Tuesday 2 April 2013

Movies and their Soundtracks


I have always said that a movie is a great movie if it has a great soundtrack. Movies such as those directed by Christopher Nolan, Aranofsky and Malick all have amazing music to tell a story. I cannot not mention my favourite composers; Hans Zimmer and Clint Mansell, but there are so many others out there that create beautiful masterpieces.

Recently I have watched the trailer for Terrence Malick's upcoming movie 'To the Wonder' which has left me awe-struck. The chosen track for the trailer perfectly matches the mood of the film. It transcends beyond words and cinematography to give something deeper to the observer. It is as if music is necessary to satisfy all the possible senses of a person that can be stimulated within a cinema. 

A musical score, without words, without lyrics, can still convey so much to us. The story is told through notes and melodies. An example of this is 'Death is the Road to Awe' from the great movie 'The Fountain'. The track itself, as I interpret it, is a journey in life of a human being. It starts off slow and then grows until it dies off with a brilliant climax. Suddenly, it reignites as if life is given back to the deceased. This is pretty much the story of the movie, in which rebirth is the main theme. 

The beauty in music is that it is a personal experience. We cannot argue with each other whether what we saw, what we understood in a movie is right or wrong. We cannot have dilemmas on whether Cob was still in a dream or not at the end of Inception, for music is something personal, something deeper than the story of the movie itself.

I do believe that a very good movie must have a very good musical track. I would suggest searching your favourite movies and their soundtracks and see whether I am correct. Until then I will be seeking more movies to watch, not for their plot or special effects, but for their beautiful scores that defines them as masterpieces.


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