Wikipedia

The Lighthouse (soundtrack)

The Lighthouse (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack to the 2019 film of the same name directed by Robert Eggers, starring Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe. The original score is composed by Canadian composer Mark Korven, whom had previously collaborated with Eggers on his debut film The Witch (2015). It consisted of aleatoric instrumentation that represents the sea and the nature being primarily used throughout the film, and devoid of a string-based score. The sonic palette of the film was derived from the mythology of the seas and oceans.

The Lighthouse (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Film score by
Mark Korven
ReleasedOctober 18, 2019
Recorded2019
GenreFilm score
Length36:22
LabelMilan
ProducerMark Korven
Mark Korven chronology
In the Tall Grass
(2019) 		The Lighthouse
(2019) 		The Terror
(2019)

The soundtrack which consisted of thirteen Korven's original score was released by Milan Records digitally on October 18, 2019, followed by a physical release distributed by Sacred Bones Records in vinyl LPs. Korven received positive response from critics for his compositions and a nomination at the 2020 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards for Best Score.[1][2]

Development

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Korven discussed with Eggers on nature serving the sonic inspiration and the world the characters inhabited.[3] He further illustrated about "the mythology of the sea—mermaids, ancient myths, that sort of thing" and evoke in an aleatoric manner through textures and instrumentation. The soundtrack began with a minimalistic approach with a nod to sea shanties and ancient Greek music until the use of big brass section, which turned into a maximalist score.[4]

He recalled the ton of material of classic horror scores such as Bernard Herrmann's Psycho (1960) and Jerry Goldsmith's Alien (1979) which influenced him.[5] The playlist included ancient Greek conch shell music and 20th century compositions of Italian avant-garde composer Giacinto Scelsi, one of the forefathers of drone and minimalist music.[6][7] He added:[8]

"That was all left behind fairly quickly, though. I don’t like to reference the temp score too much. I was off doing my own thing as soon as I knew the basic vocabulary of what Rob was hearing. I don’t overintellectualize much, and neither does Rob, at least musically speaking. Which is kind of interesting because he intellectualizes everything else. But the music is a very unique world for him, and I think he wants to keep it fresher and more spontaneous."[8]

Eggers wanted a soundtrack without strings as the score for The Witch was string-prominent (although some of the strings made into the final score).[9] He wanted horns, pipes, conch shells and concertina and other materials that sounded like the sea, and the foghorn from the lighthouse stations. Some of the instruments included, cello, double bass, brass, percussion, woodwinds and instruments Korven had experimented, including glass harmonica, and "friction mallets" that have been dragged across wood, glass and cymbals. Korven had an Apprehension Engine[a] commissioned from his friend and luthier Tony Duggan-Smith, adding that "It's not music in the traditional sense at all, but the Apprehension Engine definitely evokes an emotion, so I would call it music".[8]

The sound design was not done when the score was completed.[10][11] Korven felt that if the process happened simultaneously, he would have written a different score to suit the sound design, although "it does create some interesting hybrid textures between sound and music".[8] Korven recalled that the challenging scene to compose was that of the climax sequence as "there were so many layers of textures involved that finding exactly the right tone took a very long time" which felt as an exercise in "subtle blending of about twenty different moods, so that it sounded as one whole".[12]

Release

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The soundtrack to the film was released on the same date as its theatrical premiere, on October 18, 2019.[13] Milan Records distributed the soundtrack through digital platforms, while Sacred Bones Records published the vinyl LP records.[14] Three editions of the soundtrack was released for the album, which consisted of three different colors: black, liquid gold and marble.[15] The prices of the album range from $20 to $23.[16]

Track listing

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No.TitleLength
1."Arrival"1:49
2."Sonovabitch"3:32
3."Cistern / Old on Lens"2:41
4."Swab Dog Swab / Seagull / Winslow's Story"3:22
5."Curse Your Name / Dirty Weather"3:48
6."Murder / Mermaid / Heavy Labour"2:38
7."Stranded"2:18
8."The Sea King's Fury"2:59
9."Mermaid Lust / Stabbing the Charm"2:35
10."Why'd Ya Spill Yer Beans?"2:34
11."Filthy Dog"3:21
12."The Light Belongs to Me"1:13
13."Into the Light"3:32
Total length:36:22

Reception

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The Film Scorer wrote "The brilliance lies in how the various pieces tie together. The bulk of the score feels like a collage or soundscape, as Korven mixes strings, horns, and inhuman noises from his 'Apprehension Engine', which then mesh seamlessly with the film’s organic sound design of wind, waves, birds, creaking wood. It becomes a medley of madness, and all the while the Lighthouse calls for us to come ever closer and submit."[17] Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian commented that Korven's score "ratchets up the tension ruthlessly".[18] John Bleasdale of CineVue wrote that the music and sound design "thunder and rasp throughout".[19]

David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter wrote "Mark Korven’s nerve-jangling atonal score of brass, woodwinds and percussion mixes with the intricately layered soundscape of crashing waves and stinging wind, and foghorn blasts that might be mistaken for the cries of whales or the roars of sea monsters."[20] Thomas Floyd of The Washington Post wrote "Mark Korven’s foreboding score — punctuated with blaring foghorns — sounds the alarm that something is amiss."[21] Rory O'Connor of The Film Stage commented that Korven's score is "a mix of low strings and menacing, repetitious fog horns".[22] "overly pervasive" and reminiscent of the score from Under the Skin (2013).[23]

Nicholas Barber of BBC wrote that Korven's music "is not so much music as a deluge of unearthly throbs, squawks and groans, counterpointed by the cry of those pesky gulls and the deafening drone of the foghorn."[24] David Sims of The Atlantic called Korven's score as "discordant".[25]

Notes

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  1. ^ a homemade electro-acoustic device which consists of rulers, coils, magnets and guitar necks arranged with pick-ups on a set of wooden boards

References

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  1. ^ Conrad, Jeremy (January 6, 2020). "Fangoria's 2020 Chainsaw Awards Voting is Now Live!". Bleeding Cool. Archived from the original on March 11, 2020. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  2. ^ Nobile Jr, Phil (February 11, 2020). "Ari Aster (Again!) Dominates FANGORIA Chainsaw Awards". FANGORIA. Archived from the original on July 23, 2020. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  3. ^ Erbland, Kate (September 25, 2019). "'The Lighthouse' Exclusive: Try Staying Sane Listening to Mark Korven's Original Score". IndieWire. Archived from the original on June 8, 2023. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
  4. ^ Lara, Wesley (November 1, 2019). "Behind the Music interview: The Lighthouse's Mark Korven". Hidden Remote. Archived from the original on October 26, 2022. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
  5. ^ "Mark Korven on horror, Robert Eggers and the brilliance of Bach". Far Out Magazine. January 31, 2023. Archived from the original on June 8, 2023. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
  6. ^ Scorer, The Film (December 5, 2021). "An Interview with Mark Korven". The Film Scorer. Archived from the original on August 18, 2022. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
  7. ^ "How composer Mark Korven created the incredibly eerie sound for The Lighthouse and other horror films". CBC Radio. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. December 11, 2019. Archived from the original on December 12, 2019. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
  8. ^ a b c d Macaulay, Scott (December 10, 2019). "Sonic Menace: Composer Mark Korven on Scoring Robert Eggers's The Lighthouse". Filmmaker Magazine. Archived from the original on July 6, 2022. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
  9. ^ "Robert Eggers' of The Lighthouse Q+A | Motion Picture Soundtrack Release". Flaunt Magazine. January 18, 2017. Archived from the original on June 8, 2023. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
  10. ^ Chamboredon, J. C. (November 11, 2020). "Score to Screen with Mark Korven (The Lighthouse)". Milan Records. Archived from the original on July 1, 2022. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
  11. ^ Burlingame, Jon (November 14, 2019). "Film Composers Tap Into Offbeat Inspirations for Scores". Variety. Archived from the original on November 16, 2019. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
  12. ^ "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out: Mark Korven On 'The Lighthouse'". Score It Magazine. January 22, 2020. Archived from the original on October 26, 2020. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
  13. ^ "Mark Korven: The Lighthouse - Soundtrack". Milan Records. Archived from the original on October 28, 2021. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
  14. ^ Navarro, Meagan (December 9, 2022). "Holiday Gift Guide: 10 Vinyl Soundtracks for the Horror Fan". Bloody Disgusting!. Archived from the original on December 20, 2022. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
  15. ^ "The Lighthouse, by Mark Korven". Sacred Bones Records. Archived from the original on July 23, 2022. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
  16. ^ "The Lighthouse: Original Soundtrack". Sacred Bones Records. Archived from the original on September 19, 2020. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
  17. ^ Scorer, The Film (November 23, 2019). "The Lighthouse - Mark Korven - Film Score Review by The Film Scorer". The Film Scorer. Archived from the original on June 8, 2023. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
  18. ^ Bradshaw, Peter (May 19, 2019). "The Lighthouse review – Robert Pattinson shines in sublime maritime nightmare". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on May 31, 2019. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
  19. ^ Bleasdale, John (May 19, 2019). "Film Review: The Lighthouse". CineVue. Archived from the original on May 30, 2019. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
  20. ^ Rooney, David (May 19, 2019). "'The Lighthouse': Film Review | Cannes 2019". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October 8, 2021. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
  21. ^ Floyd, Thomas (October 15, 2019). "Review | A descent into madness — and flatulence — in the haunting film 'The Lighthouse'". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on October 17, 2019. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
  22. ^ O'Connor, Rory (May 19, 2019). "Cannes Review: Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe Astonish in the Boozy, Brilliant 'The Lighthouse'". The Film Stage. Archived from the original on August 12, 2022. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
  23. ^ "The Lighthouse review: Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson square off in a weatherbeaten two-hander". Sight & Sound. British Film Institute. January 30, 2020. Archived from the original on October 23, 2020. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
  24. ^ Barber, Nicholas. "Film review: The Lighthouse". BBC. Archived from the original on February 26, 2021. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
  25. ^ Sims, David (October 18, 2019). "A Man Moves Into a Lighthouse. Strangeness Ensues". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on April 9, 2022. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
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