Music and Story: TOP 5 Movie Soundtracks

Previously in Media 1 we discussed editing an example of good editing shown in the week two lectorial was THIS SCENE from Casino. In this scene music played a huge part in filling in the gaps of the story where there was no dialogue. How music is used in film is extremely crucial to its storytelling. So, I’ve made a list of my Top 5 favorite Soundtracks; These soundtracks all do a wonderful job of setting a tone/rhythm for the film/story (especially The Graduate and Marie Antoinette), create emotion, and fill in structural gaps for the story:

Note: This is a list of my favorites not what I would classify as ‘the best’.

1. Marie Antoinette // Sophia Coppola : Coppola’s sympathetic take on the controversial historical figure as a naive yet utterly cool teenager had the perfect soundtrack to match this POV with upbeat new wave pop tracks from Bow Wow Wow and Adam & The Ants. This was certainly the first time I left a theater and immediately bought the soundtrack.

1. The Parent Trap // Nancy Meyers: Not only one of my favorite soundtracks but one of my favorite movies. This soundtrack was one of the first CD’s I ever owned (second to …Baby One More Time). Anytime I hear Nat King Cole’s ‘L-O-V-E‘ I can’t help but think of the opening sequence. The entire soundtrack re-evokes feeling associated with something great.
2. 500 Days of Summer // Marc Webb: It’s not surprising that 500 Days of Summer has such a killer soundtrack as director Marc Webb had been a Music Video director for ages (his music video credits are actually out of this world Daniel Powter’s ‘Bad Day‘ AAR ‘Move Along‘, Ashlee Simpsons ‘Boyfriend‘ and most importantly Hilary Duffs ‘Wake up‘ It’s like her directed my Middle School soul). This was another case of me leaving a theater to only immediately buy the soundtrack. This scene explains it all.
3. The Graduate // Mike Nichols:“It’s not for the movie,” he said. “It’s a song about times past — about Mrs. Roosevelt and Joe DiMaggio and stuff.”Always the opportunist, Nichols said, “It’s now about Mrs. Robinson, not Mrs. Roosevelt.” Thus was born the great song that provided the perfect third-act impetus for “The Graduate.” Indeed, the Simon & Garfunkel music gave the film important lifts at moments when the story seemed to sputter. It’s impossible to imagine the film without these moments.”    NUFF SAID.
4. Sleepless in Seattle // Nora Ephron: This may simply come from a place of nostalgia and my true love for all things Nora Epron. The opening credits to Sleepless In Seattle is wonderful and the use of Jimmy Durantes’ As Time Goes By sets the tone for the rest of the film (as well as a throwback to Casablanca). Even when the use of Auld Lang Syne during a New Year’s Eve celebration is cliche it fits rights in with the rest of song choices.  It may be contrived …. but it gives you the feels.