I always liked THE FABULOUS BAKER BOYS by Dave Grusin. Maybe because I like the film, too. The opening track "Welcome to the Road" was especially bouyant and has this sad tinge. Also, some tracks from Benny Goodman and the Duke Ellington Trio, plus the sexy vocals of Michelle Pfeiffer in such songs as "Makin' Whoopee" and "My Funny Valentine". When the intrumentals are viewed in the context of the film, its really quite poignant, most especially if you know the music by heart.
Ennio Morricone's CINEMA PARADISO, THE MISSION and LOVE AFFAIR were really atmospheric music. String-laden usually, the songs were most evocative even without the visuals that accompany them. In CINEMA PARADISO, "Song for Elena" and "First Kiss and First Fellini" were standouts. In THE MISSION, "Gabriel's Oboe" and "On Earth as it is in Heaven" were aural delights. But LOVE AFFAIR is quite unmatched in its still beauty. The leitmotiv is this song that has a subtle crescendo that lovingly paints a love affair doomed from the start. The cathartic elements of the reworked leitmotiv in the closing credits still used the elements of the recurring theme, but this time, and oh-so-quietly, inserted something upbeat and happy without necessarily creating dance-like rhythmns. Gabriel Yared's ROOM WITH A VIEW is also a desert-island pick. It started with a Kiri Te Kanawa vocal of "O Mio Babbino Caro" and the rest are remembered music one can't get out of one's head. Beautifully melancholy. Te Kanawa's aria from La Rondine was also touching. But the music stands on its own without visuals, too. Finally, THE PRINCE OF TIDES. The music's quite good, too. Makes you apreciate cafe apres midi and the musical equivalent of unexplainable loneliness that afflicts adults. Although I could do without Barbra Streisand's vocals, her one vocal called "Places That Belong To YOu" was quite good. Although I am not a fan of Streisand, I like the music that accompanied the bittersweet scenes. This film works well if one watches the film (but those towards-the-end Nolte-Streisand scenes were cringe-inducing but complemented at least by good music from James Newton Howard). As for musicals, MISS SAIGON is quite compelling. Maybe because Lea Salonga sings so exquisitely. joseph in manila
