The Adventures of Rabbi Jacob – Vladimir Cosma: “From Funès, it’s a binary rhythm”

Gérard Oury’s cult comedy returns this Sunday evening on France 2.

First collaboration with Oury, Rabbi Jacob brought legendary musician Vladimir Cosma up a notch. He spoke to us about it precisely in the heart of Première Classics n°6 (January-March 2019), with Louis de Funès on the cover. We are republishing this interview for the rebroadcast of the cult film, this Sunday on France 2.

Under what circumstances did Gérard Oury call on you and at what stage of the film’s production?

This is happening through our mutual friend, François Reichenbach. It was he who, one day, came to me and said: ‘Gérard Oury is shooting a film, with de Funès. Music is very important and there is only one who can make it: you! I warned him and he will call you.’ But Oury doesn’t call me. Until the day I learned that Gérard was attending the premiere of Tall blond with a black shoefor which I wrote the music. Two or three days pass, before the film’s production company contacts me: ‘Gérard Oury would like to meet you on his set, in Orly‘I go there and Gérard, during our first exchange, says to me: ‘There is going to be an important moment: the dance of de Funès. The music would have to be recorded during the filming of the scene.’ Then he adds: ‘I came to the screening of Tall blonde listen to the music you wrote and that’s not at all what I’m looking for for my film. You made music with effects. I want music that comes from the heart. There is New York, a meeting between religions. We need fraternity music that brings people together. Not gimmick music.‘I reassure him by telling him that it’s not because I played the pan flute in Yves Robert’s film that I can’t do something else.

Did you know that other prestigious composers had been approached before you?

I found out when I went to record at the Davout studio. The sound engineer said to me: ‘My poor friend, we’ve been doing this all week. Georges Delerue, Michel Polnareff, Norbert Glanzberg have already passed.’ The battle was tough. Especially since I wasn’t as well known as them.