The documentary “Le Château d’Hérouville, a French rock madness”, to be seen on France 5, looks back on a captivating artistic epic

Full of new images and testimonies, this documentary tells the story of an exceptional recording studio nestled in the heart of a castle in Val-d’Oise where the cream of rock and pop flocked in the years 1970, from David Bowie to Elton John. To see Friday January 19 on France 5.

Elton John, Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Magma, Eddy Mitchell, Jacques Higelin, Bernard Lavilliers, Nino Ferrer and many others recorded there: the Château d’Hérouville was at the beginning of the 1970s at the epicenter , in France, pop and rock music. Nestled in the heart of a small peaceful village in Val-d’Oise, thirty minutes from Paris, and surrounded by fields, this former 18th century coaching inn once housed the loves of Chopin and George Sand. It was acquired in 1962 by Michel Magne, an experimental musician and iconoclastic composer, particularly famous for his film scores (The Gunslingers, A Monkey in Winter, Melody in the Basement, Everyone is Beautiful, Everyone is Kind…).

It is the story of this mythical place, but also of Michel Magne, an extraordinary character and artist who claimed to be “romantic and eccentric” and went through numerous tragedies before killing himself in 1984, which the fascinating documentary traces. Château d’Hérouville, a French rock madness by Christophe Conte, to be seen Friday January 19 at 11 p.m. on France 5 (then in replay on France.tv).

The invention of the first residential recording studio

It was at the end of the 1960s, after seeing all his work go up in smoke during a tragic fire at the castle, acquired a few years earlier and completely renovated, that Michel Magne decided to build a state-of-the-art recording studio. , and of a new kind. The goal of this non-conformist musician was first of all to offer composers the possibility of “immediately transcribe their musical ideas” without having to write a score with pencil and paper. “I think of music, I make it into an object straight away”he explained.

But this generous lord, avant-garde and reveler, also wanted to create “a workplace where you can have fun“. Wooded park, swimming pool, tennis court, ping-pong, table football, ten bedrooms and a top-flight chef: Michel Magne unknowingly invented the first residential studio in the world, which has since been imitated by many.

Delectable never-before-seen sequences

Even if you know a little about the legend of the place, or have read the remarkable comic strip The Lovers of Hérouville published in 2021, you are not at the end of your surprises with this documentary.

We first delight in the precious period images, including many previously unseen, unearthed by director Christophe Conte. The rare extracts from broadcasts and reports in which Michel Magne expresses himself well summarize his unique approach to life and art. We also see the delirious hippie and party atmosphere that reigned at the castle, where we didn’t just drink water, to the point that firefighters and gendarmes who were supposed to contain possible excesses ended up like blessed people in the swimming pool, during the famous impromptu Grateful Dead concert in July 1971 – the whole story of their arrival on the scene is worth the detour.

The story, particularly lively, advances thanks to numerous testimonies from relatives, starting with that of Michel Magne’s widow, the delightful Marie-Claude Magne, who met him at the age of 16 while hitchhiking and was firstly the babysitter of her two children from a first marriage. The sound engineer Dominique Blanc-Francard, in charge of the consoles from 1971 to 1974, and who was decisive in the attractiveness of the studio, but also Laurent Thibault, manager of the castle from 1974 to 1985, provide many anecdotes about this house in which we recorded up to the stairs, and on their boss “magnetic and completely crazy”.

Stars, ghosts, parties and tragedies

Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman will be the first major musician to be amazed by the sound of the studio and Elton John will be the first star to come and record there – he took up residence there for three albums in total, including the everlasting Goodbye Yellow Brick Road –, soon followed by Pink Floyd then David Bowie and Iggy Pop for the album The Idiot. The documentary reveals in passing who the famous China Girl of the hit co-written by the duo, and the woman in question remembers many details in front of the camera – we’ll let you find out who it is.

The pranks of the hosts who tried to make people believe in the presence of a ghost at the castle did not deter any musician: the studio was operating at full capacity from 1972 to 1973 and the champagne was flowing freely. But soon the debts pile up for the high roller Michel Magne. He must gradually give up his studio, then his castle. When the rights to his music were seized, this total artist, lover of contemporary art, decided to no longer let his music be heard, but to let it be seen: the magnetic tapes of his works are knitted, woven, braided. Thus exposed, his music is still a hit. However, his last requiem composed for Wretched by Robert Hossein was also his. After obtaining Suicide instructions for usehe was found dead in an ordinary hotel room in Cergy in 1984, at the age of 54, a stone’s throw from the castle of his dreams.

“Le Château d’Hérouville, a French rock madness”, unpublished documentary (52 minutes) by Christophe Conte, narrated by Lou Doillon, can be seen on Friday January 19 at 11:05 p.m. on France 5, then in replay for several weeks on France.tv .