Music In Film

[Pirate]

Or What Makes A Great Soundtrack?

I was watching some film on TV the other day (I cannot remember what, though) and there was a scene where the girl had left the guy and he was feeling particularly down about it. The song they had chosen to lay over the scene was more or less narrating:

I’m soooooo alooooooone!

Where did she gooooooooo?!

I’ve always liked the idea of using the two mediums to create a cohesive vision, but I’m not sure I appreciate the bluntness of a scene like that. On the other hand, some of my favorite soundtracks probably do just that.

When I think of films with solid, complimentary soundtracks, I think of films like High Fidelity, Out of Sight, The Royal Tenenbaums, Garden State, and, of course, The Graduate.

What do you think? How should music (not score) compliment a film? What do you consider to be a great soundtrack?

[SilentBob]

Well i always think the music should make the scene better. The music becomes the character or becomes a character onto itself.

Now its hard to place musicals into this summary because well they are musicals and the whole movie revolves around them and their songs. So lets take something else. I always remember seeing Keeping the Faith with Ben Stiller and Ed Norton and them walking down the street and all of a sudden the song SMOOTH comes blaring over the speakers and it just didn't suit the mood/action of that scene at all. It felt out of place and was not needed for the scene itself. Why they use dit is probably to help sell the soundtrack as it was the hot song back then but it was a "money selling song" and not a suited song.

I like the list of movies you listed Pirate for exaples of great soundtracks that accompanied their films. They weren't all big name songs or maybe they were but many years ago. Still the director knew what they wanted and made it work in the film. They aren't out to sell a movie soundtrack but to sell a movie and its scene

Now i remember one song that just brought the movie scene to a very moving/powerful moment (which it was already but made even better by the song) Its the rare time i have cried watching a movie but i couldn't help it. The scene is from the ending of Pay it Forward when Spacey and Hunt all alone walk outside to see a huge gathering of kids, family and strangers all holding candles and flowers to

Spoiler (Highlight or Triple Click to Read):

remember Haley Joel Osmitt character (Hunt's kid)who is killed by a school kid, but started the whole Pay it Forward movement.

Like a i said the scene was powerful as it was and then they brought in "Calling all Angels" and WOW did it bring me to tears. It was just so soothing and emotional all at the same time. It was almost the perfect song to use for that moment. Almost like the ending of Donnie Darko with Mad World as it basically sums up the entire movie and all its characters reaction in less then 3 minutes.


So my list of movie soundtracks with great songs (not score)

About a Boy (my fav. Reason why i became a Badly Drawn Boy fan)
Team America: World Police
The Crow
Wayne's World (the car and Queen alone)
Pink Floyd:The Wall (well everything is animated and acted too the music. Don't consider a musical because not all songs are seen sung by the actors)

[Brikar99]

Originally Posted by SilentBob

So my list of movie soundtracks with great songs (not score)
...
[b]Team America: World Police
...

Excellent choice.

[Pirate]

http://music.aol.com/feature/unforgettable-movie-songs

[tomdkat]

Excellent thread! One of the things my brother told me long ago is a great soundtrack and LOTS of music contribute to making a movie more enjoyable. One of the "problems" he felt Phantom Menace had was it just didn't have enough music. There were too many scenes that didn't have music or adequate music.

The car chase scene in The Bourne Supremacy is intense to me, mostly because of the music (especially when they are in the tunnel). The Imperial March speaks for itself. In fact, I think it would have been great for our aircraft carriers to sail into the "sea of Iraq" with The Imperial March blasting while F-16s were flying around like Tie Fighters.

Music sets the mood and tone for several apsects of movies, from characters to situations. When I saw the San Francisco Symphony perform the soundtrack from the Lord of the Rings trilogy, I was able to vividly envision scenes from the movie in my mind even though they weren't playing the movie.

I think a good soundtrack is one of the things that makes a movie great. Jackie Brown is another movie with a great soundtrack as is Boogie Nights and Mulholland Dr.

Peace...

[ganthc]

Aimee Mann's song in "Magnolia" was pretty powerful. I would also include "Run, Lola, Run" as a movie where the music was critical to the movie.

[dalsh327]

Sometimes the music serves to jar the viewer, other times it's the narrative, there's something about a line the director picks up on that functions as part of the scene.

[sub780lime]

Have you ever watched a movie without a soundtrack, just dialogue. It is the most boring crap. I really can't believe it. Music has profound affect on the viewing experience. I think it can be used heighten an intense seen or bring our emotional levels down with our woebegone character. I personally, don't like when songs are used in movies, unless it is cleverly done. What I mean by that is if the character is in an elevator and you have a certain song playing, or near a radio, in the car, etc etc. The 80's were full of movies that just laid over songs over their scenes as opposed to pieces.

[umainebearman]

Originally Posted by dalsh327

Sometimes the music serves to jar the viewer, other times it's the narrative, there's something about a line the director picks up on that functions as part of the scene.

Several songs do that in City of Angels. Ohhhh yes sappy as it is the City of Angels sound track popped out Uninvited by Alanis and Iris from The Goo Goo Dolls. Usually when I think of songs that go with movies I think of City of Angels. Well and Robin Hood Prince of Thieves, Bryan Adams of course there.

[reapersaurus]

I still think the best movie soundtrack is Eric Serra's, for The Fifth Element.

It's almost a character to itself, and adds SO much to the film.

[furthest1]

What I personally dig is when actors/ actresses that I know little about show up in a film and perform a song with their own natural voice. From what I have seen of the trailer and clips from "Enchanted", the lovely Amy Adams has a beatiful singing voice, which meshes perfectly for this flick as its animated and live action, so you can see the cartoon sing and the actual person. Here's the trailer...http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/enchanted

[Taxi]

Try to watch The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly without the music.

But then again, why would you want to?

[trevanian]

Originally Posted by sub780lime

Have you ever watched a movie without a soundtrack, just dialogue. It is the most boring crap. I really can't believe it. Music has profound affect on the viewing experience. I think it can be used heighten an intense seen or bring our emotional levels down with our woebegone character. I personally, don't like when songs are used in movies, unless it is cleverly done. What I mean by that is if the character is in an elevator and you have a certain song playing, or near a radio, in the car, etc etc. The 80's were full of movies that just laid over songs over their scenes as opposed to pieces.

Although I love Goldsmith and other composers, a number of my fave flicks have no music at all (except maybe source stuff coming out of the radio.)

A whole lot of Lumet movies are this way (NETWORK, THE HILL I think, probably a couple of his cop flicks), as is Bridges' THE CHINA SYNDROME, and to me they prove that really good storytelling for certain stories can work without the crutch of music.

[raptors661]

Originally Posted by sub780lime

Have you ever watched a movie without a soundtrack, just dialogue.

True, but not always the case. No Country For Old Men was an excellent film without a soundtrack (except during the credits)

Cloverfield was also good with out a soundtrack

[Mrs. Sub780lime]

John Williams' Duel of the Fates from Star Wars always gives me chills. Somehow it seems to be able to convey that something big is at stake, even when heard apart from the film.

[Maximum Jonah]

Although it's not any singular song, the whole soundtrack for John Carpenter's "The Thing" by Ennio Morricone.

Cannot imagine watching that movie without the eerie perfection of that score. I have the soundtrack and when listening to it on my iPod, it always invokes chills.

[furthest1]

Cat Steven's work on Harold and Maude, I think is excellent work as well.