Say what you will about Wes Anderson, but there’s no denying that he’s got an eye for detail. The theatrical release of his latest film The French Dispatch is fast approaching, and for him, a normal promotional campaign simply won’t do; he’d rather re-record an obscure gem of Euro-pop with a legend of modern alternative music, and set it all in a meticulously assembled cartoon world.
In a new music video released today, Jarvis Cocker croons out his own take on ‘Aline’, the ’60s love anthem from singer-songwriter Christophe. You may have previously heard the song featured prominently in the film’s trailer, or when Cocker first released this recording as a single last week.
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That release came packaged with the announcement that Cocker had assembled a full album of covers in cooperation with Anderson to accompany the new film, the singer offering his take on cuts from Françoise Hardy, Serge Gainsbourg, Brigitte Bardot, and others from the ye-ye pop scene in France. It’s not the first time the musician and filmmaker have joined forces, either, Jarvis having already appeared on the soundtrack for The Fantastic Mr Fox.
In the video, Cocker’s character Tip-Top makes his way through the fictitious setting of Ennui-sur-Blasé and passes by animated likenesses of the massive ensemble cast, including writers JKL Berensen (Tilda Swinton), Lucinda Krementz (Frances McDormand), and Roebuck Wright (Jeffrey Wright). They’re all on staff at the magazine that lends the film its title, a mockup of the New Yorker made clear through the hand-drawn style cribbed from the vintage covers of the real-life publication.
In her review of the film, our dutiful Cannes reporter Hannah Strong was positive about “Anderson’s most impressionistic and unusual film in quite some time.” She wrote that “this is the Wes we know and love, with his artful considerations of love, liberty and what lives on after we die.” The fans know who they are by this point, and this new link-up between Anderson and Cocker has given them plenty to look forward to.
The French Dispatch comes to cinemas in the UK and US on 22 October, the same day that Cocker’s album hits shelves.
