Jean-Luc Godard / Music

Friday, June 24, 2022

Just as important as the visual, the sound is equal to a Jean-Luc Godard film. The works from the mid-1980s and upward become ‘Godard compositions,’ but for now, we’re going to focus on the soundtrack music Godard used from A Bout de Souffle to Sauve qui peut (la vie). I mindlessly collect Godard soundtracks, especially the various compilations that have come out in the last 30 years. The CD revolution in France and Japan has numerous releases, from ‘pretty good’ to ‘great.’ The soundtrack album has innumerable purposes. Still, one is to remind you of images in a specific film. This is nice, but I like to listen to music apart from the image or movie. I love the idea that cinema had something to do with music, but does it stand by itself? Any sound from a Godard film can stand alone on a CD or vinyl.

The theme song to Le Mépris by Georges Delerue is hauntingly beautiful. If you wish, you can think of Brigitte Bardot’s ass in bed or the stunning structure of Casa Malaparte while listening to the melody, but it can also work if you’re looking at your boring office wall. The moodiness of Antoine Duhamel’s Pierrot le Fou melody is one of contemplation. I think one of the key reasons why I love Godard’s work is the nature of reflection, and it’s in the soundtrack music as well. The past is present in the films and the music and is drenched in memories.

Godard had an unusual relationship with his composers. Mostly, he would approach them and talk about the film project indirectly. He would then obtain their recordings, and he would later do a remix of sorts of their music. For instance, with Michel Legrand for Vivre sa vie, he would use the main riff throughout the film, not the rest of the original composition. In truth, Godard collaborated with the composers on their music by tearing it up and using only what he wanted for the films. Even odder, the composers liked working with Godard.

When I hear Godard's name, I think of the music first and then the films. It’s odd because it is like hearing the name The Beatles and thinking of their film Hard Day’s Night instead of their recordings. Then again, it’s difficult for me to separate the aural and visual of an artist. Whatever they bring to the table, I accept everything from the appetizer to the main dish and then the cocktail drink afterward. The only other filmmaker I feel the same way about is Stanley Kubrick. The music in his films sticks to my mind, as well as having a CD or vinyl soundtrack to his work.

The composers that Godard worked with were so different from each other. Legrand, Martial Solal, Georges Delerue, Paul Misraki, Antoine Duhamel, and Gabriel Yared all placed and wrote very singular and unique music. He didn’t look for another Legrand or Solal type but found artists with whom he could collaborate. It is one of the most beautiful relationships between a visual and aural artist.

There are many Godard soundtracks from the 60s and onward. These compilations I recommend if you can find them:

Jean-Luc Godard - Bandes Originales 1959-1980 (Wildcat Strike Disques) 2013 U.S.

Vinyl bootleg, but very well put together.

Bandes Originales des Films de Jean-Luc Godard (Hortensia, 1994) Japan CD

Jean-Luc Godard - Histoire(s) de Musique (Éoutez Le Cinéma, 2007) First image above and CD. Maybe the easiest and best compilation of the early soundtracks for Godard films.