Italian director Pietro Marcello made a name himself with a handful of documentaries, including The Mouth of the Wolf in 2009 and Lost and Beautifulin 2015, before he altered direction and switched to fiction with an adaptation of Jack London’s Martin Eden, which was acclaimed by critics and it was this that established him as a fresh and inspiring talent on the art-house scene. The style he employed on the movie was striking and revolutionary at times it seemed as it were not a feature film but a documentary that was being filmed live. The filmmaker using archive footage rather than utilising specially constructed sets. His latest movie is L’Envol (Scarlet) which is a free adaptation of the novel Alye published by Aleksandr Grin. Set in northern France, Juliette grew up alone with her father, Raphael, a soldier who survived the First World War. Passionate about singing and music. Due to her dreamy nature that drives her to isolate herself, she is not appreciated by other villagers, especially men. One day, by the river, a witch predicts that “scarlet Sails” will arrive to take her away: Juliette continues to hope for it until the day when the prophecy seems to come true, when a beautiful airman literally falls on her from the sky.
The musical score is by esteemed composer Gabriel Yared, who has written an enchantingly beguiling work that is brimming with emotions and filled with haunting and affecting melodies, that enhance support and ingratiate the story as it unfolds on screen. It is in my opinion one of the most beautifully crafted scores I have heard in a long while, each cue is a delight, and every track treats the listener to tantalising and wonderful musical poems, that will linger long in one’s memory.
The score is simple but delightful, which contains a mix of orchestral and vocal performances, but even the songs are marvellously attractive and hypnotic, easy on the ear and beautifully alluring.
The score will be released on January 11th by Movie Score Media and will be available on digital platforms with a compact disc coming from Quartet records soon. The score is literally a smorgasbord of styles, sounds and luxuriousness, the composer teasing the listener with subtle but at the same time powerful thematic properties that I know you will not be able to resist, this is a score that you Must listen to and own. Highly recommended. .
MOVIE MUSIC INTERNATIONAL. (MMI) . 