Track Listing

1. Under the Bridge
2. Belleville Rendez-Vous (French Version)
3. Opening Theme
4. Cabaret Opening
5. Tour de France
6. Attila Marcel
7. Bruno's Theme
8. Easy, Bruno, Easy
9. Belleville Rendez-Vous (Demo)
10. French Mafia Theme
11. Jazzy Bach
12. Cabaret Hoover
13. Belleville Jungle
14. "Cieco Cieco" Barber
15. Pa Pa Pa Palavas
16. The Return of the French Mafia
17. The Shadowing
18. The Chase
19. Belleville Rendez-Vous (English Version)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #33822 in Music
• Brand: Score
• Released on: 2004-01-27
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Original language: French, Portuguese
• Dimensions: .20 pounds

Amazon.com
Taking the cue for its visual conception from sources as diverse as British cartoonist Gerald Scarfe and the antic, rubbery surrealism of Tex Avery's Warner Bros. Cartoons of the 30's, this madcap caper from French writer/director Sylvain Chomet is one of the most delightfully skewed animated films in recent memory. Scoring such a thorough original is no easy task, but composer/musician Benoit Charest has more than risen to the occasion. Charest manages to evoke the loopy musical spirit of legendary Warner and Disney animation legend Carl Stalling in an entirely new context, fusing the score's snappy, predominantly le hot jazz mindset with everything from hip-hop and Bach (credited her as "Jean Sebastien") to the Italian opera farrago "Cieco Cieco Barber" and 1960s proto-surf-rock of "Pa Pa Pa Palavas." But that conceptual stew isn't the least of Charest's delightful surprises, as he giddily infuses it with his own Django-esque guitar stylings and a hodge-podge of "found" rhythmic instruments that include bicycle wheels, refrigerator shelves and a vacuum cleaner; surely there must be a kitchen sink buried in the mix somewhere. The result is a score that uses tradition as but a launching pad for one of the most rewarding and delightfully original animated scores in recent memory. -- Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews

Great animation + great music = incredible movie
It's a great surprise to go to a movie with absolute zero Kelvin expectations and be completely blown away. It's also as rare as mutual physical attraction. Here's what happened: A friend told me that he had free passes to "...a weird animation... apparently there's only grunting and French or something..." a teaser that was not, but I'm never one to turn down free animation, so I went and I've been singing "Belleville Rendez-vous" fervently ad infinitum ever since.

The music is just as incredible as the animation, and together the effect is almost overwhelming. I was a little worried that the music would not hold up without the images. Fortunately, I was completely stupid in this case. This CD stands on its own and allows viewers of the film to realize the priceless contribution of the soundtrack. There's lots of mellow jazz and skippy rhythms, and the music will evoke scenes from the movie. In some cases the music on the CD runs longer than the music did in the movie, and that's no bad thing.

The CD is overloaded with the film's central song "Belleville Rendez-vous". There are at least six versions of that song on this CD (depending on how one counts them). All of them are different enough to justify their presence. A surprisingly good track is what is called the "demo" for the song; it has great quality and is somewhat more acoustic sounding than the other versions.

Other cochlea-popping delights include: "'Cieco Cieco' Barber" - which will have you stomping and crooning Caruso-style; the beautiful accordian-driven "Attila Marcel"; "Pa pa pa palavas" - which plays during the film's credits - sounds like a French Elvis Presley; "Cabaret Hoover" - those who have seen the film know what this song is - it holds up great on its own.

Some of the songs are less exciting and sound more like movie music; most of the songs that backed the French Mafia aren't as exciting on their own. "The Chase" works great (in fact, REALLY great) behind the scene in the movie, but it's not as interesting on its own. Since most of these songs are towards the end of the CD, the pace winds down a bit as the CD moves on. Nonetheless, it is kicked in the pants by the final version of "Belleville Rendez-vous" sung in English.

Overall, it's an amazing film soundtrack that will reward repeated listenings. Wear out your ears and be proud. But (and this is one of those big BUTS), if you haven't seen the film, GO SEE IT!!!!!

Lastly, don't turn off track 19 too quickly...

TWO DIFFERENT VERSIONS OF THE SAME SOUNDTRACK
Triplets of Belleville soundtrack and Belleville Rendevous are the same disc. The first is the USA version and the second is the UK version - the playlists are identical. They are being offered here as a two disc deal, but unless you're some sort of completist, this is no deal. I advised Amazon of this.

A fun, jazzy soundtrack full of great music
From the opening sounds of "Under the Bridge," featuring car horns and bicycle spokes, you realize that this is no ordinary soundtrack album. It's full of French-flavored jazz, such as "Jazzy Bach" and "Belleville Jungle," with a pop song called "Attila Marcel" (sung by the incredible Béatrice Bonifassi), some catchy, kitschy songs such as "'Cieco Cieco' Barber" and "Pa Pa Pa Palavas," and the infectious, 1920's-flavored "Belleville Rendez-Vous."

Written by Benoît Charest ,"Belleville Rendez-Vous" is the most recognizable song from the film, having earned a deserved Oscar nomation and appearing on the album in numerous versions: French, English, Demo, instrumental and as a theme. The album also includes many samples of Charest's unique score, from the plaintive "Bruno's Theme" (with a solo, sad accordian) to the use of a refrigerator, a vacuum and other unusual instruments for "Cabaret Hoover." It's a wonderful album that evokes the look and feel of the film.

A hidden track also appears at the very end. For anyone who has seen the movie, it's definitely a pleasant surprise.