Coco Before Chanel Composed by Alexandre Desplat
Concord Records (2008)
Rating:
7/10
“With increasing
frequency, [ALEXANDRE DESPLAT's] works are becoming rapturous dreams
constructed with economically simple, musical notes and COCO BEFORE
CHANEL is no different.”
Elegance as Simplicity
Review by Christopher Coleman
If ever I felt under-dressed while viewing a film, it was the night I watched
Coco Avant Chanel (Coco Before Chanel). While viewing director/ screenwriter,
Anne Fontaine's take on the early life of Coco Chanel, I somehow became keenly
aware of that fact that I was only wearing shorts and a t-shirt. It somehow just
felt so very inappropriate. I came oh so close to puting on a shirt and tie.
Instead, I reminded myself that Audrey Tautou's scrutinizing glare wasn't
actually piercing back through the screen, rendering me a target of her
debilitating gauze or demeaning fashion-judgments. I can safely say that no
other movie has ever made me feel quite like that. COCO AVANT CHANEL is
sumptuously subtle and slowly mesmerizes the viewer in such a way that by the
time the final (and beautifully crafted) shot of the film is reached, one can't
help but be fully infatuated with both Chanel and Tautou. In addition to her
brilliant selection for lead actress, as well as Christophe Beaucharde as
cinematographer, Anne Fontaine smartly hired on one of today's most popular
composers, ALEXANDRE DESPLAT. Fontaine's film reflects some of Coco Chanel's own
artistic values, including Desplat's contribution. As mentioned, COCO BEFORE
CHANEL is subtle, but certainly not boring. It's concise but overflows with
style. Elegance masquerading as simplicity is this film's modus operandi.
Bringing on Desplat seems like the most natural of choices for COCO AVANT CHANEL.
Being a French-born composer and master of his own musical style of "l'élégance
dans la simplicité," what better contemporary composer for the job? I can
imagine the allure of providing the musical backdrop for the early life of
perhaps contemporary-fashion's most influential person would be just too great
to resist; however, with other 2009 titles like: JULIE AND JULIA, CHERI, ET
APRES (AFTERWARDS), FANTASTIC MR. FOX, and THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON, once
could hardly blame him if he had passed on Ms. Chanel. Covering the ascension of
Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel from an orphan, to a "kept woman" (of sorts) to the
dawning of Chanel's fashion-empire, COCO BEFORE CHANEL offers ALEXANDRE DESPLAT
ample emotional range to explore and fill with his, now, unmistakable sound.
As much as our eyes might delight in the visuals of this film, our ears are
equally satisfied with Desplat's elegant music. ALEXANDRE DESPLAT, once again,
delivers a score that is full of high-class subtlety - a feast for those willing
to go back for seconds. For those who enjoyed his work for 2008's THE CURIOUS
CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON, the title theme will likely bring back fond memories of
that work, with it's pensive, clock-like pizzicato, wandering piano notes,
echoing woodwinds, and landings of deep bass. As often is the case with
Desplat's recent works, the beauty in his music is edged with dark threads of
threat and mystery - a quality which goes a long way in keeping the listener
engaged with the complex story-lines or emotions being portrayed on the screen,
but this is also true for the soundtrack listener. Desplat's music is seldom
simple "pure elation, "pure whimsy" or "pure suspense," but some unquantifiable
mixture of the three. This engaging combination courses it's way throughout COCO
BEFORE CHANEL. We find Desplat extending his fanciful, entwinings right down to
the score's love theme. Introduced in "Coco and Boy" (3), Desplat's love theme
quickens the score's tempo, strings starting to soar into ever higher notes,
piano dotting purposefully, and the harp sometimes skirting the heavens and
sometimes playing with youthful glee. We, the listeners, edge even closer to the
joyous, as Desplat offers us a waltz that perhaps represents the pinnacle of joy
experienced by Coco in this film. "Chez Chanel" (2) and "Casino De Deauville"
(16) offer the composer two, rare chances to deliver an unspoiled romp into
happiness. Listeners merely grazing over this score may find themselves
disappointed, but those who take their time to enjoy the intricacies found in
this work (and most of ALEXANDER DESPLAT's others) will be rewarded.
With increasing frequency, Desplat's works are becoming rapturous dreams
constructed with economically simple, musical notes and COCO BEFORE CHANEL is no
different. There's no arguing that this score shares a number of qualities in
common with other works from the composer, yet that only makes the music more
intriguing. It hardly seems to matter if the setting is
turn-of-the-century-Louisiana, France, or 1920's China, ALEXANDRE DESPLAT's
unique voice seems to fit perfectly. Then, invariably, when the listening
experience is isolated from film, his music hardly becomes tiresome. The
original soundtrack was first released in Europe back in April of 2009 with the
French title, COCO AVANT CHANEL, but in September Varese Sarabande released the
score in the USA as COCO BEFORE CHANEL. While the total runtime is not quite 40
minutes and includes a small caberet song and Scott Joplin composition, the
original score offered is still well worth the purchase, especially for those
who have locked into the Desplat's vibe. Now, if you decide to watch the film or
buy the soundtrack, you might consider sliding into your business-Monday attire
just to be safe.
