The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is the most well-known spaggetti werterns. This movie was directed by Sergio Leone in 1966. The film concluded his trilogy, after A Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More.

The story takes place during the Civil War, following three gunslingers competing to find a fortune.

If I introduce you to this film, it isn't because I love this film. No, I saw it a lot of times but never until the end.

The script is not spectacular, but each time I remember the original soundtrack. And the melody stays in my mind! Incredible.

Ennio Moricone is a good Italian composer, born in Roma. His score became a legendary soundtrack album. The main theme sounds like a howling of a coyote. Two notes only played again and again. This is a frequent motif. The composer chose for the different characters a different instrument. For example, the flute for Blondie, the ocarina for Angel Eyes and human voices for Tuco.

This is the compilation of the greatest hits by Ennio Morricone. He collaborated on a lot of original soundtracks for Bertolucci's or Pasolini's and Dario Argento's movies. And he's still alive. We must remember his work for Mission or Cinema Paradiso. Even Tarantino used "Rabbia a Tarantella" on Inglourious Bastard's soundtrack .

Ennio Morricone's best-of:

Alexandre Nevski

I want you tell about Prokofiev. You don't maybe know the name, but his music is very famous, and listen over the world.
Let me present you a Russian movie called Alexandre Nevski. It was directed by Eisenstein in 1938.

For me, it's an incredible movie and it's the most popular of Eisenstein 's sound films.

The story tells the big battle in the 13th century between the Russian people and the Teutonic Knights. Russians lead by Alexandre Nevski, a prince. After a terrible massacre of Pskov's people, Nevski aks the whole nation to join him in the fight.

This film was made during the Stalinist period. At that moment, the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany collaborated. Alexandre Nevski, through Einsenstein's vision, expresses the political situation. He draws a portrait of Nevski, like a folk hero. I's also a anti-clerical movie.

Less experimental than the other E. movies, Alexandre Nevski is his first dramatic film to use sound.

Prokofiev collaborated on the score. He created a brilliant, triumphant, terrific music narrative, using horns.

Let me show you the decisive Battle on Ice.

Who is Serge Prokoviev?

Prokofiev is a famous Russian composer. He lived during the last century.

He composed music for children with Peter and the Wolf. But he made scores for ballets. In other, Romeo and Juliet which is his most best-known works.

Listen this poignant, inspired moment telling the Montagues and Capulet's fight...

Unfortunetly, Serge Prokofiew died the same day as Staline, March 5th 1953. That's why the Russian autorities forgot to make a public announcement. Nobody was present for his funeral.

The Piano

How can we forget this film?

The piano is a large romantic fresco which takes place in New Zealand. Jane Campion is the movie director. The film won The Cannes Palme d'or.

It's about a mute pianist and her daughter and the film sits during the 19th century. It features a score for the piano by Michael Nyman which has became a bestselling soundtrack album. Hunter plays her own piano pieces for the film, and also served a sign language teacher for Paquin.

Mickael Nyman succeeded in creating a brilliant composition.

The original score was composed by Michael Nyman and is his twentieth album release. Despite being called a "soundtrack", this is a partial score re-recording, as Nyman himself also performs the piano on the album (whereas the film version is performed by Hunter). The music is performed by the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Nyman.

The composer managed to write original music that sounds as if if could have been written in the mid-19th century and makes it sound contemporary at the same time. It worked wonderfully with the film and conveyed a sense of passion, fun, tragedy, and romance. The music is a delight to the ears and soulfully touching.

This music pulls you into the movie.

Now, Nyman's interview about his work.

Le mépris

Today, I introduce you to a great French composer who lived also in the United States.
His name: Georges Delerue (1925 / 1992)

Probably, you don't remember his name. He composed a lot of soundtracks, a hundred.

In my opinion, his most beautiful inspiration is "Le mépris" by Godard. This is probably his most famous and appreciated score. Moreover, this soundtrack was used again in Scorsese 's movie, Casino.

Georges Delerue has composed this score only for a string orchestra. This music evokes a love tragedy . It expresses the slowly split between Paul and Camille (played by Brigitte Bardot). The couple is breaking up from their daily.
This theme is very useful for the director, Jean-Luc Godard. This is more than a basic soundtrack. This is a essential key of the narrative line.
We can imagine the Greek side of the tragedy when you listen the harp and the violin which speak together. Georges Delerue has touch the perfect note, he catches with intensitiy all the emotion of the drama (with the continous bass by the cellos).

This is a marvellous score which reminds us a nostalgic close to a Bach aria, this musician's work.
It's impossible to stay far from emotion, sadness and romantic feelings also when you heard this theme of Camille.


To continue, this is a Geoges Delerue's interview (From Ina's site) which introduces the work of this musician.

retrouver ce média sur www.ina.fr

Spirited away by Hayao Miyasaki

"Spirited Away" by the famous Japan director Hayao Miyasaki was released in 2002.
Spirited Away is a fantasy adventure with a ten year-old girl (Chihiro), which starts in a "contemporary" Japan but goes somewhere very different. Chihiro and her family find a mysterious tunnel and discove the Land of Spirits, inhabited by gods and monsters. This land is ruled by the greedy witch Yu-baba. Chihiro's parents are transformed into pigs. To rescue them, she must surrender her name and serve in this world. Luckily, she finds friends and allies. One of them is a handsome and mysterious boy named Haku.

Joe Hisaishi composed the soundtrack. It's not his firth contribution to a Miyasaki animated movie.
To my mind, both, they are able to transpose the perfect emotion. To create the musical soundscape for this phantasmagorical adventure, Joe Hitsaishi uses ancient Japanese modalities and percussion. This composer explores Westernized influences too ( String and piano, gentle woodwinds). The collection ends with a warm note: Youmi Kimura sings a neo baroque sonf called Always xith me. It's wonderful.

For me, Hisaishi has reinvented and refined an instrumental language that evoques perfectly the magic of fantastic Miyazaki's movies.

This composer is a fabulous player too. Listen this concert in live concert: Joe Hisaiki plays Summer's Day from Spirited Away. It will catch your senses...

The Thin Red Line

Now, i'll introduce you to my favorite movie.
It's a Terrence Malick movie called The thin red line. It was released in 1998. Malick has a typical sense of intellectual contemplation and visceral stimulation.


The story takes place during WWII, Pacific side. The director follows many American characters during the big Guadalcanal battle. At this time, Japan and the United States fougth in the Pacific islands.

In my opinion, this movie isn't only a war film, it's a psychological way to show how the war kills everything, physically and mentally: soldiers, civils, natives. Everybody loses his mind during this experience, nobody escapes safety. No issue for anyone.

The film describes a main character, an American soldier, named Witt. This man tries to forget the horrible situation. We understand he isn't like a common soldier because his purpose is pacifist: live into a wild world, in peace with the power of nature, out of human foolishness.

The music is so important. Hans Zimmer is the composer. The score expresses the director's feelings. To my mind, this is most mature soundtrack which he made. It's also interesting to compare this score with the soundtrack of Saving Private Ryan by Steven Spielberg (composed by John William: see "Star Wars" in the blog). The score differs from John Williams' similarly stark score for Saving Private Ryan in that it makes no attempt at patriotism or a noble heart.




For example, Hans Zimmer has specially explored some traditional Melanesian Choirs. I love these Aboriginal songs and I think it was impossible to do the movie without including these voice of women and men who live in these islands with nature.




Hans Zimmer best-of:

Star Wars

"Star Wars"...everybody knows this trilogy. But do you know its music composer?

We talk about the most famous American composer, to my mind. His name is John Williams. Now, it's a old man who always composes a lot of hymns.
You remember this.

Anyway...everyone has once sung a JW medoly.

Another example:

The movie Schindler's list, which tells a story about a "good samaritain". During the WWII, he helps a lot of Jewish people buying for keep them in life. John Williams chooses the "famous Jewish violin to express the sadness of this part of our History. The violin vibrato is so fragile, so emotional. I think it's the perfect choice to describe the Jewish felling during the Shoah.

But let's talk about my initial subject: "STAR WARS".
The introducing theme is very known. Listen: