Both Portrait de la jeune fille en feu (2019) and La Mort de Louis XIV (2016) use silence to enhance viewer’s immersion in the world they are experiencing. In Portrait, the absence of a soundtrack enhances the quietude of Héloïse (Adele Haenel) and Marianne’s (Noemie Merlant) world where the crackling of the fire and the crashing of the waves are the major audio landmarks. The silence and slow pacing also enhance the impact of the Latin chant in the climatic bonfire scene. Albert Serra’s La Mort also used music sparingly in a similar manner, but in a way that was more effective in my opinion since it was period appropriate.

The Latin chant, “Portrait de la jeune fille en feu,” was composed by Para One (Jean-Baptiste de Laubier), who is an electronic dance music producer. Writer/director Céline Sciamma claims she searched for a historical piece that fit the scene but was unable to find a suitable song (O’Falt). As a result, the chant has a modern beat to it that feels somewhat jarring and out of place since the rest of the film has only a few sparse examples of period appropriate diegetic music. The chant was inspired by György Ligeti’s “Requiem” which was made famous by 2001: A Space Odyssey which also provides a more modern feel that is incongruous. Critics describe the climatic chant as “beautiful” and “rapturous” (Dessem) as well as “skin tingling” (Johnson). Johnson also critiqued the music as “strange” and “utterly shocking”. I tend to agree with Johnson that the music was not totally suited for the scene. It also seems implausible that the women, who appear to be commoners, attending the feast would understand the significance of the Latin lyrics.

While I have no doubt that Sciamma had trouble finding an appropriate historical piece, music commissioned for this pivotal scene should have been more period appropriate as to be less distracting. Otherwise, the Latin chant stands out as an anachronism amid an otherwise immersive 18^th century portrait. On the other hand, Serra’s use of classical music with angelic vocals in La Mort fit seamlessly with the scene.

References

Dessem, Matthew. “What’s the Deal With the Song at the Center of Portrait of a Lady on Fire?.” Slate, published Dec. 10, 2019, https://slate.com/culture/2019/12/portrait-lady-fire-celine-sciamma-music-song-score-para-one-arthur -simonini.html. Accessed Nov. 19, 2021.

Johnson, Ellen. “Music’s Visceral, Pivotal Role in Portrait of a Lady on Fire.” Paste Magazine, published Feb. 27, 2020,
https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/portrait-of-a-lady-on-fire/portrait-of-a-lady-on-fire-review-bonfire-scene-mu/.
Accessed Nov. 19, 2021.

La Mort de Louis XIV. Directed by Albert Serra, performances by Jean-Pierre Léaud, Patrick d’Assumçao, and Marc Susini. Capricci Films, 2016.

O’Falt, Chris. “Portrait of a Lady on Fire’ Bonfire Scene: How Céline Sciamma Crafted the Year’s Best Musical Moment.” Indie Wire, published Dec. 10, 2019, https://www.indiewire.com/2020/02/portrait-of-a-lady-on-firesong-bonfire-lyrics-chanting-1202211855/. Accessed Nov. 19, 2021.

Portrait de la jeune fille en feu. Directed by Céline Sciamma, performances by Noémie Merlant and Aèdele Haenel. Lilies Films, Arte, and Hold Up Films, 2019.