The music maketh the film?
I’ve always liked film soundtracks - they do afterall, combine two of my very favourite things together. I have a mental list of favourite soundtrack moments which has been pretty fixed for quite some time. It isn’t very original and contains all the predictable films you might expect:
- Mean Streets
- Saturday Night Fever
- Trainspotting
- Vertigo
- Scorpio Rising
- Manhattan
- Shadows
- Reservoir Dogs
- The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
etc. etc. etc.
However, just this past week I’ve been taken by surprise at the cinema and have been forced to add two more to the list:
Lift to the Scaffold /Ascenseur pour l’échafaud
(Louise Malle, 1958)
An excellent and stylish B&W 50s thriller best known for low-key naturalistic lighting and a make-up less Jeanne Moreau moodily wandering the wet Parisian streets. This was pretty good admittedly, but I was most pleased by Louis Malles decision to fully embrace 50s cool with an improvised Miles Davis score. Not that any of the reviews I’ve been able to find have bothered to mention this.
Killer of Sheep
(Charles Burnett, 1977)
Tagged the ‘greatest unknown film’ this brilliant depiction of ordinary Black American life from the 70s was in film purgatory for 30 years because the director never cleared the music rights. And it’s the music which makes this film for me - Dinah Washington, Earth Wind and Fire, Scott Joplin, Paul Robeson, Etta James and Rachmaninoff really lift those beautifully composed images off the screen. Typically, not one review I’ve read of the film has discussed the impact of the soundtrack.
Don’t any film critics listen to the music?
Tags: j'aime le cinema
June 27th, 2008 at 8:47 pm
Roy Budd’s score for Get Carter is a belter, Vampiros lesbos is goodies a go go and Alan Price’s soundtrack for O Lucky Man is meant to be one of the best, but I haven’t seen or heard it apart from this…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oq3bLe6I_L4
June 27th, 2008 at 10:57 pm
Oh, yes! How could I forget Get Carter. That is a very, very good soundtrack indeed. And I do like Vampiros Lesbos although I’ve never actually seen the film… could be interesting…
Never seen O Lucky Man either (although this isn’t a bad tune) - I’ve still to get over Lindsay Anderson’s previous effort If… which I am truly not a fan of.
June 28th, 2008 at 11:00 am
Can I add the sountrack to the Long riders by ry cooders which is americanfolk song tastic, the magnifcent seven by elmer bernstein is just great, good fellas, ghost dog soundtrack by wu tang crew,
June 29th, 2008 at 12:04 am
I’m going to have to trust you there BLTP as I’ve never heard any of these. I don’t mind a bit of Ry Cooder though so maybe I should check out the Long Riders.
June 30th, 2008 at 9:50 pm
Ach! Two more to add to my list…
July 1st, 2008 at 5:25 pm
ISBW, I do very much recommend Lift to the Scaffold and Killer of Sheep (if indeed you’re referring to them). Apart from the soundtracks, both are incredibly good films. And if you happen to like French New Wave films like I do, Lift to the Scaffold will make perfect sense.
July 2nd, 2008 at 9:18 pm
I think some of Tarantino’s other earlier stuff–Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown–have great soundtracks.
And yes, Alan Price’s stuff for Lucky Man is good too. They fit into the film really well I think. Very 1973. Here are some other songs from the film if you’re interested: - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCVGqzp-Hpc, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KfCT1UQviI & http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyAJWhgxhWY.
On a jazz tack, Round Midnight is worth a go too…
July 2nd, 2008 at 10:19 pm
Hello Mr Hooley, those Alan Price tracks are surprisingly good. I really, really like Sell, Sell. I might actually have to get over my Lindsay Anderson/Malcolm MacDowell issues and watch the film now… And you’re right about the other Tarantino soundtracks, I particularly like Jackie Brown.