Les Rayons et les Ombres
Guillaume Roussel
" Guillaume Roussel's approach to the score is rich in orchestral textures, melody, and instrumentation, all serving an obvious but well-executed, mostly subtle counterpoint, "Written by Joep de Bruijn - Review of the regular release
Les Rayons et les Ombres (The Rays and Shadows, 2026) is yet another jewel of a score for a French dramatic film by composer Guillaume Roussel. The film follows Jean and Corinne Luchaire - the father an influential reporter and the daughter a promising film star - as they undergo a transition, following their blind ambition in collaboration, set against the backdrop of the German occupation during World War II in Paris, ultimately leading to their demise.
Guillaume Roussel's approach to the score is rich in orchestral textures, melody, and instrumentation, all serving an obvious but well-executed, mostly subtle counterpoint, leveling the idealism of both characters against how the developing disturbances of the overall war, including political and military deceit, ultimately result in their demise. There are several themes, mostly short but extremely well-presented, of which the most flamboyant and personal is for Corinne, using a piano and woodwind subtly but remaining the most expressive in the entire score.
However, the most outstanding cue, not fully but mostly representative of the work, is Les Rayons et les Ombres (9:46), a lengthy masterclass example of how to compose for film. It is a deeply evocative interplay between contrasting elements, touching a deep emotion subtly through a bleak and tense atmosphere; slow, repetitive, understated, expressive, and textural lines; a continuous recurring crescendo; and insistent rhythmic devices in the development, in which the colourful textural sound design and slightly more expressive live instruments, such as the strings, percussion, and piano, go hand in hand.
Given all its subtlety and strengths, Rousel falls into several traps of too directive, dramatic music that the film and overall score do not require. Still, it comes highly recommended.
Tracklist
01. Parisienne (2:39)
02. Les Rayons et les Ombres (9:46)
03. Un espion nazi (1:30)
04. Les nouveaux temps (4:17)
05. Les sentiments (4:23)
06. Les monstres (1:22)
07. Les cendres (2:28)
08. L’infamie (2:26)
09. Mikado (2:37)
10. Salauds (2:39)
11. Le châtiment (2:05)
12. Sigmaringen (2:51)
13. La fuite inutile (2:19)
14. La fin justifie les moyens (1:17)
15. L’agression (4:22)
Total duration: 47:01
(19-04-2026)