Friday evening found the Michigan Theater packed with an audience of all ages. “The Triplets of Belleville” equally captivates those who are seeing it for the first time and those who grew up watching it. This internationally acclaimed film continues to delight its viewers.
(I will not be reviewing the movie itself or providing a plot description. For more information on the actual film check out it’s Wikipedia page.)
The unique animation that characterizes the movie was at times, figuratively and literally, overpowered by the fantastic 8-piece orchestra. It was led by Benoit Charest, performing his original hot jazz score which he composed for the film over a decade ago. Having seen the film before, I was aware during the performance that the music was at times a lot louder than it was in that particular moment in the movie, but it only served to enhance the experience. Unsurprisingly, having the music live added an increased depth to the entire movie, as the music plays a vital part in the storytelling.
I was so amused to watching the musicians play: they were just having so much fun! At one point, during the scene where the now “has-been” triplets revive their famous “Belleville Rendez-vous” song, Charest and two of his musicians not only played the score but also performed the choreographed movement along with the triplets, their onscreen counterparts. This unique interaction between film and live performace was used again during a musical concert the triplets, and now the grandmother, performed in a restaurant. In the film they rustled newspaper, made noise with a vacuum cleaner, played the spokes of a bicycle, and plucked at grates of refrigerator shelves. While the orchestra did not bring a refrigerator on stage, they made use of an assortment of other percussion instruments with Benoit Charest on the newspaper. They swayed, stamped, clapped, and snapped as their classic jazz filled the Michigan Theater.
Rudely, large amounts of the audience started leaving during the credits, as many do after a movie screening (I think my parents are the odd ones out who made their kids sit through all agonizingly slow non-action packed minutes of the credits). So they missed the real finale. The music for the credits featured a reprise of “Belleville Rendez-vous”, the most famous song from the show, and the musicians let loose and ended their show with a powerful bang!
