Customer Reviews

Bout De Souffle

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I heard a snippet of this on NPR a few days ago and had to have it. I don't usually satisfy my urges so quickly, but I made an exception here and I'm so glad. Every track on this is a perfect balance between romantic, energetic and exciting. Now I need more Martial Solal.

Chances are, dear reader, if you're reading this, then you've seen the movie (and if you haven't, drop everything and put it on your Netflix list or whatever). Granted, Godard's classic French New Wave flick--with its jump cuts, indeterminate pacing, unheard-of editing technques, snappy dialogue seemingly unrelated to the plot (it's about a gangster and a woman he wants to sleep with) and (gasp!) subtitles--may not hold everyone's interest, but this review is about the music, isn't it?

Okay, so the soundtrack we have here is all in all pretty jazzy, but it's of some unique style that remains absent in American's version. There's big band stuff, small band stuff, simply-horns-and-drums stuff and then again some really, really nice, lush tracks. A lot of soothing piano music with string and a cool track with sparse guitar and what I'm guessing is an xylophone. Yes, the xylophone. Most of the music here is short and to the point with that little "doo-doo-doo-DOO-doo" rhythm repeated quite a bit. But then again it's repeated in the movie a little much as well. So it's great to listen to but I can understand if you feel there's something missing. The tracks sound like they're going nowhere at times, but really, when you think about it, a lot of soundtracks featuring original scores are like that: the songs are short and they're there to emphasize one scene, one conversation, you get it. But the songs, all instrumental, convey everything from love to panic to mystery to death. As with French New Wave films, the music is really happy-go-lucky and seems to be all about having fun. I read a review once that "Breathless" (the film itself) was "jazzy, free-form and sexy" and that's pretty much what we've got here on this disc.

After the ten or so songs from "Breathless" we've got a few others that Martial Solal composed for some films produced about the same time. I bought the CD for the "Breathless" sounds here, and the other tracks are more or less similar-sounding, but not as moodsetting and enjoyment of those tracks varies. But it's nice. The last track is a piano solo (apparently from "Breathless") that's really nice but at moments sounds more like someone practicing different positions and phrases rather than trying to play an actual traditional song. Maybe he was improvising. Anyway, it's nice and interesting and if you're a fan of the film you probably like the music and really this is the only available recording of the film's soundtrack. So if there are any left scoop it up!

A great compliment to the 1960 french New Wave film "Breathless". Great music that and some other films Martial Solal composed for. Easy listening, jazz at its best, and a soothing distraction from your hectic day. Worth every franc...or penny, that is.

When I saw the film Breathless, I was so blown away by the soundtrack that I knew I had to get my hands on it as soon as possible. Amazon wasn't offering it, but one online store based in France had it priced around $40. I kept visiting Amazon and eventually they had it in stock, but for a similar price. Fortunately, the price of it went down significantly for one seller on Amazon, so I purchased it immediately and listened to it over and over. That was about six months ago now and somehow the price has gone down even more! I don't understand how, because supposedly it's an import that is difficult to find. In either case, I can't say I'm too upset for having spent so much money. This music is amazing and I'll never get bored of it.