- Local
- Community
- Journalism
Support the independent voice of Houston and help keep the future of Houston Press free.
Just because Céline Dion won an Academy Award in 1998 for the song we darest not speak of (lest it be stuck in your head all day) doesn't necessarily make it one of the best songs in the history of filmography. But it was a huge worldwide hit, and as such, it will be included this weekend in the
Houston Symphony's Red Carpet Oscar Party(plan your toilet breaks accordingly!). Thankfully, the Symphony's homage to the
Academy Award for Best Scorewill feature some higher-brow selections too, from the era of Golden Hollywood when men like Charlton Heston were
handsome ancient heroesinstead of gun-toting fogies, and when starlets looked like
thisinstead of
this. The Symphony will also perform scores from this year's
nominated films, including
Upand
Avatar(as though James Cameron needed another statuette). No doubt the Symphony will also perform some of the work of
Andre Previn, winner of four Best Original Score Oscars, including the soundtrack from
Gigi.From 1967 to 1969, Previn was music director of the Houston Symphony.
Rocks Off started thinking about exactly what a soundtrack adds to a film, the kind of mood a certain music creates, and we immediately thought of one of our all-time favorite movies,
Apocalypse Now. There are a dozen reasons to love this movie, from its notoriously
troubled productionto the scathing simplicity of its
source materialto the clever way the story was reworked to apply to the Vietnam War. And don't forget Dennis Hopper.
"Ride of the Valkyries," Apocalypse NowBut more than any other movie,
Apocalypse Nowserves as this film nut's archetype for how music can take a film to a whole other level. According to folklore, Francis Ford Coppola first befriended Jim Morrison in college. Coppola told Morrison he wanted to become a film director, and Morrison told Coppola he wanted to be a rock star. Coppola replied that if Morrison became a musician, he'd use his music in a film. And thus we get the
iconic bone-chilling opening scene. Yes, Rocks Off knows "Ride of the Valkyries" isn't an
originalscore. But it does add something to the film that an actor, a few edits and some special effects never could, especially if you know a little bit about the history of
Wagner.
"Blue Danube," 2001: A Space OdysseyIn a film full of tension and confusion, this is a delightful musical interlude reminiscent of a ballet or an elaborate mating ritual. It's beautiful.
"Main Theme," 2046Every single bit of music for Won Kar-wai's retro-modern tale of unrequited love is a perfect compliment to the vintage feel of the flashbacks and the subservient femme-bots in the year of the title. Wong also uses songs from Dean Martin, Xaviar Cugat,
Connie Francisand Nat King Cole to great effect. In fact, the other films in Wong's trilogy reveal his
exquisite musical touchas well.
"Original Score," AmélieYann Tiersen's entire catalogue was purchased by director Jean-Pierre Jeunet on a whim after Jeunet's assistant played a CD for him. The director later commissioned Tiersen to compose some original songs for the film's bittersweet soundtrack.
Jaws and PsychoBoth scores show how a simple two-note tune can set the hair on your arms at attention. Hitchcock originally wanted no music for the now-famous shower scene. Can you imagine the most infamous murder in cinematic history without the screeching violins?
"Tubular Bells," The ExorcistJeez, does this not freak you out just now hearing it in the middle of the afternoon? Art history fun-fact: the
Keep the Houston Press Free... Since we started the Houston Press, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Houston, and we would like to keep it that way. Offering our readers free access to incisive coverage of local news, food and culture. Producing stories on everything from political scandals to the hottest new bands, with gutsy reporting, stylish writing, and staffers who've won everything from the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi feature-writing award to the Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism. But with local journalism's existence under siege and advertising revenue setbacks having a larger impact, it is important now more than ever for us to rally support behind funding our local journalism. You can help by participating in our "I Support" membership program, allowing us to keep covering Houston with no paywalls.