This Sunday’s FRENCH CONNECTION on WRIU 90.3 FM celebrates the musical scores from four wonderful French films: Les Choristes from 2011, Amelie from 2001, Ascenseur pour L’échafaud from 1957, and Black Orpheus, from 1959.
( This program originally aired on WRIU, Kingston, 90.3 FM on Sunday, August 17 )
The French Connection 8-17-25
Notes:
Our guest in studio is mon ami Wayne Cresser, host of Picture This: Film Music on the Radio.
FIRST SET: from “Les Choristes” (2011) | Composed by Bruno Coulais; Performed by the Bulgarian Symphony Orchestra, with the boys choir Les Petits Chanteurs de Saint-Marc.
– “Les Avions En Papier” – “Vois Sur Ton Chemin (Les Choristes)” – “La Nuit” – “Compère Guilleri” – “Lueur D’été” – “Cerf-Volanther notables”
The story of Les Choristes was inspired by the origin of an actual boys’ choir The Little Singers of Paris.
At the 77th Academy Awards, Les Choristes was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Original Song (the latter for “Vois sur ton chemin“)
Notably, Les Choristes was director Christophe Barratier’s first feature film.
SECOND SET: from “Amelie” (2001) | Composed and performed by Yann Tiersen
– “La valse d’Amélie”
-“Comptine d’un autre été : L’Après-midi”
-“Les Jours tristes”
-“L’Autre valse d’Amélie”
Amélie is rated #37 among the “50 Greatest Romantic Comedies of All Time” by Rolling Stone magazine, and in 2025, the film ranked number 41 on The New York Times‘ list of “The 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century.”
Yann Tiersen is a French- Breton musician and composer. In just two weeks, he composed nineteen pieces for ”Amelie.”
Tiersen just recently released an introspective new album called Rathlin from a Distance | The Liquid Hour.
THIRD SET: “Ascenseur pour l’échafaud” (1957) | Composed and performed by Miles Davis
– “Sur L’autoroute”
The soundtrack for Ascenseur pour Léchafaud, scored by American trumpeter Miles Davis, became an instant jazz classic, known for its atmospheric, moody, and improvisational style – perfectly complementing the film noir mood of Louis Malle’s movie.
On December 4,1 957, Davis brought his four sidemen to a French recording studio without any practice or preparation. Once the plot of the film was explained, Miles and his band improvised what would become the classic soundtrack.
The musical ideas explored on Ascenseur pour L’échafaud paved the way for Miles Davis’s later masterpiece, “Kind of Blue”.
FOURTH SET: “Black Orpheus” (1959) | Composed by Antonio Carlos Jobim & Luis Bonfa
-“Manhã de Carnaval”
-“Manhã de Carnaval / La Chanson d’Orphée” performed by Pauline Croze
-“Samba de Orfeu”
Black Orpheus is a 1959 romantic tragedy film directed by French filmmaker Marcel Camus.
The film is particularly notable for its soundtrack by two Brazilian composers: Antônio Carlos Jobim, whose “Manhã de Carnaval” and “Samba de Orfeu” have become classics of bossa nova.
Black Orpheus won the 1960 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
CLOSING SONG: Sidney Bechet “Si Tu Vois Ma Mere” (1952)
A Perfectly Parisian Soundtrack Will Make You Want a Croissant
by Stacy Nguyen
As though Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick were not enough reason to get us to watch A Simple Favor, director Paul Feig’s mystery thriller also features an insatiable musical playlist lined with the best sounds of French pop. In a movie about lust, revenge, and betrayal, the music has to be good. Your obsession with the soundtrack may have already started with the trailers themselves, which use Saint Privat’s mischievous bossa nova-enhanced “Poisson Rouge” and Coeur de Pirate’s sultry “Crier Tout Bas.”
The film’s music selection encompasses emotionally charged new and old French sounds. Besides Saint Privat and Coeur de Pirate, it showcases a heated track by popular rapper Orelsan (“Changement”) and an impassioned ballad by jazzy singer-songwriter Zaz (“Les Passants”). In addition to newer musicians, A Simple Favor also draws on ’60s nostalgia, noticeably using romantic Brigitte Bardot songs, such as “Une Histoire de Plage” and “La Madrague.” The soulful songs are especially befitting given that the film is neo-noir, a genre that often uses moody, haunting music to tell stories.
Pour a glass of red wine and envision yourself listening to an old-timey record player at a French cafe — here is the entire soundtrack for A Simple Favor for your listening pleasure.
Original Motion Picture Soundtrack of Camille Claudel composed by Gabriel Yared
Newly remastered and expanded edition.
12-page CD booklet with French and English liner notes by Gabriel Yared.
Limited Edition of 350 units.
In collaboration with Yad Music, Music Box Records presents the newly remastered and expanded edition of Gabriel Yared’s score to the 1988 drama film Camille Claudel, starring Isabelle Adjani and Gérard Depardieu, and directed by French cinematographer turned director Bruno Nuytten.
Adapted from the biography written by Paul Claudel’s granddaughter Reine-Marie Paris, the film was a project initiated by Isabelle Adjani. The film tells the story of the troubled life of French sculptor Camille Claudel and her long relationship with the sculptor Auguste Rodin. Camille Claudel received wide public and critical acclaim, won five César awards including the one for Best Feature Film and contributed to the rediscovery of the sculptress’ works.
To illustrate the artistic and amorous passion of the characters onscreen, Gabriel Yared composed beautiful strings pieces inspired by German postromantic music. This album allows listeners to fully appreciate the many shades of this score by adding several previously unreleased tracks to the original edition. The 12-page booklet by Gabriel Yared gives insight into the scoring process. This is a limited edition of 350 units.
Pas De Merde 