Movies set in space are most often associated with synth (dating back to The Forbidden Planet) or classical/orchestral music (from 2001: A Space Odyssey to the Star Wars films and more). They reflect the future and technological advancement, the vastness […]
I caught up with composer Harry Escott to discuss his newest score: Roadkill. This is a new BBC One political drama starring the inimitable Hugh Laurie. You can find the whole interview: on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or right here […]
Motherless Brooklyn was largely dismissed upon its release, leading to an unfortunate fate for one of 2019’s best scores. A 1950s film noir, Motherless Brooklyn hits many of the classic genre tropes that have developed over the decades, the best […]
Green Book begs the question: is there anything composer Kris Bowers can’t do? The film follows classical and jazz pianist Don Shirley’s (played by Mahershala Ali) 1962 tour across the deep south and heavily features musical performances by Shirley alone […]
Howl is in many ways a cinematic ode to poetry. The film makes a deliberate choice as to when and whether to use music in its two portrayals of the titular poem. Allen Ginsberg’s public debut of “Howl” at the Six […]
Seijun Suzuki is one of film’s most stylish directors. Nowhere is this more apparent than in his magnum opus Tokyo Drifter, where Suzuki’s bombastic and bizarre indulgences flow unimpeded. Rather than try to balance this out, prolific composer Hajime Kaburagi […]
A warm air blows through Los Angeles county; through the orange groves, the valley, the city, and everywhere in between. It is inevitable, undeterrable. It is Jerry Goldsmith’s score for Chinatown, led by the trumpet playing of the legendary Hollywood […]
Film music can be incomprehensible when detached from the underlying film. Snippets of ascending strings building tensions, rhythmic unaccompanied drums, or ominous rumbling synths build atmosphere for the images on screen. But they have trouble standing on their own. They […]
Nicholas Britell’s score for If Beale Street Could Talk conjures up a parallel world, where memories, hopes, and fears meld together, floating like some great overwhelming cloud. Much of the film lives in the memories of its main character, Tish. […]
Krzysztof Komeda is considered the forefather of European jazz. And yet, his most famous and enduring work is the haunting and discomforting score for Roman Polanski’s horror classic Rosemary’s Baby. The opening credits introduce Komeda’s single most well-known song – […]
Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is a lonely, desolate landscape, one of the few places left in America that feels undisturbed by humanity’s touch. And yet, in Anatomy of a Murder it feels lively. Duke Ellington’s stylish score is the cause, making […]