Search - Alain Goraguer :: Planete Sauvage

Incredible music for an incredible film

BENJAMIN MILER | Veneta, Oregon | 06/17/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"La Planète Sauvage was the original French title for the 1973 movie Fantastic Planet (although the actual translation of "La Planète Sauvage" is "The Wild Planet"). The great news was there was a soundtrack album to the movie that also came out, originally on the EMI/Pathé Marconi label. The original LP has became quite a rare and sought after item, only now it's been reissued. Anyway, the music is by Alain Goraguer, same guy who did music for other French films, including two other animateds that I'm aware of, The Dead Times (Les Temps Morts) (1964) and The Snails (Les Escargots) (1965), both by the same makers of Fantastic Planet (René Laloux, Roland Topor). While both of these films tended to have a more avant-garde jazzy score, the music to Fantastic Planet has a more progressive funky score. If you can imagine Pink Floyd meets Shaft, you get sort of an idea. The music consists of synthesizers, flute, Hohner clavinet, guitar (with lots of wah-wah effects), bass, and drums. Variations of themes do recur, which makes more sense when you've seen the film. It's hard to believe that a soundtrack album to a movie that's known by so few was ever made available, but its true. If you like the movie and enjoyed its music, you'll like the album, but the music on the album is a bit different from the movie itself."

Cool, funky, far-out, sensuous, surreal...great soundtrack

M. C Cardoso | Berkeley, CA United States | 11/19/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"That the soundtrack of this great psychedelic animated movie is now available is very good news. The other reviewers got it right: it is trippy, it is funky, the instrumentation is lush and engaging. the tracks mix rock, funk, orquestra and jazz, all that with a psichedelic twist. This album is a gem for fans of early '70s music and shows how one could write engaging music within a far-out framework. The comparison with the sound of Pink Floyd and with funk music are adequate.

If you watched the movie, you know how the music combined well with the surrealistic world of the Fantastic Planet. And I think the music on this CD stands well on its own - even though there are melodic themes repeated on many tracks, as is usually the case with movie scores. It is just because of the repetition of themes that I am not giving 4-stars.

I have used tracks of this CD for editing my underwater videos (coral reefs, exotic critters)and I was very pleased with the results. This is music that excites the imagination and that transports the listener to a "fantastic planet"."

Melt, brain, melt... this planet is FANTASTIC

maxxroach | felona's big blue bacalada | 01/20/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Even if you know nothing about the movie, this recording stands well enough on its own. Really trippy and dense, it is a testament to the unfortunate reality that they just don't make 'em like this anymore. Tastefully orchestrated and uniquely original. A must for the collector of the avante-garde, psychedelic, or experimental. If you are familiar with the film (an animation milestone and a great film in its own right), you may be suprised at the length of the soundtrack and that there are many tracks that were not used in the film. NO B.S. here. And don't be turned off by the flat sound of the actual film. The sound quality is excellent; the music is even better.Actually at times sounds like you are being persued by a race of giant blue aliens, but at the same time you are in awe of the mistique and odd beauty of the landscape-- the fantastic planet, with its strange unearthly creatures, creepy soundscapes, surreal psychic energy.A classic by a quite unknown composer whom was rightfully selected to realize the score to this great film, and by the grace of the gods, and the mercy of the giant blue Traags, his work is available to us here on a planet which is just as savage, but not nearly as fantastic.5 stars for the atmosphere that this album creates alone. It is genuinely creepy, but not like in a Halloween-like way. Not a rock album (has common elements), not really a new age type of album either. 5 stars for the instrumentation and occaisional backing vocals (that clavichord/ wah wah guitar just oozes from the speakers. Strings, drums, and bass complement nicely. The sound is just delicious. 5 stars for the actual music, which ranges from soothing to driving to outright freakish at times. Always odd, never boring. 5 stars for the production and originality. Get it while it's available."