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The Best Music in Film
Ron Underwood
(City Slickers)
- S&S: What is your favourite film soundtrack music and why do you like it so much?
- "It is difficult to narrow my favourite film score to only one choice. I love motion picture music. It is half of the movie experience in many films. Favourites include Lawrence of Arabia (1962) and Doctor Zhivago (1965) by Maurice Jarre, Psycho (1960) and North By Northwest (1959) by Bernard Herrmann, The Mission (1986) and Once Upon A Time In The West (1968) by Ennio Morricone, The Magnificent Seven (1960) and The Great Escape (1963) by Elmer Bernstein, The Pink Panther by Henry Mancini, Jaws (1975) and Schindler's List (1993) by John Williams, American Beauty (1999) by Thomas Newman. There are also so many musicals from Singin' In The Rain (1951) to Moulin Rouge (2001) which I love. Then there are movies that use previously recorded music such as A Clockwork Orange (1971) and American Graffiti (1973) that are very effective in their use of the soundtrack. And, I would say that movies using pop songs owe a debt to The Graduate (1967) by Simon and Garfunkel with Dave Grusin for its highly unusual use of contemporary music at the time. I should stop this before filling many pages with favourites. Because the music is so integral to the film that it accompanies, I almost cannot separate the music from the rest of the film going experience. Therefore, I would choose Lawrence of Arabia as my very favourite."
- S&S: In what ways does music best enhance a film?
- "As a tool for communication, music can help the director reach the audience. The music establishes mood, point of view and tone. The music can make a statement by mirroring the action or by playing counterpoint to the action. The music often brings out the majesty of the imagery, the comedy of the actors or the tension of the suspense. It can transport the audience into another land, either geographic or fantasy or into a character's mind. Music can help speed up the action or give the images a sense of poetry. Music has enormous power and often the audience is unaware of the effect it has on them. This makes music one of the best tools to help the director."
- S&S: Which film either has music that you wished you'd written or is one you would like to rescore and why?
- "The sequence I like most in City Slickers (1991) for its use of music is the cattle stampede which was scored by Marc Shaiman using an upbeat Gospel choir. I like it because it is counterpoint to the scene while giving it great energy and fun with an unexpected approach. The film is a comedy and that music in that scene makes you smile. This was something that Marc played for me one day in his home studio and I was surprised and transported into the scene by his music."