for movie soundtrack enthusiasts and music aficionados, a collection of rare, hard to find, out of print, lost, forgotten and classic movie soundtracks...enjoy!
Rachel Portman's score for Emma is an absolutely perfect fit for the film and won an Academy Award for the composer, a first for a woman in the category. The score is sweet and soothing, at times humorous and at times almost luminous. It is that rare perfect marriage of movie and soundtrack; it's impossible to enjoy one without the other. The light-classical themes perfectly recall the ethereal, good-hearted intentions of Jane Austen's heroine, so enchantingly played by Gwyneth Paltrow. While much of the disc is repetitive, it hardly matters. No one can tire of such beautiful aural pictures.
"Frida," Julie Taymor's superb biopic which portrays the turbulent life of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, is highlighted by Elliot Goldenthal's extraordinary soundtrack and score. Goldenthal, a student of both Aaron Copland and John Corigliani, and director Taymor's husband, states in the CD's linear notes that when scoring the music he took the approach of "melodic intimacy" - scoring with melodies or tunes as opposed to motific fragments.
The film is highly successful in bringing to life not only Ms. Kahlo's story, but the vivid colors and richly textured culture of Mexico. In the same mode, Mr. Goldenthal emphasizes Mexico's musical tradition with his score - filled with the rich, evocative sound of song and music indigenous to the region. The composer has explored and displayed the area's folk music and incorporated it with his own minimalist style and some outstanding songwriting. He has stated, "... that it was a difficult task to capture the 'spirit of Mexican music' since it varies so much around different regions." However, his choice to stay true to the simplicity of the country's rhythms and themes is on target.
Amélie (also known as Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain; English: The Fabulous Destiny of Amélie Poulain) is a 2001 French-German romantic comedy film directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Written by Jeunet with Guillaume Laurant, the film is a whimsical depiction of contemporary Parisian life, set in Montmartre. It tells the story of a shy waitress, played by Audrey Tautou, who decides to change the lives of those around her for the better while struggling with her own isolation.
Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet chanced upon the accordion and piano-driven music of Yann Tiersen while driving with his production assistant who put on a CD he had not heard before. Greatly impressed, he immediately bought Tiersen's entire catalogue and eventually commissioned him to compose pieces for the film. The soundtrack features both compositions from Tiersen's first three albums, as well as new items, variants of which can be found on his fourth album, L'Absente, which he was writing at the same time.
Besides the accordion and piano, the music features parts played with harpsichord, banjo, bass guitar, vibraphone, and even a bicycle wheel at the end of "La Dispute" (which plays over the opening titles in the motion picture).
