BFI | Sight & Sound | The Best Music in Film

The Best Music in Film

(My Cousin Vinny, The Whole Nine Yards)

S&S: What is your favourite film soundtrack music and why do you like it so much?: "The Godfather (1972). It's evocative, instantly recognizable, and it so romanticizes the movie that it re-enforces the audience empathy with the central characters, all of whom are actually gangsters."
S&S: In what ways does music best enhance a film?: "Music is used to create or enhance a feeling that would not otherwise be present in a scene or sequence, or would not be sufficient without it. Music can help create tension and suspense. However, if there is sufficient suspense already, using music is overkill. Music also can be used to create or increase a feeling of momentum and pace. A beautiful melody can intensify romance, pathos, nostalgia. Bad music, however, can have the obverse effect in all of these cases, drawing attention to the shortcomings that it is designed to help. As for comedy, I never use music to underline something funny. That's known as "Mickey-Mousing" the film. Music only helps comedy in a montage."
S&S: What is the most effective sequence of music in your own films?: "Either the sequence in The Fighting Temptations (2003), when the church choir sings 'Rain Down' and a montage shows three weeks of their growing success. Or 'Down By The Riverside' in the same film, as a traditional gospel song turns into a rap number."