Rob Rock The Casbah Interview

Rob Rock The Casbah Interview

Cast: Nardine Labaki, Morjana Alaoui, Lubna Azabai, Hiam Abbass, Omar Sharif
Director: Laila Marrakchi
Rated: M
Running Time: 98 Minutes

Synopsis: Summer in Tangiers, Morocco. A family reunite for three days in their home following the death of their patriarch, the influential businessman Moulay Hassan (film legend Omar Sharif), to share their memories and to grieve for his loss according to Muslim tradition. They have left the beach behind and swapped swimsuits for djellabas as everyone gathers in a show of mourning.

However, sparks start to fly when prodigal daughter Sofia jets in from New York after several years away. The youngest, she has made a new life for herself as an actress in America, but frustratingly, only ever gets television roles as a terrorist. Her return provides the opportunity to settle some scores with her sisters, as the order once maintained by Moulay breaks down.

Between laughter and tears, a collective hysteria leads each of the women to confront some home truths that have boiled beneath the surface for years.

Rock The Casbah
Release Date: November 20th, 2014

Interview with Rob

Question: How did it come about that you composed the original music for Rock The Casbah?

Rob: Out of friendship. I met Alexandre Aja working on the music for MANIAC by Franck Khalfoun. When Laïla Marrakchi was prepping her film, she was looking for an original kind of music. For MAROCK, she only used pre-existing songs, but this time she wanted to work with a composer who could translate what she wanted. Alexandre arranged for us to meet. It turned out that Stéphanie Carreras, the producer of Rock The Casbah, is not only a neighbor of mine but also a friend of my wife's. It all came together so that this original soundtrack fell to me.

Question: The music you composed for MANIAC featured dark, electronic tones, whereas here, you've composed something light, luminous and orchestrated.

Rob: I like to play with feelings through music. Underlining the action is not really what I'm about. If I have to compose something for a gory scene, I always try to reflect what the characters feel. That's what I'm passionate about. Laïla and I were totally on the same wavelength on that. Here, I wanted to recreate in music this suspended moment in time the family is experiencing while they gather to mourn. In the film, Laïla shows how moments of sadness can also be accompanied by moments of great happiness. My aim was to create an ambiance which captured that state outside of time and space, disconnected from everyday life and reality. That's why we quickly decided we wouldn't use oriental instruments and that we wouldn't draw on Moroccan musical influences. On the contrary, we'd go for a musical style that acts like a sort of bubble inside which some intense things unfold.© Droits rés


ervés Question: How did you approach the task?

Rob: I came in when the editing was almost finished, so I had the chance to see the film before starting work. It was quite easy to be inspired, since the film is spellbinding. When I sat down at the piano, I didn't look for a melody, but for a harmonic climate. It had to be not too heavy, nor too fragile – like when you're looking for the right thickness of mattress! The first tests used a piano on its own. But since we're bathed in the ambiance of a luxurious house, wreathed in vegetation, I thought it needed a more sophisticated instrumentation. I wanted strings, woodwind, some warm tones, elements which echo the comfort you feel when you watch the film. You can see the couches are comfy, the drapes are silky, the food delicious. The music also had to be delicious, in a way.


Question: What is the essential quality of a soundtrack?

Rob: To transport the spectator in the direction of the film by inspiring some deep emotions. One talks about core muscles when you work on the body. The same notion exists in music. It's a matter of getting in touch with some very deep areas. When you touch that, it's fantastic.


Question: What references did you have in mind when you started composing?

Rob: When Laïla and I met, we were both in a Michael Nyman period. That's the only reference we ever spoke about. I wrote at the piano first, then filled it out later, playing the successive stages to Laïla. She liked it. As a result, we didn't have to argue the toss, discuss it or listen to anything else.


Question: Are you comfortable with all musical registers?
Rob: I feel like I'm benefiting from beginner's luck. I've only been doing film music for three years. It's a dream job. I have a sort of inexhaustible fountain available to me. As soon as someone talks to me about a new film, I always manage to find a new angle or idea. It's really great. The wonderful thing about working with independent filmmakers is the relationship with the director is often very close. As a result, I don't feel like I'm writing on my own, more like I'm collaborating with someone who pushes me to explore new directions. My philosophy is to put myself entirely in the service of the film. When a director asks me to do something, I accept his or her vision, whilst trying to improve on it. Every time, this approach resulted in something unexpected, and generally pleasing.


Question: What's the difference between Rock The Casbah and the other films on which you've worked?

Rob: It's the first time I let myself be completely swept along by the film I'm writing for. I remember sitting in front of the screen, surrounded by my instruments, and being submerged by rising tears, or else bursting out laughing. There were intense emotions that I didn't expect to feel on a day working in the studio, with all the technical and time constraints that implies. This film takes us back to the family dramas that we've all lived through. It was also fascinating to work on the theme of secrecy, and to be immersed in a universe so different to my own.


Interview by David Brun Lambert

Rock The Casbah
Release Date: November 20th, 2014