Music is, contrary to popular belief, still an important part of filmmaking. While the soundtracks that sell these days are those that take existing songs and stuff them unceremoniously into a film as some kind of compilation, there is still a place for the composed soundtrack or film score. However, favourites such as Elmer Bernstein, John Williams and Ennio Morricone are aging so it is now down to a new generation of composers and music-makers to fill the capacious boots they will leave behind. This particular list is concerned with one composer in particular, the Korean Jo Yeong-wook; a classical composer that I believe has the talent to be grouped among today’s very best: Danny Elfman, Alexandre Desplat, Gustavo Santaolalla et al.
This list will count down my favourite tracks from Jo Yeong-wook’s work on the 2003 film, Park Chan-wook’s Oldboy, a film that perhaps defines the exciting new wave that has recently gripped Korean Cinema. Park is one of Asia’s most exciting young filmmakers, but his work wouldn’t be the same without composer Jo Yeong-wook whose moody and atmospheric scores have really heightened the emotion of his better work. The score for Oldboy, I could listen to all day long. It is indeed one of the best original scores of recently memory, and even the tracklist itself is interesting considering that most of the song names are taken from classic films – many of them Noirs. Enjoy, and don’t forget to click the links below each image to watch the clip or listen to the song!
10. The Searchers | “I will never forget the food I tasted for 15 years”
Picking ten tracks from such a stunning arrangement was difficult enough, but placing one behind the others was even tougher. The Searchers is named after the John Wayne movie from 1956, though this is about all they have in common. It is always an intricate task to give the illusion of time passing in a movie; if you wish to jump from one point to another or your characters are searching to achieve something then the correct music must be employed. The Searchers arrives not long into the film as protagonist Oh Dae-su is searching for his captor. This involves canvasing all the restaurants that include the name Blue Dragon in order to find the correct food and therefore the man he seeks. In this sense, Jo Yeong-wook must provide an accompanying score that never allows its feet to drag. An upbeat number that plays on the subtle humour given as the scene comes into play and then continues forwards. Always forwards. The Searchers is almost montage-music on reflection, with a whiny violin that never ceases set alongside a bassline that bumbles onward, always giving this impression of progress.
09. The Last Waltz | “The ants… do you still see them?”
The second song to make my list is another small number, but still an extremely important one. In fact, The Last Waltz was picked out by Jo Yeong-wook as the piece that best symbolises the character Mido in the story, and we see this wistful melody come into play each time Mido considers her own colourful tale. The idea here is to help connect Mido’s character to that of Oh-Daesu. When she is lonely, she sees ants in much the same way as Oh-Daesu while he was locked up, and goes on to claim that it is simply the envy of these ants’ sense of togetherness and community that provokes such visions. With a title taken from the Martin Scorsese film of the same name, The Last Waltz is played first as Mido ponders the symbolism of these ants, her mind wandering back to a train journey where she sits, teary-eyed, glancing over to a rather shifty looking ant with whom she shares the carriage. The fact that she sees one giant ant instead of several is a subtle hint by the director that Mido isn’t looking for company or the chance to socialise but instead one single being with which to share her world. It is an almost tongue-in-cheek statement by Park Chan-wook, and one that is perfectly complemented by this light and intriguing little number.
08. The Big Sleep | “There’s no need to worry, it will be a very peaceful death”
For my eighth favourite song from the film Oldboy, I’ve chosen a darker, more subtle track. While only 95 seconds long so short next to the standard set by the rest of the soundtrack, this is still an important piece thanks largely to its placement at the very end of the film. Oldboy’s conclusive sequence was purposefully and quite brilliantly left very much open by director Chan-wook Park, and he has been quoted as saying that the very final scene should be interpreted in whichever way the viewer sees fit. The final, quivering expression on the face of Oh Dae-su is followed immediately by Mido’s theme – The Last Waltz - just before the credits roll, obviously as an attempt to underline her significance here yet his expression tells a different story altogether. More important perhaps is the part just prior to this where Oh Dae-su is hypnotised upon some snowbound landscape. He is parted by the hypnotist from his ‘monster’ self as The Big Sleep rumbles into life. He treads silently treading through the high-rise apartment to meet his opposite self – symbolised by his reflection – looking to destroy him once and for all.
07. For Whom the Bell Tolls | “Ring, ring! Move aside!”
For Whom the Bell Tolls is another beautiful linking song, one that signifies the character Oh Dae-su’s final and terrible realisation of exactly what it is that he has done to deserve such torture. It begins in a hair salon, where the combination of a ringing bell and bare feminine knees drags up a forgotten memory from the depths. Despite its relative importance as far as the film’s narrative is concerned, For Whom the Bell Tolls - also a 1943 film starring Gary Cooper and Ingrid Bergman – isn’t quite as affecting as other songs on the soundtrack, but the way it tinkles into life is quite wonderful. “Ring, ring! Move aside!” – as the girl on her bike commences a wide arc of the dusty playing field – “Ring, ring! Move aside!” - it is her bare knees and ringing bell that Dae-su begins to remember. From here the scene and then the encounter evolves in front of our eyes. At which point we learn for the first time the nature of our protagonist’s betrayal and what he did to provoke such revenge.
06. The Old Boy | “Those of you who are blood type AB, raise your hands”
Finally – at least for now – there is The Old Boy; a song that is also referred to as Oh Dae-su’s theme and the only original track of the entire score that isn’t named after a particular film. It is also one of the few songs on the soundtrack that isn’t of the classical mould, and is instead the kind of synth-heavy computer-generated music that has become more popular in films these days. The main reason for this distinction is that the song is played at significant points where the character’s true nature is expresseed – moments that are cold and primal and driven by revenge – therefore a harder, darker track was required. The Old Boy is first played during the much talked about fight scene that occurs towards the middle of the film that sees Dae-su fight his way through a gang of armed thugs in some grimy corridor, and just so happens to be the first act of revenge that he delivers in the movie. As with most of these vengeful moments, he lashes out, not against the faceless person who has wronged him but instead those who threaten to get in his way.
Thank you very much!
A beautiful film , thank you for posting in such an organized fashion!
By: Jimmy on July 16, 2009
at 5:01 am