The soundtrack to a film is as important as cinematography, editing, good writing, acting, etc. It really pains me when the soundtrack lets down the film and translates the wrong mood. The most recent example among films I've seen is Shotgun Stories. Fantastic acting from several of the actors, great tension, character development, and pacing. However, the film's central theme doesn't quite match the sobriety and drastic measures of the blood feud. Here it is:
The strings are nice and somber, but something about that guitar playing just pulled me out of the world of the film. Not to mention that it's the same song for the whole film. Another example I can think of is the overuse of Neil Young's guitar noodling on Dead Man, another similarly good film with a poor soundtrack. Well not so much poor as it is inappropriate, although it is more appropriate for Dead Man's soundtrack given that it's a Western. I think my beef with Dead Man's music is that I'm not a fan of it in general, so maybe that's where my real problem rests.
__________________
Studies show that when a given norm is changed in the face of the unchanging, the remaining contradictions will parallel the truth.
|