BFI | Sight & Sound | The Best Music in Film

The Best Music in Film

(Wayne's World)

S&S: What is your favourite film soundtrack music and why do you like it so much?: "The soundtrack from O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) is not the kind of music that I would usually listen to, but, because it is so perfect for the movie and so uplifting, I listen to it all the time. It always puts me in a good mood."
S&S: In what ways does music best enhance a film?: "When music can make a scene have great emotional impact, it is at it's best. When it accentuates human feelings, whether it be elation or fear or confusion, it can really be more powerful than a visual."
S&S: What is the most effective sequence of music in your own films?: "The movie going public might say it is 'Bohemian Rhapsody' in Wayne's World (1992). Many people have told me the head-banging scene is like no other and makes them feel so exuberant to watch it. However, my favourite piece of music is from Phil Suchomel who did the score for The Decline of Western Civilization: Part III (1998). It is a version of Merlin Albéniz's 'Asturias (Leyenda) [Suite Espanola, Opus 47]' played over the woeful faces of many teenage runaway gutterpunks."