The Best Music in Film

Jan Kaspersen

(Danish composer who wrote the music for Den Blå Munk)

S&S: What is your favourite film soundtrack music and why do you like it so much?
"I have a few favourites and this one pops up in my mind: Otto Preminger´s Anatomy of a Murder (1959) with music by Duke Ellington. His band with star soloists like Johnny Hodges, Paul Gonsalves, Ray Nance etc. plays Duke´s music that matches the different moods in the film perfect. I would like to emphasize the opening of the film, where the music together with the pictures puts up a strong tense atmosphere. To me it is close to a masterpiece."
S&S: In what ways does music best enhance a film?
"To build up an atmosphere, stress the different moods sex. fear, anger, happiness, and sometime when you are lucky: to become a synonyme or symbol with the film. Just think of Henry Mancini´s 'Pink Panther theme'."
S&S: Which film either has music that you wished you'd written or is one you would like to rescore and why?
"I like the atmosphere of the monkish solo piano going on nearly through the whole film - discreet but effective in Christian Braad Thomsen´s Den Blå Munk (1998). And the closing scene in Klaus Kjeldsen´s Amar (1954)with a jazz quartet playing a hard swinging minor blues with a sax in front with the pictures of a taxi driving for the airport. I was actually inspired by Lalo Schifrin´s music for Bullitt (1968), another old favourite of mine."
Last Updated: 29 Sep 2008