To Bathe in Filmic Waters

This is a continuing list, the first part of which can be found here, to count down my ten favourite songs used in the 2003 film Oldboy. As the middle installment of Park Chan-wook’s cult “Vengeance” trilogy, Oldboy is a film that has stuck with me since witnessing it five years ago and much of its staying power can be attributed Jo Yeong-wook’s stunning score. As mentioned beforehand it is an OST of the classical nature, inspired by some of Europe’s greater film composers. And once again you will notice that many – not quite all – of the songs presented take their names from classic films, many of them Noirs, though I’ll leave it up to you readers to discuss how these songs represent their various namesakes. Enjoy, and don’t forget to click the links below each image to watch the clip or listen to the song!

05. The Count of Monte Cristo | “When I wake up, my hair is cut.“

An aptly titled song and reference, The Count of Monte Cristo is a piece of music that once again holds little importance as far as plot points go, yet can be seen to hold a certain and purpose in the development of Oh Dae-su’s broken character. This escalating composition of deep strings commences near the beginning of Oldboy, as our main character explains the details of his forced life as a hermit; he has just finished berating the guard outside for doing such a thing, and then succumbs to the terrible gas pumped into his room to induce a deep sleep. We are also introduced to another fairly critical point here, that of Oh Dae-su and his ants: the insects enter his life in times of extreme loneliness and solitude so as to symbolise the man’s longing for some kind of companionship, and in this sequence (as opposed to Mido’s recollection) they are portrayed quite graphically in an invasive swarm that cover Oh Dae-su’s face. The main reason of the The Count of Monte Cristo sequence though is to show our lonely man in his lonely tower; what he did there to pass the time, and how this experience affected him as a human being.

04. It’s Alive | “I am a kind of scholar, and my field of study is you“

It’s Alive – yet another apt title – arrives during another of Oldboy’s more critical plot points, yet one that’s importance doesn’t become quite so apparent until later on. While the stunt pulled by Choi Min-sik – the eating of a live squid – is one of the film’s more iconic moments, and is important in that it illustrates the character’s need to feel life once again, it does tend to distract from what actually occurs: the first meeting of Oh Dae-su and Mido, a point at which a number of different things are revealed. The name It’s Alive refers to a seventies’ horror film by writer/director Larry Cohen, but as with many other of the tracks this is merely a passing nod; more sense can be made when considering the scene in which a given song is used. Oh Dae-su has been cooped up for so long that he now longs for social contact – any kind of contact will do, for his own life has ebbed away into the shadows and therefore he must find a living source to draw this feeling from. This moment is amplified beautifully by the screeching violins that rear up as the sheer horror of the moment tumbles upon us.

03. Four Seasons Concerto | “Each tooth I extract will age you by one year“

The only unoriginal song on the Oldboy soundtrack, Four Seasons Concerto – or, more specifically Concerto No. 4 in F minor, Op. 8, RV 297, “L’inverno” – was actually composed by Italian Baroque artist Antonio Vivaldi. It was Vivaldi’s most famous piece, written in the year 1723, and despite the fact that its inclusion here negates the term “Original Soundtrack”, it doesn’t upset the general theme maintained by Jo Yeong-Wook. Rousing violins are what give this collection a classical edge and Vivaldi’s piece slides right alongside the rest of these tracks seamlessly. As with the previous entry, this song occurs during one of the film’s more graphically violent moments; this, of course, is a common theme, and one that educates us on the extent of Dae-su’s vengeful feeling – and the connecting of such sense-assaulting visuals with considerably more delicate music only heightens effect. L’inverno works extremely well as a suspenseful piece also, and is coupled to the offensive imagery in order to provoke a reaction – typically one of recoil – from the audience.

02. Frantic | “Laugh, and the worId laughs with you. Weep, and you weep alone.“

The defining moment of Oldboy is a horrific twist that, while some say is quite easy to predict, is certainly nothing that can be stopped. For those reading who are yet to see the film – I can’t expect there will be many – it’s time to look away now. I’m referring, of course, to Oh Dae-su’s final and fatal discovery; his final grasping of a conclusion that he has been subconsciously striving for throughout the entire movie. Why? Why was he imprisoned in such a place? The answer comes in the form of young Mido, who turns out to be no less than Dae-su’s own daughter. Seeing as this moment is perhaps the most important in the entire film, it was critical that a piece of music should be attached to complement it well. The moment is not thrust into light, as with other conclusive sequences, but more uncovered slowly. As Oh Dae-su flicks through the photographs, the truth dawns upon him along with the sheer horror at what  it is that he has done. This building of panic and realisation is perfectly resembled by the repetitive crescendo witnessed in Frantic.

01. Cries and Whispers| “I have no regrets. Do you?“

Finally, to conclude this list, I present to you the song Cries and Whispers - my favourite part of the Oldboy soundtrack, and a song thats title is of course a reference to the classic Ingmar Bergman film of the same name. Not only is this the most beautiful crescendo crafted by Jo Yeong-Wook, it also comes during the most beautiful and poignant moment in Park Chan-wook’s film. We begin in the elevator after Woo-jin has explained his terrible secret to Dae-su. This act of final and absolute vengeance is a relief for Woo-jin, and in that moment he allows all the memories of his sister to wash over him. The jumpy score kicks in and the camera then pans down to see Woo-jin’s arm outstretched in the elevator, which then cuts to him holding his sister upon a great damn. Both are crying and as Soo-ah attempts to smile and let go, the violins sear higher. Cries and Whispers is a stunning piece of classical music in its own right and mixes in modern string arrangements so as to complement Park Chan-wook’s unique direction.

Thank you for reading and please feel free to suggest your own favourite songs from the Oldboy soundtrack.