Primary navigation
The Best Music in Film
Zbigniew Preisner
(Composed the music for numerous Krzysztof Kieslowski films, from No End to Three Colours Red, Louis Malle's Damage and Charles Sturridge's Fairytale A True Story)
- S&S: What is your favourite film soundtrack music and why do you like it so much?
- "This is a very difficult question and the answer is still more difficult, because there are plenty of films which I cannot imagine without their soundtrack music. Just think about Fellini's films with music by Nino Rota, about a great film The Mission (1986) with music by Ennio Morricone or about Chariots of Fire (1981) with music by Vangelis. If I were to pick the one and only out of them, I think I would choose The Godfather (1972) with brilliant music by Nino Rota."
- S&S: In what ways does music best enhance a film?
- "For me, soundtrack music is absolute metaphysics. It is like blood rushing through the veins. You can hear it, you can feel it, but you just cannot see it directly. Ideal soundtrack music adds something which is not shown in the film but which is left to be guessed. It is some kind of a complement."
- S&S: Which film either has music that you wished you'd written or is one you would like to rescore and why?
- "You have placed me in a difficult position here; I would not like to be perceived as negating any existing scores which are very beautiful. But if somebody ventured to remake Out of Africa (1985) or The Big Blue (1988), I would like to write my soundtrack music for them."