BFI | Sight & Sound | The Best Music in Film

The Best Music in Film

(La Reine Margot, Intimacy)

S&S: What is your favourite film soundtrack music and why do you like it so much?: "My favourite original score is the one from the film Devdas (2002) because it is of an extraordinary vitality. I can listen to it up to ten times back to back, with all the images of the film returning to me. I lift myself up from my armchair and dance in my office (hoping that the neighbours across the street are not at their window!!!)."
S&S: In what ways does music best enhance a film?: "Music is one of the essential elements of a film. It is also important for dialogue, lighting, set design, montage, etc. A film without music is one-legged. And I would prefer not to make cinema rather than return to an age without cinematic music."
S&S: What is the most effective sequence of music in your own films?: "The knife-throwing scene in The Girl on the Bridge (1998) accompanied by the rather beautiful and bewitching song by Marianne Faithfull. As one does in scenes without dialogue, and owing to the pre-existing song, I was able to play it out loud, allowing the music to diffuse across the set. When we returned from shooting, we were all bathed in the same emotion, by the same rhythm, by the same fever. It was an unforgettable experience for me."