February 07, 2007

Twitch-o-Meter: Film Goes Pop.

(Posted In Twitch-O-Meter )

crazyposter.jpgLong before I developed my current obsession with film I was a big time music junkie, constantly checking show listings and frequently travelling four or five hours just to catch a favorite act. My first writing jobs were in the music world, ranging from tiny hand published zines all the way up to national publications and I even ran my own tiny record label for a couple years. So, when my turn came up for the Twitch-o-Meter I started to think about music and directors who use it well. Now, I'm not talking about film scores here - though there are lots of brilliant ones out there and that may well make a future edition - or about directors who simply cobble together a kick ass soundtrack designed to ship a lot of units. There are loads of hired guns and record labels out there eager to make that happen for you and there's not really a lot to it. What I am talking about here are those rare directors who are able to use and manipulate pop music, to intertwine it with their images so that both are altered by the other. Something magical happens that way sometimes and here are a quintet of directors that I feel are masters of it ... there are plenty more examples, though, so let's hear your favorites, too ...

I'm ordering this alphabetically simply because which ones I prefer varies from day to day depending on my moods ...

1. p.t. anderson.
Music played a key role in Boogie Nights but Anderson elevated his fusion of music to image to a whole new level with Magnolia, working hand in hand with Jon Brion and Aimee Mann to weave the music so tightly into the framework of the film that it's hard to imagine one without the other. Anderson has gone on record saying that he wrote major sections of the film around Mann's music and I don't doubt him for a second.

2. David Lynch.
Lynch is one of the most audio-conscious of directors and has been from the very beginning of his career, whether that audio be industrialized noise or the music that carries throughout. Lost Highway has music woven into its core and can you imagine Twin Peaks without Julee Cruise? The use of music in the Roadhouse sequence of Fire Walk With Me is a classic example of Lynch using music to confound audience expectations.

3. Quentin Tarantino.
Love him or hate him you can't deny that the man knows how to use music. Whether lifting cues and soundtrack music from other films to make references and sly jokes in his own or working with well known pop songs the man knows his stuff. The ear removal sequence from Reservoir Dogs would be more than enough to put him on this list on it's own merits but there are loads of other examples.

4. Toshiaki Toyoda.
The man made the inclusion of music by Thee Michelle Gun Elephant a contractual requirement before agreeing to shoot Blue Spring, and for good reason. The two songs he uses catch the soul of his lead character while ripping the heart out of his audience. Go outside of that film and into his other work and it quickly becomes clear that the man's simply got impeccable taste: if he's worked with a band, they're damn good. Period.

5. Jean-Marc Vallée.
Vallée took a personal pay cut on C.R.A.Z.Y. to free up funds to get the music he wanted for one simple reason: this story simply could not have been told without it. Sympathy for the Devil at Midnight Mass? It's not hipster irony, it's the central contradiction of his lead character.

» Posted by Todd at February 7, 2007 08:34 PM
Digg This / Add To del.icio.us

Reader Comments

I'd cue in the Coen Brothers who really integrate their soundtracks into their films, Key examples being O Brother Where Art Thou? which is practically a musical, and a fantastic one at that, as well as the great soundtrack and musical imagery (particularly Kenny Rogers "Just Dropped in (To see what Condition my Condition was in)" and a Bubsy Berkley styled hallucinatory episode in by The Dude featuring Julianne Moore in Viking get-up..

» Posted by Kurt at February 7, 2007 09:43 PM

This list could go on forever. A couple obvious ones I'd like to throw in are Scorsese, whose films wouldn't be the same without the exact songs in their exact places, and John Waters, starting from his earliest films, he's had a knack for inserting obscure and not so obscure songs into the strangest places that never leave your mind, Surfin' Bird anyone?

» Posted by Josh at February 7, 2007 10:00 PM

My vote goes to Michael Mann.He does it so well that you dont even notice.Not all the time but Lynch like Mann uses many songs without vocals giving a scene that composer feel .Ex. Mann's love for Moby...my 2cents

» Posted by nitty at February 8, 2007 10:48 AM

Totally agree with you. Quentin Tarantino has become a master in using music to gracefully complement his visual ideas. By the way, I'm glad to see Jean-Marc Vallée in your list. "C.R.A.Z.Y." is just a marvelous movie, and the use of music is essential in its story development. I would like to sum up your list with 1 name: Zach Braff (one of the greatest things in "Garden State" was the subtle but indispensable manner he manages to accomplish emotions by the use of songs). Best!

» Posted by Fernando at February 8, 2007 10:53 AM

I totally agree with the choices above, especially Anderson and Lynch, but I'd toss in John Waters and Sofia Coppolla into that mix as well. Maybe even Pedro Almodovar?

» Posted by Adam at February 8, 2007 06:16 PM

I think one of the smartest uses of popular music has been in a couple of films by Valerio Zurlini. The best of these is Violent Summer, although Girl with a Suitcase has its moments.

» Posted by Peter Nellhaus at February 8, 2007 08:06 PM

I'd like to add KIM Ji-Woon. His choices in The Quiet Family and The Foul King are great. The opening sequence of The Quiet Family took me back to Jr High when that Tres Delinquentes song came out and I was hearing it everywhere/

» Posted by Josh at February 8, 2007 09:01 PM

Extremely agreed on Toyoda, as I was already a fan of TMGE, but their music really helped to bring Blue Spring to another level... then his other films got me into Dip.

» Posted by Anonymous at February 9, 2007 05:56 PM

Post Your Comments

Remember Me?   

(You may use HTML tags for style.)

  

Buy DVDs At The Twitch Store

Our Latest Reviews

Archives

Our Latest Interviews

Archives

Our Latest Entries

Stuff We Like

Shop at our affiliated sites and support Twitch while feeding your pop-culture addiction.

Find your favorites


eThaiCD