To survive the wasteland that defines new movie releases in January, it’s best to take refuge at the arthouse. Oscar contenders are expanding into more theaters at this time of year, and one movie you cannot miss on the big screen is Paul Thomas Anderson‘s “Phantom Thread.” The big draw, of course, is the double whammy of a new film from PTA and Daniel Day-Lewis‘ final performance. But another element you’ll want to soak up, and certainly hear on massive speakers, is the score by Jonny Greenwood.
The Radiohead member and frequent Anderson collaborator provides another terrific piece of work here, and if there’s any justice, we’ll be hearing some of it on Oscar night. Greenwood’s approach saw him working with both large ensembles — upwards of 60 players — as well as much smaller groups.
“The smaller groups, and solo players, work like close-ups [and] not necessarily to accompany [a] visual, but rather, to focus your attention on and make you feel directly engaged with the characters. The bigger orchestral things often worked best for drawing you back to see the bigger situation,” he told Variety.
“These [cues] were turned into a whole body of work for him to draw from, and to request longer, shorter, faster versions and variations,” Greenwood added about Anderson’s input. “Some cues were written specifically to scenes. Others were just sketches of the characters, or of the story.”
“Phantom Thread” is now available digitally, with the CD arriving on February 9th, and the LP landing on Record Store Day on April 21st. Stream the complete score below.
