The French actress and musician joined Philippe Sarde in studio to bring to life, fifty and counting years after its composition, a song written for Romy Schneider but never recorded.

Where do lost songs go? Who do they belong to if they are never shared with the public? Can the perception of a song, long vanished, change when it resurfaces, perhaps even for the very first time? 

That’s what we asked ourselves when we discovered the unpublished lyrics of “La Maison sur la plage” in the CAM Sugar archive – a piece composed in 1972 by Philippe Sarde for the soundtrack of César et Rosalie, a film directed by Claude Sautet. 

The lyrics were written by the renowned lyricist Jean-Loup Dabadie and were intended to be performed by Romy Schneider, the film’s lead actress alongside Yves Montand, one of the quintessential chansonniers of French music.

“La maison sur la plage” is a song reborn – or rather, born for the very first time. Taglioni’s interpretation captures the dramatic and romantic legacy of the performance style that Romy Schneider had previously used to enhance other tracks by Sarde, such as “La Chanson d’Hélène” from the 1970 film Les Choses de la vie.

The song finds its perfect place today within Romy Schneider, Un Portrait Musical, a collection curated by CAM Sugar and Decca France. For the first time, it brings together the four complete soundtracks from the four films that featured the collaboration of Schneider, Sarde, and Sautet: Les Choses de la vie, Max et les ferrailleurs, César et Rosalie, and Une Histoire simple.

We reached Alice Taglioni to discuss her relationship with the song, Romy Schneider and film music.

CAM Sugar Journal: What is your relationship with Romy Schneider?

Alice Taglioni: I discovered and loved her only late in my life. I didn’t watch the Sissi television series when growing up. It was with Claude Sautet’s film Vincent, François, Paul et les Autres that I got to know her. I was fascinated by her beauty and her uniqueness, by her combination of strength and frailty.

CSJ: What does Romy Schneider represent today for French cinema and culture?

AT: Romy is an icon, an inspiration, a smile, a voice…she’s unique!

CSJ: What did it mean to you to be involved in the project dedicated to Romy and the scores of Philippe Sarde for the films of Claude Sautet?

AT: Well, we’re talking perfection here! To me when it comes to film music, even before I became an actress, Philippe Sarde was the one and only. In regards to Claude Sauter…I would have loved to meet him. This project somehow allowed me to do so. It reunited us all: Romy Schneider, Philippe Sarde, Jean-Loup Dabadie, Laurent Levesque and myself.

CSJ: In the album Romy Schneider: Un Portrait Musical, you offer your interpretation of “La Maison sur la plage”, working alongside the great maestro Philippe Sarde. How did you approach the interpretation of the piece? 

AT: The interpretation itself wasn’t prepared in advance. I wanted to approach it in the most neutral way possible, so I could let myself be completely guided by Philippe Sarde. I had complete trust in him. I knew he would transport me into his universe, and it would be magical! And it truly was…

CSJ: How did it feel to work in the studio with Sarde, not only on a creative but also human level?

AT: it was touching, and it all happened very quickly. The song was recorded in one take, without any post-production. Philippe, when listening to it, understood it was the right one immediately.

CSJ: You are both an actress and a composer of film music: how do these two disciplines engage in dialogue to mutually enhance each other? 

AT: I began diligently studying piano, music theory, and music itself from a very young age, around 4 or 5 years old. I come from a family of musicians and always heard my mother composing, inventing melodies on the piano. I believe I inherited from her this desire to create and compose. Music and cinema are two worlds that are very closely connected! Even though it’s more difficult for one to exist without the other: namely, cinema.

CSJ: Your background is very diverse, it spans from jazz to cinema. Who are the artists that inspire you when composing your original music?

AT: Philippe Sarde, needless to say! And to stay within film music, Michel Legrand, Georges Delerue, François De Roubaix and, of course, Ennio Morricone. When it comes to classical music, I am inspired by Bach and Ravel. But I am also thinking about contemporary composers like Barbara, Véronique Sanson, Michel Berger, Nils Frahm, Chilly Gonzales and many more.

Opening image: Romy Schneider in César et Rosalie, directed by Claude Sautet, 1973.