Alain Goraguer - La Planete Sauvage (Soundtrack)
(DC)
Have you been experiencing memory flashes of blue humanoid giants, tiny
people, and fantastic fauna? The good new is that you may not be an alien
abductee. You may have caught a late-night airing of 1973 cult classic La
Planete Sauvage, Stefan Wul's allegory about the struggle for coexistence
between two races-the gentle and cultured Draags, and their one-time pets,
the rebellious Oms-as brought to life by animator Roland Topor and director
Rene Laloux. The final ingredient, and perhaps the one that made Fantastic
Planet (the film's English title) so memorable, was the score composed by
Alain Goraguer, best known as an arranger for Serge Gainsbourg. With a full
complement of surreal sights and sounds, and enough subtext to fuel
philosophical debates, Fantastic Planet is an experience not easily
forgotten. It's the type of film that haunts you for years. No need to tell
this to the headz turned (on) by Goraguer's score, a much-sought
psychedelicacy treasured by DJs. Fantastic Planet recently resurfaced on
video and DVD, and DC Recordings head J. Saul Kane has seen to the
re-release of the score on LP and CD. Just a taste of Goraguer's delectably
trippy fusion of psychedelic-jazz instrumentation (marimba, lots of flute,
guitars, bongos, Hammond organ), strings, theremin sounds, sighs, and slo-mo
beats reveals why Kane stepped in. At times, it sounds an awful lot like his
recent Depth Charge productions. Taken as a whole, however, La Planete
Sauvage reveals how Goraguer juggles a number of character themes, reworking
motifs into earthy funk, ethereal and atmospheric interludes, and epic
evocations as required by the unfolding storyline. It's a little repetitive,
and some of the music seems dated in light of today's techno-fueled
soundtracks, but the score holds together rather well. And Goraguer's
juxtaposition of pixie-pipe preciousness with hard-nosed funk is nothing if
not addictive and, well, fantastic.
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