Press Release from Music Box:
In collaboration with EMI Music Publishing France and BMG, Music Box Records proudly presents the remastered CD reissue of two original motion picture soundtracks for Jean-Jacques Annaud's films: Coup de tête (Hothead) (1979) and La Victoire en chantant (Black and White in Color) (1976), both composed by Pierre Bachelet.
The satirical comedy, Coup de tête, describes the struggle of “one man against all”. It tells the story of François Perrin (Patrick Dewaere), who, after having trivially injured Trincamp football club's star player, is unfairly dropped from the team and sent back to the factory where he works. After this, subject to false testimony provided by some of the town’s most important figures, Perrin is fingered as prime suspect for a rape that he did not commit. But Perrin's revenge will be sweet. The score is based on this unforgettable tune whistled by Pierre Bachelet himself, and its many well-crafted variations arranged by Jean Schultheis. Bachelet’s whistled pieces are not exactly bellicose, but on the contrary, rather aimless, navigating with detachment upon a melody that is simple and sweet.
La Victoire en chantant won the Oscar for ''Best Foreign Language Film'' in 1977. The film takes place in Equatorial Africa, in 1915, in a region in which French and German military posts co-exist. The film paints a portrait of colonists scornful of the local people, but also pathetic in their desire to play out the First World War in miniature. Through its simplicity and utopian naivety, the main theme Bachelet composed bears an ironic stance towards its own rhythm, a military march which is ridiculously over-emphasized, personifying all of the gravitas displayed by the colonists.
The package includes an 8-page booklet featuring exclusive liner notes by writer Nicolas Magenham discussing the films and the scores. The remastered CD reissue is limited to 300 units.
