Abstract

The accordion has been prominently analysed for its cultural sound. According to Phil Powrie in “The Fabulous Destiny of the Accordion in French Cinema” 2006, the accordion sound functions as a pre-existing music in the French cinema context due to its cultural connotations, between cliché and nostalgia. Accordion in contemporary soundtracks such as Amelie (2001) is a cinematic audio trope linked to French popular working-class culture in the 1930s, reinforcing traditional stereotypes of ‘Frenchness’ belonging to heritage films. To complement this analysis, we will question the importance of its visual presence (instrument and musician) on screen and its symbolic function as a cinematic trope beyond French borders.