Jonny Greenwood’s Oscar-nominated soundtrack for There Will Be Blood has received almost as much attention as the movie itself. A live performance of the score recently took place at New York City’s St. Paul the Apostle Church, music critic Alex Ross wrote a feature for last week’s New Yorker about the Radiohead guitarist’s genius, and we’ve certainly gone on about it plenty here.
I have to admit: I’ve yet to see TWBB — and I’m a huge fan of Daniel Day-Lewis (pictured, left, with Ciaran Hinds) — and I think one of the reasons is, to be completely honest, I’m a little intimidated by the dramatic, largely atonal score. My father tortured exposed me to a fair amount of avant-garde music when I was young (hello, six hours of Olivier Messiaen at Lincoln Center!) and something about Greenwood’s "Popcorn Superhet Receiver for String Orchestra," an 18-minute work for 34 strings, makes me nervous. Am I being irrational? Probably. There’s a very good chance I’ll see the movie and love it, music and all.
On the other side of the filmic universe, there’s Titanic, which I recently saw on TV. I remember crying when I saw it in the theater, but I felt oddly unmoved the second time around — that is, until the scene where the ship’s band decides to go down with the vessel, playing as water comes splashing over the gunwale (Okay, I don’t know exactly what a gunwale is, but let’s just say a lot of folks on that boat were wet at this point). Then "My Heart Will Go On" kicked in. And out of nowhere: waterworks (no pun intended).
What about you, PopWatchers? Are there any films you think were totally made by their soundtracks? Or has a lousy soundtrack ever ruined a film for you?
UPDATE: I meant to call Greenwood’s score "Oscar-worthy." It was not nominated because it didn’t qualify under Academy rules, as PopWatch noted here.
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The score was not nominated for an Oscar.
I might be dating myself, but when asked to ponder movie soundtracks, I immediately think of the 80’s. You know, Top Gun and Flashdance, to name two. Try as I might to come up with a more recent example, I guess Pulp Fiction had a pretty good soundtrack. And Garden State.
Sorry Adrienne, this was ineligible for an Oscar.
It’s funny, I JUST finished writing a review for this movie and mentioned the soundtrack.
Personally, I thought it was great. I liked the way the (admittedly intrusive and often-jarring) music sort of contrasted with those big, serene, panoramic shots of the American landscape.
On the other hand, I can totally understand how some people hate it.
Though I didn’t think it was great and I wouldn’t say it was TOTALLY made by it soundtrack, i’d say the score in “Atonement” is definitely a highlight. I also can’t really imagine the Kill Bills without the music that’s used at the points they’re used in each film.
Just about any film soundtrack by John Williams and John Barry. The films they scored would only be half as good without their classic music!
Wow, Rahul, you’re right. The score for TTWB was not nominated for an Oscar (should have been). The movie was nominated for sound editing. that is ridiculous…
Shame on me…I forgot to mention Danny Elfman. His scores are amazing…
Adrienne Day: Popwatch has had several posts about how the score is NOT nominated for an Oscar. You can’t just go “What about you, PopWatchers?” in this case and not expect to get a slap. Take 15 minutes and READ Popwatch, Adrienne you ass-hat. Or better yet, take only 5 minutes and look up the Oscar nominees. Cute blog idea, 2 weeks too late.
Anyhoo, Soundtrack:
Trainspotting
Romeo + Juliet
Goodfellas
Score:
The Mission
Edward Scissorhands
Jaws
I should also add Bill Conti’s score for the original ROCKY and Vangelis’ scores for CHARIOTS OF FIRE and BLADE RUNNER.
Atonement
Romeo and Juliet (both Zefferelli and Luhrmann)
The Godfather
Fight Club
And if we’re talking TV, the theme to Friday Night Lights (as well as much of the music used in the episodes) is fantastic.
Take your meds. She’s asking if a soundtrack has ever made/broken a movie for you. So please take a few, deep breaths. It’ll be all right.
I think the best scores are the ones that provoke emotion without you really realizing they’re there. The ones that are the worst (Eyes Wide Shut, anyone?) are intrusive and completely take you out of the movie-going experience. The music should be another element like lighting or cinematography, where it heightens the experience without calling attention to itself.
I love the way PTA got famous for original present-day Altman-esque charater peices (that are contemporary classics) and is able to reinvent himself with an (loosely) adapted period pice and character study of the effects of greed. TWBB in my opinion will be remembered as a masterpiece not only for PTA’S insiring direction, but for the beautiful cinematography, DDL’s powerhouse preformance, and Greenwood’s revolutionary score, without which I doubt I would love the film so much.
Thanks “to strepsi”, I breathed deeply and feel better. How did I let an EW blog send me into a blind rage? I need a tall vodka and to put on the soundtrack to BARAKA.
I loved the soundtrack to The Truman Show. Phillip Glass, I think.
Completely agree with GOB. Brokeback Mountain and Pan’s Labyrinth are two that I found very effective.
Someone needs a fact checker!
TWBB atrocious score WASN’T nominated because it didn’t meet eligibility rules. That and it wasn’t so much a score as it was background noise that proved to be an annoying distraction.
He/she who hates Ligeti’s music as it is prominently displayed in Kubrick’s “Eyes Wide Shut” should be barred from commenting on the power of music in film, for they haven’t a clue what such a thing is or means.
The fact that the score made you nervous (or you think it will make you nervous) is exactly the point. Even when nothing is happening on screen you still feel that underlying sense of dread that finally pays off at the end. And it’s all due to Jonny Greenwood’s score.
I think the violin from Schindler’s list is the most beautiful and haunting music from a movie, ever.
I loved TWBB, and the music. Totally sucked me in. Rapt attention for 2 hours and 40 minutes. I was a little stunned it wasn’t nominated for best score, but TWBB will be remembered as a classic for many years, regardless of any Oscar wins.
Requiem for a Dream. By far the most haunting score I’ve ever heard or come across. Composed by Clint Mansell and performed by the Kronos Quartet. And so fitting for the movie…
Though good and the best in a long time i would not call it revolutionary. Scott Walker has been doing this type of stuff since the 60s. I just listen to his album Tilt from the 90s and it has a very similar sound to this soundtrack.
I totally agree with the post about The Truman Show, I just saw it on Showtime again a couple of days ago and it was really amazing.
You’re welcome
I think the music in the new Charlie and the Chocolate Factory really helped make the movie. It helped keep the balance between creepy and whimsical. And you gotta love oompa-loompah dance numbers.
Anything with Pilip Glass gives me chills. I know some say his score distracts from the movie, but I think it enhances it. Somehow, Judi Dench was even more deliciously wicked in “Notes on a Scandal” with a flurry of cello strings.
the score from ‘road to perdition’ is pretty brilliant. for ppl who want a taste of the greatness of greenwood’s TWBB score, YOU MUST DOWNLOAD ‘FUTURE MARKETS’, off of the soundtrack. trust me, it is too good!!
I can actually say the score in TWBB made it very difficult for me to get into the movie. It was as distracting as someone talking on their cell phone next to me. The fact that so many people have noticed Greenwood’s score tells me it took away from the film rather than added to it.
Grew up on “Far and Away” – John Williams. Hans Zimmer’s work on “Gladiator” has had countless imitators since. Love artist driven scores, like Aimee Mann on “Magnolia”. My two favorite soundtracks of the last decade are “Talented Mr. Ripley” (a lot of which is Gabriel Yared). The score perfectly evokes the time and emotions. And though many dislike the film, check out Thomas Newman’s to “Meet Joe Black”. That love theme haunts me every day, I swear.
I’ve always loved Hanz Zimmer’s music in both True Romance and Rain Man.