Introduction
"La Fête Sauvage" is
a wildlife-film made by Frédéric Rossif in 1975. Then already Vangelis and
Frédéric knew each other already from cooperations such as "L'Apocalypse
Des Animaux" (1971), "Georges Mathieu
Ou La Fureur d'être" (1971) and "Georges
Braque Ou Le Temps Différent" (1974).
Other wildlife documentary series and films by Frédéric Rossif that Vangelis
provided a musical score for include "L'Apocalypse
des animaux" (1971), "L'Opera
Sauvage"
(1979) and
"Sauvage Et Beau" (1984).
The music of "La
Fête Sauvage" is scattered among both the film and the album, the
differences between both couldn't be much bigger with many cues in the film
unheard on the album, and vice versa. The film itself is finally released now on
both DVD and Blu-Ray disc, thanks to
Editions Zoroastre! And well deserved, as the film is one of Rossif's best
works, a hommage to life, love and death of African fauna.
Details and Credits
La Fête Sauvage (France, 1975)
35 mm color
Released in France in 1976
Length: 89 minutes
Directed by Frédéric Rossif
Music by Vangelis Papathanassiou
Text by Madeleine Chapsal
Dialog by Evelyne Dress, Gérard Falconetti and Myriam Mézieres
Cinematography: Bernard Zitzermann
Sound engineer: Pierre Boucat
Montage: Dominique Caseneuve
Assistent montage: Pauline Leroy and Uziel Péres
Mixage: Elvire Lerner, Studio Antégor
Producer: Michelle Wiart
Assistent producer: Jean-Charles Cuttoli, Christiane Roussel
Produced by Télé Hachette and Rafran Cinématografica spa
Media
DVD and Blu-Ray
2014 Editions Zoroastre (France)
VHS
Belgium Production Video - Belgium (PAL)
Synopsis
"Frédéric Rossif specialized in two types of documentary: the
historic documentary: "Mourir à Madrid" (1963) and the second one concerns
animals. Here, "La Fête Sauvage" ranks in the second quoted type. It's obvious
that Rossif takes pleasure in filming animals. His documentary articulates and
focuses on several key-moments in the life of an animal: love and its rituals,
the anxiety of death, the hunting of the different carnivorous ( the lion, the
cheetah, the tiger etc...). If Rossif favours the use of a slow camera, it's
precisely in the goal of a better observation of the animal in its action and
(why not?) in its living environment. Sometimes, the film-maker tries to define
the animal's feelings. Besides, no matter who the animals are because Rossif
never favours any animal. He simply films them with much distance as possible.
We are under the impression that the movie searches for the aesthetic beauty and
it reaches its goal. This beauty expresses itself by some sumptuous pictures and
they create a entrancing climate supported by Vangelis' fascinating music. The
best sequence is probably the wildebeest hunting of the two lionesses. Even if
the comments told are sometimes difficult to understand, they're a good way to
enrich your culture of the world animal. At the end, this is a beautiful book of
pictures and the work of a keen filmmaker who showed patience. If you wish to
discover other Rossif's animal documentaries, try "Les Animaux" or "Sauvage
Et
Beau". (D.B. Dumonteil)"
Movements
