Francis Lai - Bilitis (Original Film Soundtrack) (1977)

“Bilitis” is a 1977 French romantic drama film
directed by photographer David Hamilton with film score by composer Francis Lai. It stars Patti D'Arbanville and Mona Kristensen, Hamilton's first wife, as the title characters Bilitis and Melissa respectively.

A teenage schoolgirl spends the summer with a couple whose marriage is on the rocks and develops a crush on the wife. Meanwhile, she pursues a local teenage boy and tries to find a “suitable male lover” for the wife.

Although Bilitis can be best described as a coming of age film, the title character, Bilitis, ends up returning to school at the end of the film realizing she is not yet ready for adulthood.

Frances Lai, king of the overly sentimental film

scorers, gets his rightful place in composing the music for filmmaker David Hamilton's horrible adaptation of Pierre Louys' beautifully poetic novel Chanson de Bilitis (Songs of Bilitis). Lai was given the chore of creating a score for a provocative love story. There was only one problem: Hamilton saw the book as a way to make a soft-core porn flick and call it art. Therefore, Lai, who was familiar with writing scores for insipid romantic films, was further stretched by having to make his compositions "artful." The result would be hilarious if it weren't so predictable. This music is light to the point of almost not being there  it couldn't be too heavy, or it might get in the way of the viewer getting his or her fill of flesh on the screen. Lai uses synthesizers, acoustic guitars, and a truckload of strings to weave what is supposed to be the "perfect" setting for two young lovers to do what young lovers do, but has it all coming out of the wash sounding like a commercial for those laundry detergents that are airy fresh, or a silent movie score where the music is supposed to tell you that this is a pensive moment. But given the film itself, what else is there to expect? This is nothing more than the collaboration of two shlockmeisters plying their trade.

 

The romantic themes and magestic beauty of the pieces on this album can be played as a soothing and relaxing background music while reading or painting, or at a romantic dinner.

Side one
A1.  Bilitis (Generique)  (3:26)
A2.  Promenade  (3:44)
A3.  Les 2 Nudites  (2:23)
A4.  Spring Time Ballet  (2:31)
A5.  L'Abre  (1:15)
A6.  I Need A Man  (4:27)

Side two
B1.  Melissa (4:38)
B2.  La Campagne (0:41)
B3.  Scene D'Amour (3:52)
B4.  Rainbow (4:35)
B5.  Bilitis (Generique De Fin) (4:57)

Credits
Arranged By – Jean Musy
Music By – Francis Lai
Recorded By – Claude Ermelin
Recorded By [Assistant] – Daniel Polyzuck
Engineer [Assistant Sound] – Daniel Polyzuck
Engineer [Sound] – Claude Ermelin
Photography – David Hamilton
Producer, Written By – Francis Lai
Production - Editions 23/Editions Marouani
Genre - Score, Soundtrack, Easy Listening
Label - Warner Bros. Records
Recorded at Studio Davout
© 1977 WEA Filipacchi Music

Notes
Original motion picture soundtrack of "Bilitis", a David Hamilton film, from the story by Pierre Louys.

available at:  www.ad-vinylrecords.com