is concerned, let me know how you like it when you have listened
to it.

By the way, do you know whether Watching & Waiting (by Gerry Mulligan) contains more
than the main theme from La Menace?

Christian.Quatremain, August 4, 2006; 3:26 PM

... as well as I.. Comme Icare, Espion, Lève-toi, Sans Mobile Apparent, Le Clan Des Siciliens....

I had all these in mind but didn't want to constantly repeat those which are widely known.
My very first thought was Ascenseur Pour L'échafaud...

As for the Mulligan, I must admit that it's puzzling me. Reading the tracklist it should
definitely contain most of the score. Perhaps with the addition of some bonus tracks? I didn't
manage to remember a scene corresponding to a title named "Les Vins De Bordeaux".

Yeah, I'm very curious about the Gaucher. Hope it will arrive soon. By the way, I just came
across a compilation released by Gallimard (!): Jazz Et Polar. Sounds extremely promising! Do
you possibly know it?

I really dig Une Chance Sur Deux - the movie as well as the score. And Flic Ou Voyou is a
comedy too. And it reminds me that I forgot to list Le Choc by Philippe Sarde...

Fortunately, a neverending story indeed.

;-)

coma, August 4, 2006; 4:53 PM

David,

as for the Mulligan score, I found out in the meantime, that it also contains those pieces of
music that were not used in the movie. However, The Vines of Bordeaux were also part of the
original Italian soundtrack release (La Minaccia, CBS 70154).

I never heard of the Gallimard-release, but I agree it sounds very promising.

May I also suggest Ni Pour, Ni Contre by Loïc Dury? It's an eclectic score with many artists
involved, but it has a musical backbone, despite its fusion of acoustic music, folk, blues and
techno.

Christian.Quatremain, August 4, 2006; 7:46 PM

Quignon,

then we should not hesitate to go for the Mulligan score.. ;-) I've noticed that it's very
cheaply available on the german and american Amazon Marketplaces.. Would be interesting
to know why they didn't release it as a "soundtrack" CD.

NPNC is an excellent addition. May I respond with a very recent discovery? Corps à Corps by
Sarry Long, a very dark erotic thriller which I happened to come across on late night TV. And
if you're into cool jazz, Les Tricheurs / Des Femmes Disparaissent by Art Blakey is more than
worth a listen, even though it dates from the 50s.

Writing all this sadly reminds of how awfully complicated it is to lead negociations with french
licensers. It can really make you scratch the walls with your fingernails. So lets be glad for all
those scores yet released and pray for more to come!

And then I forgot to mention K by Philippe Sarde... and I guess I stop right now!

;-)

coma, August 4, 2006; 8:39 PM

Don't stop, David. I really appreciate your suggestions. Your knowledge is a real treasure
trove.

As for Mulligan, I ordered the score this afternoon. So the cheapest offer is already sold (that
was the one with the lowest price at amazon.co.uk marketplace). :-)

I generally like these policiers BOFs, but I prefer those with a funky or jazzy touch.

I did mention Mes Amis, didn't I? That's some sort of updated funk in Shaft-style (and, as a
matter of fact, it paraphrases Isaac Hayes' master score here and there).

Christian.Quatremain, August 4, 2006; 9:06 PM

Well hell, since this thread is on a roll why not mention a pair of fine French scores not listed on this database...

"Un Assassin Qui Passe" from composer Jean-Pierre Mas. Picked up a nice 1981 vinyl pressing of this gem several weeks ago. Have not yet had the oppourtunity to give it a listen.

A second that has become near and dear to my emotional sensibilities over the several years since discovering it would be from a French television series I know nothing of titled "Dickie-roi" from Marie-Paule Belle with additional music by Jannick Top.

Mana for those who appriciate the vinyl format.



victoravalentine, August 4, 2006; 9:09 PM

Don't just mention them, knives, submit them! Un Assassin is a nice one indeed. And a strange
and sinister movie featuring the incredibly beautiful Carole Laure... *sigh*

Quignon, we obviously have the same predilections. French Crime movies with jazzy scores are
the perfect combination for sure!

Keep on rollin' ;-)

coma, August 4, 2006; 10:50 PM

Salut Quignon,

I just got "Un Printemps à Paris" and it's really gret stuff. Perfectly jazzy, moody and
stunningly french. I need to get to see the movie. Thanks anyway for having pointed me to
this score. I only hope that you'll like my recommendations too. And if you're after this kind
of music, you should definitely try to get hold of "Frank Riva" which points in a similar
direction ...

Cheerz,

David

coma, August 9, 2006; 9:00 PM

Hi David,

I am glad you like it. And I will watch out for Riva, you bet.

In the meantime I received Gerry Mulligan's Watching & Waiting featuring music for the fine
French movie La Menace (1977). It's quite good, a bit similar to Un Printemps à Paris (well, both
scores are sax-dominated), but Gaucher's soundtrack is much better imho.

Christian

Christian.Quatremain, August 16, 2006; 4:14 PM

Just a few days ago I purchased another Michel Magne 'Ecoutez Le Cinema' #31 soundtrack with music from "Compartiment Tueurs", "De La Part Des Copains", etc.

It seems that I dig this composer's music a lot!

I don't know if the scores on this particular soundtrack fit the genre of 'French Crime Scores' but the music is really great and one good recommended listen!

Cheers!...

P.S. The Jazz & Cinema four volume series mentioned previously are all excellent and also recommended! ;- )

serifiot, August 19, 2006; 4:00 PM