Time for something a bit different this week - it's the first post about a film soundtrack! Cloud Atlas is one of my favourite films (although weirdly, I'm not so keen on the book, which rarely happens...). If you haven't seen the film, you really should, it's very clever. Essentially, there are six connected stories which are all very unique but equally as involving. Throughout the film there's a real sense of intertwining fates and being drawn together, something which Tom Tykwer, Reinhold Heil and Johnny Kilmek's wonderful score does masterfully.
The film's beautiful main theme is played with throughout, creating a sense of unity throughout the narratives. And yet, where the music needs to be tense and involving, it very much can be. This, in my opinion, is one of the most involving film soundtracks I've heard. I think I like it so much because it adds so much aesthetic value to the film itself, and even then can be thoroughly enjoyed on its own.
One of the stories involves a composer writing the 'Cloud Atlas Sextet' (the number six, by the way, comes back again and again throughout the stories), something which is realised as part of this soundtrack, and then used to contextualise all of the other narratives too, and it works wonderfully. Furthermore, one of the reasons I prefer the film to the book is that through use of re-sequencing what happens it draws parallels between stories where the book can't. And yet again, the music helps with this, presenting its themes to link things in new ways, making the film even more thought-provoking and mind-blowing.
I don't really want to say too much more about this, other than that I hope you enjoy the music and will consider watching the film or reading the book, I really do think it's one of the best films ever with one of the best soundtracks ever.
If you liked this, try listening to other music by Tom Tykwer and watching the films that the music is from - as well as other films by the Wachowskis (as well as their amazing Netflix series 'Sense8', with music by Tom Tykwer also...)
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