The psycho-thriller »Prisoners«, screened in movie theaters in October 2013, was, amongst other positive critics, said to be »so carried by a high emotional complexity and a feeling of fear that it was unsettling«. The statement about the movie is just as fitting when it comes to its soundtrack: Jóhann Jóhannsson, a composer from Iceland, has found mesmerizing notes full of disturbing gloominess, taking their time to fathom their own melancholy and step by step perpetuating it. Strings, brass sections and the occasional organ sound have formed an alliance, consistently circling around a single topic, until the instruments culminate in a great dramatic and suspenseful climax, without any of the individual parts pushing to the front. Silence plays a big role in these arrangements – after all, suspense needs grass roots to grow from. Brute-force-moments, as they might be known from Hans Zimmer productions, are not to be found, at all. And still you’re not too far off when comparing these two composer-giants – Zimmer, too, acts in fine nuances; just think about the score of »The Dark Knight«, only one example among many. Jóhannsson’s restraints are more likely to derive from the film’s dramatic composition, which just isn’t designed for making a lot of noise. In the end, a soundtrack is always commissioned work – but then again: Who knows? Maybe the music was the inspiration for the film, after all? Considering that Morricone had always finished the soundtrack before Leone took his seat on the director’s chair, ready to make a great Western.
Ayako Shinozaki
Music Now For Harp
WeWantSounds