A Very Long Engagement [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack] [Soundtrack]

Angelo Badalamenti (Composer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Composer: Angelo Badalamenti
• Audio CD (December 7, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Label: Nonesuch
• ASIN: B00069A5TQ
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #175,272 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Main Title /The Trenches

2. First Love Touch

3. Heartbeat to a Gunshot

4. Matilde's Theme

5. Eloide’s Theme

6. Kissing Through Glass

7. Massage Fantasy

8. Never Had the Child

9. The Man from Corsica

10. Our Soldiers’ Letters

11. Why Do You Cry?

12. End Titles

Editorial Reviews

From Warner Independent, a new division of Warner Bros. Pictures, comes "A Very Long Engagement" – a love story set during World War I featuring the director and star of "Amelie," Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Audrey Tautou. With a box-office total of $152 million, "Amelie" is one of the most popular foreign language films of recent years. Director Jeunet’s "Engagement" is the biggest budget French film in history, opening on 800 screens in its home country. Based on the acclaimed novel by Sebastien Japrisot, the story takes place at the close of the war, when Mathilde(Tautou) receives word that her fiancee is one of five wounded soldiers who have been court-martialed and forced into the no-man’s-land between the French and German lines to die an almost certain death. Unwilling to accept that her lover is lost to her forever, Mathilde embarks on an investigation, strengthened by a steadfast hope. In her quest to discover his fate, she is drawn deeper into the horrors of war and the indelible marks it leaves on those whose lives it has touched. The orchestral score is by Angelo Badalamenti ("Twin Peaks," "Mulholland Drive," "The Company," "The Straight Story," "Lost Highway"), conducted by Phil Marshall.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Badalamenti's most powerful score, January 15, 2005

By 

Robert C. Cumbow (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Very Long Engagement [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack] (Audio CD)

Badalamenti composed scores for all of David Lynch's movies since BLUE VELVET, but when I heard the score of this movie, I was amazed. This is a very different side of Badalamenti, reminding me at times of Hans Zimmer's superb, mournful, doom-laden score for THE THIN RED LINE. Both the score and this album are uncompromising ... no light-hearted moments, no dances or pop tunes, just sheer orchestral power evoking the profound, horrific impact of the First World War and what it did to the consciousness and conscience of a country. I ordered this CD the day after I saw the film, and as I've been listening to it, the power of the film has kept coming back to me, and growing.

The most amazing thing about the score is its ability to capture the sense that is present throughout both the novel and the film, that, through all this doom and deception and depression and despair, what really wins out is hope. But unlike so many phony "uplifting" endings, this film's ending, like that of the novel it is based on, is the real thing, honest, bittersweet, never really joyful, just satisfying. And that sense of triumph and rightness are present in every note of Badalamenti's most remarkable score.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Sebastian Japrisot & Badalamenti", December 21, 2004

By 

J. Lovins "Mr. Jim" (Missouri-USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Very Long Engagement [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack] (Audio CD)

Nonesuch Records presents "Very Long Engagement", the score by composer Angelo Badalamenti...born 3/22/1937 Brooklyn New York, has the rare gift of capturing the essence of a film through his music...he can reach out a touch the audience with this World War I Jean-Pierre Jeunet film from Sebastian Japrisot's era novel...just sit back and behold this directors character and incident development with Badalamenti's magical score.

The film is well over two hours, yet it holds the interest with several plots with voice over narration...the film will draw you in as Badalamenti's music takes you to places and times before you were born and lays them before you...his musical brilliance will mesmerize and entertain you with a sweet after taste.

Angelo's score is very different from his previous outings "The Straight Story"[1999] and "Mulholland Drive"[2001] both nominated for best original scores by the Golden Globe people...but better known for his "Twin Peaks" themes that are still popular even today..."Very Long Engagement", has created individual melodies within a melody...french horns, strings and choral cues are moody and at times powerful...his talent can quench the thirst of many a "film-score-buff".

One can hardly pick a stand out, entire score draws on slow tempos with blends of original sentiment during that time in World War I history..."HEARTBEAT TO A GUNSHOT" and "KISSING THROUGH THE GLASS", gorgeous melodies and arrangements with tender loving care prevail...orchestration serves up a serenely unforgettable performance...every cue sneaks into your head and you're loving every minute of it...just the way we like 'em!

Total Time: 44:45 pm 13 Tracks ~ Nonesuch 79880 ~ (12/07/2004)

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Film Score fo the Ages, July 28, 2005

By 

Ryan Henke (BC Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Very Long Engagement [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack] (Audio CD)

As a collector of many moive score over the past 10 years, I have found only a very few that I never get tired of hearing. This is one of the few.

The music, while emotional, is not overly sentemetal, or sappy. The music has several themes that you will be humming for days after listening. The music has a truly haunting feeling in parts, aswell as a feeling of joy.

I would strongly recomend this CD to anyone who has a love of beautiful music, or simply enjoy music that will enrich the soul.