So we ostensibly run a “soundtracks blog,” although that’s obviously kind of changed organically, but Daniel at FilmBabble wanted us/me to write him a post for his excellent September Soundtracks theme idea (which yes, we should probably have done, but there was TIFF, NYFF; we can “borrow” the concept next year), which is great. So we don’t have that much to say, but if you asked the editor-in-chief (me) what his five favorite songs scores in a movie were he’d say, as of *right now they are this (and yes, it’s a mixed bag, there’s no theme the preference lies in the song:
5. “The Last Waltz” From “Old Boy” — Yeong Wook Jo’s score to Park Chan-Wook’s “Old Boy” is largely majestic — apart from a few odd techno-like moments here and there. And it’s awesome for two reasons, one simply being just how gloriously sonorous it is, but secondarily because he names the themes from the film after classic movies: “Kiss Me Deadly” (Robert Aldrich), “In a Lonely Place’ (Nicholas Ray), “Cul-De-Sac” (Roman Polanski) and our utmost favorite theme on the soundtrack “The Last Waltz,” named after Scorsese’s The Band concert-farewell doc (his work on “Sympathy For Lady Vengeance” is also incredible, elegiac and hauntingly good (this song is particularly orchestrally marvelous and “Lullaby” is also excellent).
4. Jeanette’s “Por Que Te Vas” from the film, “Cria Cuervos” — Carlos Saura’s haunting children’s tale, “Cria Cuervos” is a ’70s Spanish film masterwork, no it’s just a masterwork period, it won the Grand Prix in Cannes in 1976. The star of the film, little Ana Torrent is ridiculously good and the song prominently featured in the movie is Spanish pop star Jeanette’s “Por Que Te Vas.” It’s a top 10 all-timer as far as we’re/I’m concerned. The dance moves the little girls make-up this scene is amazing.
3. “Yumeji’s Theme” from “In The Mood For Love — Yes, it’s not a “song,” per se, it’s Shigeru Umebayashi’s “Yumeji’s Theme” from Wong Kar-Wai’s “In The Mood For Love.” No way conveys deep, forlorn longing like WKW and this gorgeously melancholy and romantic song is a song that is always stuck in our heads for days after we happen to listen to it. Classical, moving and timeless.
2. Frances Lai’s “Snow Frolic” from “Love Story” — Make fun of Arthur Hiller’s “Love Story” starring a spunky Ali MacGraw and Ryan O’Neal all you want, it’s rather great, but that’s neither here or there. What is unimpeachable good is Frances Lai score. Sure, you’ve heard the schmaltzy and weepy theme song all your life even if you don’t think you know it, but the rest of the soundtrack kicks ass in a retro baroque kind of manner (man, Ghostface Killa has to one day rap over this version, the beat is already pretty hot). The dreamy and wintry, “Snow Frolic,” however is just heavenly and the theme song for all time when two lovers skate on the ice in a romantic winter wonderland.
1. Michael Legrand’s main theme to “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg” — A close, almost tie is Noel Harrison’s “The Windmills of Your Mind” (written by the great Michel Legrand, and Alan and Marilyn Bergman, for it’s mondo-velveeta enjoyability, but really no contest is Legrand’s luminous theme to “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg” (which is used to devastating effect in the final scene. It’s better when Catherine Deneuve and Nino Castelnuovo sing the entire song, but this clips version will have to do.
*we say right now because our favorites of anything generally change and mutate all the time, but most of these are indisputable classics.
