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Audio/Visual: A Decade of Music in Film – We Are Movie Geeks

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Audio/Visual: A Decade of Music in Film

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This week marks the beginning of a series of columns in which I’m putting forth what I personally consider to be the best film scores of the past decade (2000-2009). It was not an easy task; I locked myself away for the better part of November and listened to all the film scores I felt were worthy, and many I didn’t. I fielded suggestions from random strangers, close friends, and many people in between. The list I ended up with was pared down via some necessary filters. I disqualified musicals and soundtracks that consisted of songs from various artists. This brought up an interesting nuance; if a film score consisted of many songs written by a single artist, did it qualify? I chose to consider it only if those songs were composed specifically for the film because while we don’t traditionally think of film scores this way, that is really what they consist of; individual themes that could still be thought of as individual songs.
In this way I ended up with a manageable list which I then considered first by my familiarity with the score, then by merit, and finally by personal taste (a deciding factor for two of the picks). I chose not to create a list of numerical value since I felt all the scores I’d left were incomparable to each other. Some of them of which I have never seen the film itself and several scores that I feel may possibly seem more impacting because of the film in which they existed. I did not take this into account because of the synergic effect of music in film; when a film is particularly good and enhances the music, the music seems to be better as a consequence, and it becomes difficult to identify whether either elements are weaker. So forgive me if you feel some of my choices are influenced by my experience with the films themselves. I’d like to think it’s an understandable error.
Let’s begin with Children of Men. I’m listening to it now. I’ve never seen the film, just trailers. I purchased the soundtrack after hearing “Song of the Angel” on Last.fm and being impressed by the heavy, evocative, and spiritual mood it evoked. The whole soundtrack is similarly intense. A warning; many of the pieces are operatic and, if you’ve never developed a taste for opera and the accompanying singing, you’ll want to steer clear. But if you’re adventurous, this is where to start. A brooding and epic tone rings throughout, thanks to the beautiful and virtually unbeatable talent of composer Sir John Tavener. But, more than anything, this is a classical, symphonic soundtrack with tasteful opera passages. Like the film itself, it is both bleak and inspiring. When I say this, I am evaluating it among the many dozens of other symphonic scores it competed with but nothing compares to the power of Sir Tavener’s tragic summoning of a powerful performance.
Here’s a bit of trivial but interesting information about the score; it was composed not to the film itself but to the screenplay. I don’t know how it translates to the screen but the score stands as a fantastic set of music to simply listen to, and I feel that may be a consequence of Tavener’s methods. A triptych that is the core of the soundtrack consists of existing opera pieces recorded by Sir Tavener and he handles them with grace and power, adding them to the film’s arsenal of haunting melancholia. The standout is “Mother and Child”, a choral piece that is heartbreaking in its vast sound until the song’s climax, which I won’t ruin by trying to describe in words.
Again, I warn anyone who chooses to listen to this after reading my presentation; it is not a film score for the average listener. Tavener is a spiritually broad musician who chose to reflect his Orthodox Christian roots in this soundtrack, so it is perhaps a bit reverential; the tempo is achingly slow and there is almost no percussion. But when I listen to the music, it brings only the grandest of images to mind.
I’m genuinely wondering how many of you have seen Brokeback Mountain. I imagine it’s a disappointingly small number.The film’s plot did focus on a homosexual relationship and its consequences but if you think that’s what the movie was about, then you should sit down and watch it. The music is a great way to represent the film; it’s composed by an Argentinian named Gustavo Santaolalla. Gustavo had work in films prior via 21 Grams and the wonderful Motorcycle Diaries but it wasn’t until his work with Brokeback Mountain that he was recognized for his contributions. The strains of his homeland constantly woven into everything he wrote, his music for Brokeback echoed if not amplified the natural beauty of the film’s setting. The film was a romance and Gustavo’s score did not dwell on the unfortunate circumstance of this romance but wholeheartedly embraced the love on screen and, to my surprise, was more hopeful than woeful. Many of the songs on the soundtrack featuring vocalists from different arenas of music but Santaolalla’s artistry never faltered, producing some of the most memorable tunes of the era.
Of course, this is a film set in a rustic country, and it reflects this. Consequently, I have a hard time persuading anyone to listen to it, but the folk and country tones are potent rather than opportunistic; without them, the music would be absent of the underlying, muted yearning that aches with every note. It’s not necessarily happy and the music can be just as soothing for a bad mood, but it never dwells entirely on sappiness or angst. Much of the soundtrack available for purchase consists of other musicians either presenting their own works intended for the film or performing music with Santaolalla. I’d like to see an actual score and if any film suffers from the lack of interest that should be given to the score itself (versus music played by other artists), it’s this one. I would love to experience the score alone as it is presented in the film, in extended format.
I chose to begin the countdown with these two film scores because, even though I love them just as much as the rest of my selections, I also feel that they are the most conventional and possibly the most difficult for the average listener to immediately appreciate (some will be turned off by the operatic nature of Children of Men and others repulsed by the countrified leanings of Brokeback Mountain). But I’m giving them the above paragraphs not just because I personally enjoy listening to them but because, from a somewhat objective view, I feel they are quality scores that stand out among the droves of similar soundtracks composed in the past ten years.

children of men

This week marks the beginning of a series of columns in which I’m putting forth what I personally consider to be the best film scores of the past decade (2000-2009). It was not an easy task; I locked myself away for the better part of November and listened to all the film scores I felt were worthy, and many I didn’t. I fielded suggestions from random strangers, close friends, and many people in between. The list I ended up with was pared down via some necessary filters. I disqualified musicals and soundtracks that consisted of songs from various artists. This brought up an interesting nuance; if a film score consisted of many songs written by a single artist, did it qualify? I chose to consider it only if those songs were composed specifically for the film because while we don’t traditionally think of film scores this way, that is really what they consist of; individual themes that could still be thought of as individual songs.

In this way I ended up with a manageable list which I then considered first by my familiarity with the score, then by merit, and finally by personal taste (a deciding factor for two of the picks). I chose not to create a list of numerical value since I felt all the scores I’d left were incomparable to each other. Some of them of which I have never seen the film itself and several scores that I feel may possibly seem more impacting because of the film in which they existed. I did not take this into account because of the synergistic effect of music in film; when a film is particularly good and enhances the music, the music seems to be better as a consequence, and it becomes difficult to identify whether either elements are weaker. So forgive me if you feel some of my choices are influenced by my experience with the films themselves. I’d like to think it’s an understandable error.

Let’s begin with CHILDREN OF MEN. I’m listening to it now. I’ve never seen the film, just trailers. I purchased the soundtrack after hearing “Song of the Angel” on Last.fm and being impressed by the heavy, evocative, and spiritual mood it evoked. The whole soundtrack is similarly intense. A warning; many of the pieces are operatic and, if you’ve never developed a taste for opera and the accompanying singing, you’ll want to steer clear. But if you’re adventurous, this is where to start. A brooding and epic tone rings throughout, thanks to the beautiful and virtually unbeatable talent of composer Sir John Tavener. But, more than anything, this is a classical, symphonic soundtrack with tasteful opera passages. Like the film itself, it is both bleak and inspiring. When I say this, I am evaluating it among the many dozens of other symphonic scores it competed with but nothing compares to the power of Sir Tavener’s tragic summoning of a powerful performance.

Here’s a bit of trivial but interesting information about the score; it was composed not to the film itself but to the screenplay. I don’t know how it translates to the screen but the score stands as a fantastic set of music to simply listen to, and I feel that may be a consequence of Tavener’s methods. A triptych that is the core of the soundtrack consists of existing opera pieces recorded by Sir Tavener and he handles them with grace and power, adding them to the film’s arsenal of haunting melancholia. The standout is “Mother and Child”, a choral piece that is heartbreaking in its vast sound until the song’s climax, which I won’t ruin by trying to describe in words.

Again, I warn anyone who chooses to listen to this after reading my presentation; it is not a film score for the average listener. Tavener is a spiritually broad musician who chose to reflect his Orthodox Christian roots in this soundtrack, so it is perhaps a bit reverential; the tempo is achingly slow and there is almost no percussion. But when I listen to the music, it brings only the grandest of images to mind.

I’m genuinely wondering how many of you have seen BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN. I imagine it’s a disappointingly small number.The film’s plot did focus on a homosexual relationship and its consequences but if you think that’s what the movie was about, then you should sit down and watch it. The music is a great way to represent the film; it’s composed by an Argentinian named Gustavo Santaolalla. Gustavo had work in films prior via 21 Grams and the wonderful Motorcycle Diaries but it wasn’t until his work with Brokeback Mountain that he was recognized for his contributions. The strains of his homeland constantly woven into everything he wrote, his music for Brokeback echoed if not amplified the natural beauty of the film’s setting. The film was a romance and Gustavo’s score did not dwell on the unfortunate circumstance of this romance but wholeheartedly embraced the love on screen and, to my surprise, was more hopeful than woeful. Many of the songs on the soundtrack featuring vocalists from different arenas of music but Santaolalla’s artistry never faltered, producing some of the most memorable tunes of the era.

Of course, this is a film set in a rustic country, and it reflects this. Consequently, I have a hard time persuading anyone to listen to it, but the folk and country tones are potent rather than opportunistic; without them, the music would be absent of the underlying, muted yearning that aches with every note. It’s not necessarily happy and the music can be just as soothing for a bad mood, but it never dwells entirely on sappiness or angst. Much of the soundtrack available for purchase consists of other musicians either presenting their own works intended for the film or performing music with Santaolalla. I’d like to see an actual score and if any film suffers from the lack of interest that should be given to the score itself (versus music played by other artists), it’s this one. I would love to experience the score alone as it is presented in the film, in extended format.

I chose to begin the countdown with these two film scores because, even though I love them just as much as the rest of my selections, I also feel that they are the most conventional and possibly the most difficult for the average listener to immediately appreciate (some will be turned off by the operatic nature of CHILDREN OF MEN and others repulsed by the countrified leanings of BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN). But I’m giving them the above paragraphs not just because I personally enjoy listening to them but because, from a somewhat objective view, I feel they are quality scores that stand out among the droves of similar soundtracks composed in the past ten years.

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Born in the suburbs of Saint Louis, the son of a letter carrier and a Western Union operator. A nonidentical twin and born geek, raised on a healthy diet of Super Nintendo, Ray Bradbury, and early Santana (involuntarily). An aspiring writer of all things strange, dabbling in electronic music, working overnights at the local grocery. Helping the environment by not driving anywhere. Lower your expectations.