Tag Archives: Bernard Herrmann

Soundtrack Review: The Wolf of Snow Hollow (2020)

So just the other day I shared the news that the original soundtrack for The Wolf of Snow Hollow (by Ben Lovett) is now available. Today, I actually got the chance to sit down and listen to that soundtrack and present my thoughts on it below.

My god…..this soundtrack is beautiful. Even in this severely truncated year of films, I’ve been able to listen to my fair share of soundtracks this year, and I can sincerely say that The Wolf of Snow Hollow is one of the best, if not THE best soundtrack I’ve heard in 2020. The music was composed by Ben Lovett, who has also scored the likes of Synchronicity (2015), The Ritual (2017), and The Night House (2020), just to name a few examples.

From beginning to end, this soundtrack is amazing. It feels very much like a throwback to the kind of soundtrack you’d hear during the Golden Age of Cinema (approximately 1933-1960, the exact years vary depending on who you ask). And this is a very good thing! Film scores like this are filled with rich musical layers, the strings in particular range from menacing to thoughtful (but still full of tension). I also like how Lovett doesn’t give too much away with the music. Some scores, this year’s The Invisible Man comes to mind, openly project where and when certain moments (like jump scares) happen. The Wolf of Snow Hollow doesn’t do that. You feel a certain rise and fall fo tension to be sure, but if any one specific moment happens, the music doesn’t give it away.

And that music….Lovett openly admits that he wanted the music of The Wolf of Snow Hollow to be referential and is it ever! The influence of Bernard Herrmann is all over this score, in particular I heard multiple references to his iconic score for Psycho (1960). Not, I should clarify, anything that references the iconic “shower scene” moment that the film is most famous for. Instead, I swear I heard hints of Hermmann’s score from the opening of the film, particularly in the track “Third Crime Scene.” I love that this score pays such direct homage to one of Herrmann’s best film scores, and it makes me very excited to eventually watch this film and hear the music in context with the story. If I get the chance to speak with the composer, I plan on asking about this score’s connection with Herrmann and Psycho because that is a story I need to hear.

It would be impossible to overstate how happy listening to this soundtrack made me. From the opening track, the music sucked me in, and it never lets up. This is one of the best use of strings that I’ve heard in years, I know I’ve said that before but it’s done so well I have to mention it again.

I could go on and on, but honestly it all boils down to this: you need to listen to the original soundtrack for The Wolf of Snow Hollow at your earliest opportunity. This music is so beautiful, with a great homage to Bernard Herrmann, and I think you’ll be hard pressed to find a score that surpasses this one in what little remains of 2020. Ben Lovett has knocked it out of the park with this one.

Let me know what you think about the music for The Wolf of Snow Hollow in the comments below and have a great day!

Film Soundtracks A-W

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Soundtrack News: ‘The Wolf of Snow Hollow’ Soundtrack Available Now

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Lakeshore Records released The Wolf of Snow Hollow—Original Motion Picture Soundtrack digitally on October 9th. Composed by Ben Lovett (The Ritual, The Wind), the album is a strikingly orchestrated, multi-faceted work inspired by old school Bernard Herrmann-era suspense thrillers reflecting all the dimensions of the offbeat horror film—from darkly comedic to tension-fueled terror to oddball mystery caper.

In The Wolf of Snow Hollow, a small-town sheriff, struggling with a failed marriage, a rebellious daughter, and a lackluster department, is tasked with solving a series of brutal murders that are occurring on the full moon. As he’s consumed by the hunt for the killer, he struggles to remind himself that there’s no such thing as werewolves…

The Wolf of Snow Hollow is written and directed by Jim Cummings (Thunder Road) who stars alongside Riki Lindhome (Knives Out, “Garfunkel and Oates”), Jimmy Tatro (“American Vandal,” Bad Education), Chloe East (“Kevin (Probably) Saves the World”) and the late Academy Award nominee Robert Forster (Jackie Brown, The Descendants) in his final feature role.

Speaking about working with the director Cummings, Lovett noted: “After seeing Thunder Road I leapt at the opportunity to collaborate with Jim and tried to match his energy every step of the way. Jim is a big music fan and had tremendous enthusiasm for the process. We talked about everything from Prokofiev to Bernard Herrmann and I could tell he wanted to go big. We had a tiny budget but a lot of ambition, and I wanted to see if we could pack big ideas into small packages.”

Expanding on the score, Lovett adds: “On a score like this the aim is to be referential without being derivative, to celebrate the influences instead of trying to hide them. I like folding a love letter into what I’m doing but try to keep from getting too caught up in that, ultimately I’m just chasing an instinct about a sound and feel that hopefully expands on the personality and character of the film.”

Track List

The Werewolf
Welcome to Snow Hollow
Little Red Riding Hood
First Full Moon
First Crime Scene
Snow Hollow Mystery
Second Full Moon
Second Crime Scene
Slopes
Relapse
Werewolf Stories
Third Crime Scene
Utah
Detectives
Second Relapse
Full Moon Fever
Snow Hollow Killer
Returning Evidence
For Protection
New Sheriff

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Soundtrack Review: 21 Bridges (2019)

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The original motion picture soundtrack for 21 Bridges is available now from Sony Music Masterworks. The soundtrack was composed by Henry Jackman and Alex Belcher (previous collaborations include Captain America: Civil War, Jack Reacher and Io); the pair drew inspiration from the grittier, more nuanced, and classically-influenced scores of film noir and action cinema of the 1950’s-70’s. The intensity they deliver in their score for 21 Bridges creates a unique and gripping original soundtrack hearkening back to these nostalgic movies of yesteryear while still forging new ground in contemporary composition.

Of the soundtrack, composer Henry Jackman had this to say:

“Writing the score for 21 Bridges in collaboration with Alex was immensely fun and creatively rewarding. The fact that we, along with Brian Kirk and Joe Russo, had such a specific aesthetic in mind, made it all the more interesting. The idea was respectfully to derive some influence from the Bernard Herrman-era of film scoring and fuse that influence with contemporary composition and recording techniques. I think we ended up with quite a brave and musically opinionated result. Working with Brian and Joe was a pleasure and collaborating with Alex was also fantastic since not only was he a keen student of the original’s Herrman scores, but also he is a great guitarist and bass player, with an ear for an authentic tone, all of which contributed greatly to the score.”

Co-composer Alex Belcher added:

“Writing music for film is a uniquely rewarding artistic expression. As the composer, you act as a guide for the audience, leading them through the story and giving them information they aren’t necessarily seeing on screen. Writing the score for 21 Bridges was even more rewarding because the film offered us the chance to do this sort of storytelling in a way that payed homage to some of the great film scores of the 1970’s. It was, truly, a wonderful endeavor.”

21 Bridges follows an embattled NYPD detective (Chadwick Boseman), who is thrust into a citywide manhunt for a pair of cop killers after uncovering a massive and unexpected conspiracy. As the night unfolds, lines become blurred on who he is pursuing, and who is in pursuit of him. When the search intensifies, extreme measures are taken to prevent the killers from escaping Manhattan as the authorities close all 21 BRIDGES to prevent any entry or exit from the iconic island.

It’s intriguing that Jackman and Belcher looked to the past, particularly to Bernard Herrman, when they put the score for 21 Bridges together. That would make the soundtrack a distinctive blend of past and present (Herrman’s scores almost always stood out). For that reason alone, I recommend checking out the soundtrack to 21 Bridges if you get the opportunity.

Let me know what you think about 21 Bridges (and its soundtrack) in the comments below and have a great day! The soundtrack is available for purchase now!

21 BRIDGES (ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK)
TRACKLISTING –
Prelude
Radio Chatter
Mosto’s
Cocaine Shootout
Speed Cam
Aftermath
Hawk
Chinatown
That Leaves Manhattan
Meet The Preps
Pan Am Club
Close The Island
Thumb Drives
See You In Miami
Guys Like Me
Bring Him In Alive
Hostage
Coolhand
Foot Chase
Grand Central
Look The Devil In The Eye
Epilogue

See also:

Film Soundtracks A-W

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Michael Giacchino talks Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)

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I’ve been suffering from franchise fatigue as of late, which is why I didn’t go see Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom when it came to theaters in the summer of 2018. However, I have heard good things about Michael Giacchino’s score for this film (he’s one of my favorite film composers since he is almost incapable of composing a bad film score). In looking through the behind-the-scenes videos linked at the top of this post, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Giacchino took inspiration from the scores that Bernard Herrmann wrote for several Ray Harryhausen films (among them Jason and the Argonauts and The 7th Voyage of Sinbad). Given that those are some of my favorite film scores, I almost feel bad that I didn’t give this film a chance.

Behind the scenes of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom Part 1

Behind the scenes of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom Part 2

Behind the scenes of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom Part 3

Michael Giacchino also discusses how he pushed the envelope in how little he could get away with musically. The best film composers can do a lot with minimal music and Giacchino is good at drawing you in with a series of low, minimal notes before suddenly BOOM! the music explodes and you’re literally jumping in your seat. While I’m still not 100% sure how I feel about the Jurassic World franchise as a whole, I do think they made the right choice in picking Michael Giacchino as the composer. His scores retain the sense of wonder (and extreme danger) that John Williams established with the original Jurassic Park film. I hope you enjoy watching these behind-the-scenes videos looking at the score of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.

Let me know what you think about Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom in the comments below and have a great day!

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