LE GRAND PARDON.

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LA GRAND PARDON is a hard hitting gangster movie which took its lead from THE GODFATHER, but unfortunately was not as successful as the Marlon Brando Mafia classic. Director Arcady  taking leave from his tales of North Africa and swapping the warmth of the African sun for the  reality and somewhat shady world of the Bettoun clan who are a Jewish Mafia-like family that are running a prostitution ring, selling “protection,” and operating casinos and they do this without much interference from the authorities and live at peace with their Arab counterparts, that is until a young gangster played by Bernard Giraudeau decides to  cause trouble between the two ethnic factions and set them against each other. Jewish cultural and religious events are celebrated by the Jewish gangsters, who promote family traditions, which is in stark contrast to the Police inspector who makes it his mission in life to destroy them all.  Composer Serge Franklin provided the film with an infectious soundtrack, and incorporated into the score a couple of entertaining and upbeat pop orientated songs that have a definite 1970,s vibe about them, plus it also contains its fair share of upbeat pop driven instrumentals that again are very much in the same vein as the vocals, and there are some nice jazz led interludes that are most welcome.  It is however the composers haunting and enticing central theme that is the foundation of the soundtrack and one that re-occurs throughout the work in various guises to establish a musical consistency. The composer also introduces a scattering of more emotive sounding compositions that are touching and delicate in their make up and performance. Franklins score is in fact made up from three principal themes, the first of which is the central theme which has to it a warmth and simplicity, the composer utilizing solo guitar and also combining this with an accordion type instrument (The Bandoneon) and underlining these with melodic and rich sounding strings.

The second major theme is a more strident and powerful piece, which has at its heart a percussive drive that is a background to forceful sounding strings. The third and most emotive central thematic signature is the love theme, performed in the main by soft and luxurious strings, which receive support and embellishment from subdued Bandoneon and or solo piano and guitar performances.  Franklin for me personally evokes memories of the music of Francois De Roubaiux within LE GRAND PARDON, it is a soundtrack that is filled with entertaining and original sounding compositions at one point the composer briefly turning to the SHOPHAR-the Jewish Rams horn to add effect and atmosphere. Music Box records should be congratulated for bringing us this re-issue that boasts over 30 minutes of extra music that was not featured on the original release.

 

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LE GRAND CARNAVAL/Le Coup de Sirocco.

Recently Premier French soundtrack label Music Box records have released a number of Franklin soundtracks these include, LE GRAND PARDON, LE GRAND CARNAVAL, HOLD UP, DERNIER ETE A TANGER and LA COUP DE SIROCCO. All of which contain the unmistakable style and musical fingerprint of Franklin, but at the same time all posses’ musical voices and identities of their own that became important and individual to each respective movie, supporting, enhancing and integrating with the storylines and characters and effectively add greater atmosphere and depth to each of the movies. Le Coup de Sirocco/ The Siroccan Wind  (1979),was directed by Alexandre Arcady and it was the first in a series of movies that the film maker shot about his life in Africa, and looked at life through his eyes as a pied-noir or black feet, which was the name attached to Algerians who had European roots. The soundtrack that Franklin provided the director has some jazz orientation  but is also coloured by the styles and sounds of the Mediterranean, with  a definite leaning towards the more classic and rustic Italian sound of Nino Rota which is fused with more upbeat and boisterous musical flavours which are inspired by composers such as Armando Trovaioli and Piero Umiliani, the composer at times providing up-tempo beats and shakes as in track number 23, HEY BABY FOOT, which could be from the soundtrack to any number of Italian movies from the 1960,s or indeed from any hip coffee bars juke box from that period. Saxophone, sultry strings, brushed percussion and cool almost smoky sounding piano come together in track number 24, SEXY SAX BLUES, to create a laid back and highly steamy sound.

The central or main theme itself is more like a traditional Italian melody, quirky woodwinds are carried along by an even more jolly or robust sounding piano. Franklin adding strings and solo trumpet to the equation and utilizing mandolin to great effect as in track number,25, LE COUP DI SIRROCO. The score is represented by just five cues but each and every track is entertaining this edition containing a cue that has not been released previously in the form of track 21, NARBONI and FILS which is essentially a variation or a fuller rendition of the scores central theme. Track 22, VILLE d’ALGER, is a more emotive sounding cue, Franklin weaving a melodic and haunting tone poem together performed by plaintive woodwinds which are subdued and light in their sound, strings also make an appearance acting at first as a background to the woods, but then rise above them to momentarily create a near luxurious sound, which although short lived is affecting. This short score is coupled with (1982), again set in Africa, Director Arcady opens his story during the 1942 allied troop landing in Algieria. For this assignment Franklin utilized a strong and romantic sounding central theme, that was performed by lush sounding strings that gave it an expansive and full sound, but to this he added a solo guitar which added an intimate and fragile sound to the proceedings, the composer also utilized a martial sound which he relayed via choir, timpani and piccolo, the score also contained a number of references to the music of the era, and included a handful of tracks in the style of the big band sound of Glenn Miller and his like, which is demonstrated in track number 4, WELCOME TO PARADISE which although a vocal sung in French still posses that Miller or Goodman swing sound with trombones, trumpets, clarinet and percussion combining to create a sound that is nostalgic and immensely entertaining. The compose also provides us some beautifully emotive pieces within the score, as in track number 6, Douce Algérie, which opens with solo woodwind, underlined by harp and light use of strings, the woodwind melts away and segues seamlessly into a flawless and heartrending solo violin performance, which eventually is joined by subdued woodwind and punctuated by angelic sounding harp, the string section returns and gives Franklin’s tender and beautiful composition a fuller rendition, after which the woodwind returns to bring the cue to its conclusion. Track 8, VIOLENCE combines both dramatic and highly charged music with a backdrop or background of drums from a big band, the combination although maybe sounding odd is highly effective, Franklin later in the cue adding male voices to great effect. This is a delightful score, and contains a plethora of magical sounding themes which I am confident will be popular with collectors of fine movie music.

 

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