Daniel Durand

Arnolphe plans to marry Agnès, his ward, a naive and submissive young girl, whom he keeps recluse in a convent. His plans are threatened when Horace confesses his feelings for Agnès.

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.

A group of poets and writers decides to rob a bank, but something goes wrong. The commando group disperses, and each individual begins to travel back in time. Corrientes Avenue, from Callao to the downtown area, from La Boca to the suburbs, from Literal magazine to the legendary 18 Whiskys, from the bars and bookstores of the 1970s to the bohemian scene of the 1990s. A poetic-political trance with no return ticket.