Vendredi ou la vie sauvage

Music Box Records re-issues one of its bestselling, now out-of-print CDs: Maurice Jarre's Vendredi ou la Vie sauvage (Robinson and Man Friday) is given a new 2-CD edition with 50 minutes of previously unreleased music and new liner notes discussing the film and the score for the 35th anniversary of the series.

Vendredi ou les Limbes du Pacifique is the first published novel by Michel Tournier which won the « Grand Prix du roman » of the Académie Française in 1967. The author published a simpler and briefer version of the story in 1971 called Vendredi ou la Vie sauvage.

Adapted for television in three episodes by Gérard Vergez in 1981, such a project required the significant financial, technological and logistical ressources. It was thus decided to film in French and English simultaneously, with the celebrated English actor Michael York, and a young American dancer, Gene Anthony Ray, who had recently made a name for himself appearing in Alan Parker's Fame.

A result of the international character of the project, the process of choosing a composer for the music led to the doorstep of Maurice Jarre who had gained renown for his composition of the scores for David Lean's two films Lawrence of Arabia (1962) and Doctor Zhivago (1965), which had become worldwide successes.

It was a period when Maurice Jarre worked on some television projects such as the famous TV mini-series Shogun starring Richard Chamberlain and Toshirô Mifune and just before being involved with the mega-production Lion of the Desert, produced and directed by Mustapha Akkad. The score of Vendredi ou la Vie sauvage offers a very rich symphonic score by turns melodic, flavorful and exciting. The numerous themes perfectly evoke all the wide-ranging emotions, from the savagery of island life (muted percussive motif played on bass kettle-drums...) to the beauty and solemnity of friendship between Robinson and Friday (use of Ondes Martenot and solist instruments such as harp, oboe...).

Music Box Records presents the complete edition of Maurice Jarre's masterful score. Our first edition (which is now out-of-print) added 20 minutes of never before released material to the LP program, but this two CD edition features another 50 minutes of brand new material, including different versions of the theme song performed by Alexandra Brown. The package includes 8-page liner notes by Gergely Hubai discussing the film, the score and the discographical background of Jarre's magnificent television score.

Track listing

DISC 1
1. Chanson de Speranza (2:59)
2. Générique début (2:56)
3. Le naufrage (1:18)
4. Figure de proue (0:38)
5. La femme couchée (1:08)
6. Les feux (0:40)
7. L'arc-en-ciel (0:59)
8. Ton nom sera Speranza (2:19)
9. Lucy (1:23)
10. La souille (1:20)
11. Speranza (0:42)
12. Chanson de Speranza (cabaret) (1:32)
13. Il sème (1re partie) (1:33)
14. Il sème (2e partie) (0:38)
15. Organiser, ordonner (2:17)
16. La clepsydre (2:13)
17. La balade de Dimanche (2:21)
18. Les moissons (2:03)
19. Les indiens (1:38)
20. La guerre (1:33)
21. La vision de Lucy (2:42)
22. La terre (0:53)
23. Les travaux de Robinson (1:06)
24. La balade de Dimanche (2e version) (1:56)
25. La vision de Lucy (version chœur) (2:35)
26. Robinson regarde (0:33)
27. La folie de l'eau (0:50)
28. La Soufrière (0:57)
29. Danses (1:15)
30. Le ventre de Speranza (3:28)
31. La grotte (2:25)
32. La sécheresse (0:56)
33. Le tremblement de terre (3:22)
34. Chanson de Speranza (instrumental) (2:58)

Time 59:33
DISC 2
1. La pluie (1:08)
2. Poursuite des indiens (1:57)
3. Kachiri (2:07)
4. Travaux de nuit (0:47)
5. Alerte (1:46)
6. La punition de Vendredi (1:33)
7. La femme de Robinson (0:31)
8. Le miel (1:34)
9. La combe rose (3:35)
10. La tristesse de Vendredi (0:36)
11. Inauguration (1:57)
12. L'organisation de la fête (0:52)
13. Les fêtes de Speranza (0:55)
14. Lîle en fête (1:06)
15. Le combe rose (2e version) (2:26)
16. Le marathon (1:22)
17. Le temple et le collier (2:42)
18. Les deux mandragores (0:55)
19. La fin de l'incendie (1:52)
20. La réconciliation (4:10)
21. La construction de la pirogue (1:23)
22. Balade en pirogue (3:50)
23. Combat pour la vie (1:38)
24. Le bord du lac (0:41)
25. La poursuite d'Andoar (2:06)
26. Le cerf-volant (1:52)
27. Le cerf-volant (2e version) (1:51)
28. À la recherche de Vendredi (2:05)
29. Le cerf-volant (3e version) (1:52)
30. Générique de fin (2:04)

Time 54:28
Total Time 114:01