Michel Magne, born March 20, 1930 in Lisieux, was a French composer and musician. Active in the 1960s and 1970s, he became a leading figure in French film music. Trained in classical music, he explored a variety of musical genres, from musique concrète to variété. He worked with artists such as Henri Salvador before devoting himself to composing film music, producing 73 original soundtracks. He worked on his first film, Le Pain Vivant , in 1955, then went on to make feature films from 1960 onwards. In 1962, Michel Magne bought Château d'Hérouville with his friend Jean-Claude Dragomir. Initially, he planned to use it as a home for his family and as a workspace for himself and his assistants. One prestigious collaboration followed another: he composed the music for Henri Verneuil'sUn Singe en Hiver in 1962, Georges Lautner's Les Tontons Flingueurs , Yves Allégret's Germinal , Roger Vadim's Le Vice et la Vertu , and Henri Verneuil's Mélodie en Sous-Sol in 1963. In 1964, he continued with Angélique Marquise des Anges, Les Barbouzes and Fantomas. In 1965, following the accidental death of Jean-Claude Dragomir, he bought out his friend's shares from his heirs and became the sole owner of the premises. He continued his intense musical activity. He composed for Costa-Gavras's Compartiment Tueurs , among many other films. A second tragedy struck Hérouville in 1969: a violent fire ravaged the northern part of the estate. The composer decided to take advantage of the renovation work to build a real recording studio in the damaged part of the building. The financial investment was such that the project could not be envisaged without a commercial operation at a later date. In 1971, Michel Magne hired a talented sound engineer, Dominique Blanc-Francard. Thanks to an impromptu appearance by the Grateful Dead that same year, the Hérouville name was soon circulating in show business. Gong recorded Camembert Électrique there the same year, and T. Rex conceived The Slider and Tanx in 1972. Above all, Elton John recorded his trilogy there: Honky Château (whose name honors the place) in 1972, Don't Shoot Me I'm only The Piano Player and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (both in 1973). But by 1972, financial issues were beginning to plague Michel Magne's day-to-day life. The luxury services offered by the château weighed dangerously on the accounts. The taxman made life difficult for the composer, who was forced to hand over commercial exploitation to Yves Chamberland, head of Davout Studios, in 1972. Laurent Thibault, co-founder of Magma, helped Hérouville regain its lustre. In June 1974, he took over the studio and gradually brought back the stars, notably David Bowie, who recorded Low in 1977 with Tony Visconti at his side. That same year, the Bee Gees and their Saturday Night Fever brought the spotlight to Hérouville. But Michel Magne was ruined. His personal assets were targeted and his Sacem rights deducted at source. He eventually left the château, which was sold to a property developer for a derisory sum. Michel Magne, who had never recovered from the loss of his château, dragged on his malaise and sank deeper and deeper into depression. On December 19, 1984, he took his own life in a hotel room in Cergy. He was 54 years old.
