Le Batteur Du Boléro

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Le Batteur Du Boléro was inspired by the continuous boring rhythm of Ravel’s Bolero. Le Batteur Du Boléro, was made by Patrice Leconte in 1992. It features a drummer ( Jacques Villeret) who is bored and tired about playing the repetition of rhythm for the entire length of the orchestral piece.

Patrice Leconte was born on 12 November 1947 in Paris, France. He won the BAFTA film award in 1997 for the best film not in the English language. He also won the Don Quixote award for the film Le Batteur Du Boléro in 1993. Patrice Leconte has directed more than 30 films, the latest being “Mon meilleur ami” also known as “My Best Friend” as the international English title.

In the film “Le Batteur Du Boléro”, the director is trying to convey to the audience that the Boléro is a slow, long and boring orchestral piece. In this film, all meaning of it is derived from the face of the drummer.

Patrice Leconte uses many techniques to convey to the audience his feelings about the film. The film was mostly shot in a single shot.

The main point of the film was the drummer’s facial expression. The drummer has a bland expression at first, but as the film develops, he starts twitching his eyes, mouth and eyebrows. This technique is used to show the director’s frustration with this monotonous film. The director’s feelings and emotions are conveyed through the kettle drum player.

When the drummer’s mind is elsewhere, he starts to get out of rhythm. The director is trying to show that the drummer is not concentrating because his part is getting boring and he is tired.

When the female base drummer starts her part, he looks enviously at her and mutters every time he looks back at her. “Displeasure at being overshadowed by a bigger drum” the director comments on the commentary.

The kettle drum player shows his displeasure by twitching, showing that his back hurts, having the bland, bored expression and mutters continuously. When the kettle drum player gets bored, he starts twitching and stretching his back, the director is showing that he resents repetition, which is the metaphor for life. The director is saying that life is repetitive.

The entire film was filmed on a single shot, this is also used to convey recurring, standstill mode of an ordinary life. The film ends, and the kettle drum player gets up, relieved, his bland face is changed into one filled with satisfaction. Thierry de Ganay uses this to show that the drum player’s struggles are over and his troubles and boredom are at an end.

The director of this film uses many good techniques to convey his messages, themes and issues to the audience.

The drummer keeps playing the same repetitive rhythm for the entire length of the orchestral piece

"welton remember LIG" this is an important quote in the film.