Did you ever watch a movie just because of the soundtrack?

ArchitRen · Lieutenant Joined: Jun 28, 2007 Posts: 120

Ok. So we've all been there. We're listening to SST, when all of a sudden a beautifully moving ST comes on and you think: "Wow, what movie is this beautiful piece from?" Then you look at the cover art to realize that it is not at all what you expected.
Personally, this experience rarely entices me to find the movie and watch it. It usually turns out to be something I have no interest in seeing. In fact, I am yet to go out and watch a movie based solely on the ST, even though i love stumbling upon cinematic gems in an unexpected fashion. In my experience, there are many films that have far better soundtracks, so the soundtrack itself being wonderful does not necessarily mean the movie will be worth watching.

Have you watched a movie simply because you loved the soundtrack? And did you enjoy the movie?

PS: Sorry if a similar thread already exists out there. I tried to find one to no avail.

LadyInque · Posted: Thu Dec 03, 2009 10:17 am Post subject:

I think I read Dune because the use of Brian Tyler's score in the trailer for Frank Herbert's Children of Dune on SciFi got my attention. Does that count? I also bought the score for the third series of Doctor Who because of what I'd heard on SST, and eventually watched the series. In both cases, I liked the movie, though I don't think I loved either of them. I still love Dune the book, though.

I'm rambling, sorry. Usually I buy/listen to scores because I like the movie, and not the reverse. But that's because I need music to have context, especially score.
_________________
I have a book coming out. Wanna see it?
http://www.jessicalevai.com/sternendach-a-vampire-opera-in-verse/

GalFin · Posted: Thu Dec 03, 2009 11:47 am Post subject:

This has happened to me several times last summer and fall.

We have an art cable channel here that shows a lot of European movies. Last summer I was channel surfing when I noticed they were about to start a movie called "Indig�nes" (Days of Glory). I knew this from the Armand Amar score here at SST (not one of his stronger scores IMHO). The film was quite good actually. It tells about North African soldiers fighting for the French in the WWII (during the winter of 1944-45) somewhere in the eastern France.

I also have three examples with Ennio Morricone scores. Films, which I watched on this channel, too, and mostly because I knew the scores and was just curious to see the films:
Sorstalans�g (Fateless) IMDb
I liked this one a lot.

La sconosciuta IMDb
Really disturbing film, not sure if I liked it...

Pane e libert� IMDb
This is a 2-part tv miniseries. I saw the first part last night and I quite liked it, although it was a bit melodramatic... Next week I'll watch the 2nd part. Morricone's music really enhances this tv series.

I may have watched these anyway but I think that knowing the scores from SST really made me more curious to see these.

alien_avatar · Captain Joined: Oct 28, 2006 Posts: 1342 Location: Berlin

I've done that a couple of times, but only when it happened to be something that I thought might interest me. It's how I started watching Doctor Who for example. Smile

For the most part I just enjoy the music. I almost never "re-imagine" scenes from movies like LadyInque apparently does, so it doesn't matter all that much whether I know the movie or not.
_________________
"Welcome to the paranoia club; cheapest fees in the universe and membership lasts forever."
- Peter F. Hamilton, The Evolutionary Void

masked_platypus · Posted: Fri Dec 04, 2009 2:11 am Post subject:

I do it often.

The first one was beetlejuice, and I knew the score so well it spoiled everything. Same for Jurassic park. When you know the music come suddenly, you can expect a dino to come.
I tried also Godzilla, which I spent most of the time listening to the music and not looking at the so bad movie.
That's some exemple who cames in mind for the moment.
_________________
There is no problem that can't be solve without any solution

Albi · Posted: Mon Dec 28, 2009 6:00 pm Post subject:

I've had that experience once, and it was with Crash. I really loved the tracks of the soundtracks that got played here from time to time. One day I got to watch it I found that the soundtrack matched the movie perfectly and it has been one of my favourite movies ever since Smile

notinwonderland · Cadet 2 Joined: Sep 20, 2009 Posts: 5

A couple of STs have caused me to go back to watch the movie (usually an old one that I hadn't paid much attention to)... a couple of James Horner's STs (Apollo 13 and The Rocketeer) and Joe Hisaishi's Howl's Moving Castle. I liked Apollo 13 the most of the 3. The rest were nice to place the music in it's movie context. Have wanted to watch "The Mission" because of Ennio Morricone's ST but haven't managed to find the movie CD of DVDs that easily.

Irulan · Lieutenant Joined: Feb 26, 2006 Posts: 147 Location: Ghent

It�s not a movie, but i decided to watch the Battlestar Galactica series after listening the soundtrack here in SST, and i�m very glad i did it because it�s amazing!!
_________________
Fear is the mind killer

Twopop

AveD · Posted: Sun Jan 17, 2010 11:43 am Post subject:

I'm not so much of an avid movie goer anymore but I do use rentals & Netflix. Since I've been a member here I've heard & liked many ST's which made me want to see those films. Some of them I've watched due to very beautiful music by a few of my favorite composers, are:

The Legend of 1900 - Morricone
Her Alibi - Delerue
Russia House - J. Goldsmith
Merry Christmas - Rombi
Girl With A Pearl Earring - Desplat
Angel - Rombi

Also, thanks to Twopop mentioning these are on Netflix, I am going to put both in my queue today! Very Happy

Jeux D'Enfants
La Sconosciuta

JadedTitan · Posted: Sat Jan 23, 2010 8:07 pm Post subject:

I too watched Battlestar because of the music! Absolutely loved it and think the music is just as awesome. Ive also watched quite a few films just because I like the music I heard here on SST, The Home of Dark Butterflies and Last of the Mohicans are two that come to mind. Both those films were ok, but I still love their music best. I think listening to music helps find new films to watch...like Butterflies, I never would have watched it otherwise!
_________________
The right song can turn an emperor into a laughing stock, can bring down dynasties. A song can last long after the events and people in it are dust and dreams are gone.

Genpoint · Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2010 1:36 pm Post subject:

This is a great topic ArchitRen!

I have to admit I have done this over the last few years. I fell in love with Christopher Gordon's work for On the Beach. It took me years before I saw the film (and the original). In this case the score way outweighs the film in quality (and an awesome score it is!!!).

Some others which come to mind:

Howl's Moving Castle

Anne of Green Gables (which I expected to tolerate for the music, but I ended up loving the film - didn't expect the great humor)

Black Hawk Down

Amelie

I'd like to see Angel and The Cooler as they have great scores as well.

mister_mouse · Captain Joined: Apr 15, 2009 Posts: 1464

I did that with Lady in the Water. Wasn't too impressed with the trailer, then heard the music on SST and thought any movie with a soundtrack this good can't be all bad. Music was waay better than the movie.

Also want to watch The Clandestine Marriage after hearing it on SST, but can't find it anywhere.
_________________
They say of the Acropolis where the Parthenon is...

molossus · Posted: Wed Jun 30, 2010 9:07 am Post subject:

I did. I even watched movies I didn't like at all - just because I was curious what the music sounds like (for example The Promise with Badelt's music or Transformers - Revenge of the Fallen with Jablonsky's score).
_________________
<i>"The piano keys are black and white,
But they sound like a million colors in your mind"</i>
(from "Spider's Web" by <a href="http://katiemelua.com/music/#KatieMelua">Katie Melua</a>)

Avatar is from work of art by Drew Struzan

NightHawkFan01 · Lieutenant Joined: Jun 24, 2010 Posts: 129

It used to be that I didn't pay attention to the music/score/soundtrack of a movie (except only as a passive element of the story) ... until I started listening to SST... now I find myself critiquing it as I watch movies (ok, that means either hte music is standing out because it's that good... or that movie is boring enough that I cna pull myself out of it like that). I recently started watching the Pillars of Earth from Starz... very first thing that jumped out at me was the music... I seriously hope it gets released as a Soundtrack when the series hits DVD (I didn't realize it was an on-going series when I started watching it).

-tg