Appreciating Soundtracks

“Genre criticism cannot conceive the true nature of cinema. It cannot recognize that extraction of a “narrative” is distant indeed from the experience of cinema, that narrative analysis of cinema, when divorced from a phenomenological approach, is virtually as irrelevant to cinematic criticism as narrative summaries of operas are to music criticism.”

Tag Gallagher
Shoot-Out at the Genre Corral
FILM GENRE READER II (1995)
Page 257

We have already ranted against “film journalists” who provide detailed plot summaries in their so-called “reviews” as if that were their primary mission (see the answer to our FAQ: Why are your reviews so short?). Now the time has come to praise the art of the soundtrack. 

Even before films had words, they had music, and musical accompaniment was understood to be critical to developing the emotional meaning of a story. However, with all the hype that surrounds the annual awards season, surprising little attention is given to soundtracks, and unless this happens to be a special interest of yours, you may be completely unaware of a film’s music and the difference music makes in your understanding and appreciation of your favorite films.

Luckily, National Public Radio has the answer, at least with respect to this year’s Oscar-nominated soundtracks. Andy Trudeau, NPR’s resident soundtrack expert, will broadcast three segments analyzing the five Oscar finalists. His schedule is as follow:

Follow this link to NPR for selections from 2002's 5 nominated soundtracks

These segments will air on “Weekend Edition,” NPR’s Sunday morning show. In Chicago, “Weekend Edition” is on from 7 AM to 9 AM every Sunday, but just to be sure, you should surf on over to www.npr.org to check your local listings.

In his capacity as Executive Producer of NPR’s cultural programming division, Andy has shepherded hundreds of classical music concerts and radio dramas to the air. He has a deep and sincere interest in film soundtracks, and his annual Oscar analyses have been an audience favorite every March for the past eight years.

Radio is, of course, a perfect medium for film score analysis, enabling the listener to focus on the various elements which come together in a superlative score. With Andy as your guide, we promise you this: you will never take a soundtrack for granted again.

FILMS FOR TWO thanks Andy for enriching our lives, and we also thank Bob Malesky (Senior Producer for WeSun) for helping us get this schedule information to all of you. Enjoy!

(For general information on soundtracks, check out the
FILM SCORE MONTHLY section on our Links page.)