À la folie ("To Madness") () is a 1994 French drama film by Diane Kurys with music by Michael Nyman. It entered the competition at the 51st Venice International Film Festival.Edoardo Pittalis, Roberto Pugliese, Bella di Notte, August 1996.
Cast Anne Parillaud as Alice Béatrice Dalle as Elsa as Franck Bernard Verley as Sanders Alain Chabat as Thomas as Raymond Marie Guillard as Betty Michael Massee (uncredited)
Plot Two rival sisters, Alice and Elsa, have been apart for two years. Alice, a promising young artist, lives in an attic flat in Paris. Her lover Franck, a boxer, has just moved in with her. Problems for the happy couple ensue when Elsa, a bored housewife, suddenly appears unannounced at their door after leaving her cheating husband Thomas and their two children, and a menage-a-trois develops. Elsa immediately begins trying to dominate their lives. Alice wants the out-of-control Elsa, who disrupts their life by playing psychological games with them, to leave, but then suddenly changes her mind, unable to bring herself to throw Elsa out. To thank her, Elsa destroys her art studio, has sex with Franck, convinces him that Alice is unbalanced, and then ties Alice up in her apartment.
Music
The music by Michael Nyman has been praised as one of his better works, and considered unusually buried in the sound mix of the film. The album is Nyman's 23rd release, and the fourteenth with the Michael Nyman Band. The American album became very difficult to come by; American Nyman fans attempting to special order the album only a few years later were often presented with copies of Randy Edelman's Six Days Seven Nights, derived from distributors' fuzzy searches. In France, however, the album was promoted as "Michael Nyman Nouvel Album."
The score features yet another of Michael Nyman's waltzes. "Waltzing the Bird" is based on Nyman's early "Waltz in F," which appeared on Michael Nyman, although it develops in a very different direction. "Love Theme" is a very loose reworking of material from the String Quartet No. 3 with material from other themes written for the score of the film.
The only liner notes on the French release of the album are an uncredited synopsis of the film in French.
Track listing Solitude 1:36 Broken Glass 4:58 Sisters 1:42 The Intruder 2:40 Waltzing the Bird 3:16 A New Beginning 1:22 Stolen Memories 5:48 À la Folie... 5:48 The Streets of Paris 2:39 Love Forever 1:19 Love Theme 2:35 Point of No Return 2:55 Escape 3:37 Broken Dreams 4:19 Dark Fantasy 2:25 Six Days, Six Nights 5:51
Personnel Musicians from the Michael Nyman Band
Beverley Davison – violin Ann Morfee – violin Marshall Marcus – violin Katherine Shave – violin Kate Musker – viola Anthony Hinnigan – cello William Schofield – cello Christopher Laurence – bass Tim Amhurst – bass John Harle – soprano/alto saxophones David Roach – soprano/alto saxophones Andrew Findon – flute/piccolo/baritone saxophone Nigel Barr – Trombone/Tuba Steve Sidwell – trumpet/Flugelhorn/piccolo trumpet Marjorie Dunn – horn Martin Elliott – bass guitar Michael Nyman – piano music composed, arranged, conducted, and produced by Michael Nyman Published by Chester Music Ltd./Michael Nyman Ltd. Engineer: Michael J. Dutton Assistant Engineer: Dillon Gallagher Mixed at CTS Studios, London Edited at Transfermation and Abbey Road Studios, London Artist representative for Michael Nyman: Nigel Barr Design, illustration, and photography by Dave McKean @ Hourglass Photography from 6 Days 6 Nights by Jean-Marie Leroy
References
External links