Synopsis

Although Gainsbourg and Birkin had appeared in a string of films since their magnetic collision in Pierre Grimblat’s Slogan, Melody was a bit of diversion from their collaborations since it’s a series of interwoven videos inspired by the Gainsbourgalbum. For '71 it’s a novel concept to bring visual life to an LP, but even more surprising are the short film’s amazing visuals that director Averty crafted using a wealth of video filters, overlays, camera movements and chroma key effects. Averty applies these in tandem with the increasing tone of Gainsbourg’s songs, which more or less chronicle an older man's affair with a young girl. Each song is comprised of steady, sometimes brooding poetic delivery, with refrains timed to the phrase repeats of each song, while Alan Parker’s buzzing guitar accompanies and wiggles around Gainsbourg’s resonant voice. The bass is fat and groovy, the drums easy but steady, and the periodic use of strings or rich vibrato makes this short a sultry little gem.

Main Cast

Jane Birkin

Melody Nelson

Age : N/A | Popularity : 13%

Serge Gainsbourg

L'homme

Age : 62 | Popularity : 51%

Crew

Department	Role	Name
Directing	Director	Jean-Christophe Averty
Writing	Writer	Serge Gainsbourg
Sound	Original Music Composer	Serge Gainsbourg Jean-Claude Vannier
	Sound	Daniel Durand
Camera	Director of Photography	Jacques Duhamel
Editing	Editor	Christiane Coutel
Art	Production Design	Gérard Drolet Raymond Nègre
Costume & Make-Up	Costume Design	Josette Verrier
	Makeup Artist	Annie Coupez René Rigobert
	Hairstylist	Nicole Dalence
Department	Role	Name

Join the discussion