Customer Reviews
Delightful - By: Aeneas, 16 Dec 2007 
Very nice cd, that brings many pleasant memories of the film. It captures the spirit of France & "paints" a musical landscape of France with the small villages, cabares, cafes & much much more.
Enjoyable in its own right - but better if you've seen the film, - By: Alan Sturgess, 19 Mar 2007 
If you have seen 'Amelie' you will undoubtedly have been struck by the clever & charming use of music throughout its length. If you buy this CD because you liked the film, then you will not be disappointed. Everything is here and, as other reviewers have said, it is harmonious, very 'Gallic', uplifting & gentle. The two songs jar slightly if you haven't seen the film because they suddenly seem to transport you back to a mythical Paris of the 1930' or 1940's, but even then, there isn't much of a problem.
If you haven't seen Amelie, then this music is probably best thought of as a mixture of 'the best of Yann Tiersen' & a pastiche of the type of music that wein the UK often think of as being 'typically French' (accordions, tinkling pianos, tangos, breathily repetitive themes ...).
My reason for not awarding 5 stars is that because this is a soundtrack CD, there are two minor problems:
(1) several of the tracks just end as if they've been cut off a few seconds too soon.
(2) there is a little bit too much 'sameness' about some of the chosen tracks BUT, there is also a reasonable range of instrumentation & styles, so this doesn't become too much of a problem unless you actually sit down & concentrate on listeningin detail to every track. Played ambiently, it is wonderful & if you know the film, it will bring back all the joys & sorrows that were so wonderfully brought to life.
Delightful music - By: Dharma Rai, 15 May 2006 This is a must see film & a must listen sound track. It will accompany you for any kind of moment & moodin your life. A must buy!
Brilliant - By: L McCalister, 17 Dec 2005 An album that is enjoyed by all our family, it sooths & calms all journeys & is absolutly brilliant.
Sublime soundtrack to a modern masterpiece... - By: Jonathan James Romley, 11 Dec 2004 Here we have not only a great soundtrack that can conjure both the magic of the film & work as an excellent albumin it's own-right, but also, we have a perfect introduction to one of the greatest young composers world music has to offer.
Yann Tiersen had already produced three albums before he was approached by director Jean-Pierre Jeunet to compose the music to his new film Amelie (which had juxtaposing themes of playful giddiness & bitter melancholy that seemed perfectly suited to the kind of music that Tiersen creates so effortlessly), & the recording of these songs overlapped with the writing & recording of his forth solo-album proper, L'Absent. As a result of this, a number of tracks foundin instrumental versions here (Les Jours Tristes, A Quai, Le Moulin) can be found fleshed out on L'Absent (...Tristes for example is turned into a great melancholic pop song with vocals from Neil Hannon).
If you have heard any of these Tiersen solo-albums or,in fact, seen Jeunet's film, you will undoubtedly have a good idea what to expect from the style of music featured. Tiersen creates tuneful, melodious little pieces thick with atmosphere & grace, employing a wide range of both contemporary & traditional instrumentation (all of which he plays himself) from guitars, drums & bass, to strings, accordions, pianos, harpsichord, music-boxes, & more. The compositions are practically overflowing with the feelings of ecstatic excitement or downbeat romanticism, as Tiersen manages to convey a mood that captures the essence of the film & holds the listenerin a trance for it's entirety.
This is one of the best soundtrack albums available (up there with some of Michael Nyman's very best) and, if you appreciate the musical greatness of this, then might I suggest that you track down Tiersen's other studio albums, & his soundtrack to that excellent German film, Goodbye Lenin! ...all of which, are excellent.
