The Spanish and Italian releases of Jean Luc-Godard’s 1963 film “Contempt” — an almost perversely gorgeous exploration of disaffection — featured an alternative and somewhat unofficial musical score by composer Piero Piccioni. Apparently, no currently available releases of the movie — whether authorized or bootlegged — feature this alternative score, so in many ways it’s a nearly forgotten footnote of cinematic history. Thankfully, the excellent film site Mubi has five pieces from the score that are available for listening over here. They’re delightfully evocative of the playfulness of the era, as well as of the underlying, vague sense of dread that the film touches on. Worth a listen.
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