Follow us on Google News
Get the latest updates directly in your Google News feed
Few celebrities have had the kind of success working in front of, and behind the camera, like Clint Eastwood. The veteran Hollywood actor-turned director made this seamless transition and gained huge popularity as a discerning filmmaker with a unique visual palette and soundscape that made his films stand out.
A feature of Eastwood’s work was the creative use of music in his narratives in iconic films likeThe Bridges of Madison County.The Oscar winner though, admitted that he was picky when it came to choosing melodies for his scripts. TheMillion Dollar Babyfilmmaker is not a fan of pop music, and always tried to stay away from incorporating this genre into his projects.
Also Read:2 of Clint Eastwood’s Most Famous Oscar-Winning Films Were Turned Down By Major Studios in Favor of Over-Cooked Formulaic Blockbusters
Despite The Taylor Swift Phenomenon, Pop Music Isn’t Clint Eastwood’s Cup Of Tea
Pop music has never been more iconic than now, with Taylor Swift creating a whole cultural phenomenon in the genre. Apart from making history and being a case study for America’s booming economy, Swift has influenced a whole generation of fans through her music.
Veteran actorClint Eastwoodthough, isn’t someone who is impressed by the pop music scene. Having grown up in the 40s, theUnforgivenfilmmaker revealed that he related the most to jazz and blues music, apart from enjoying some work from the rock and roll generation.
Eastwood confessed that pop music was a genre that did not appeal to his sensibilities as a filmmaker. In an interview withRolling Stone, the veteran elaborated on the obsession of incorporating pop into movie soundtracks, and why he consciously steered clear from this trend in his films.
“Yeah, I’ve tried to stay away from that stuff. There was a period when everyone was doing that. If the movie is so bad you need to spruce it up, sometimes they throw in a hundred pop songs and hope the record will push the whole thing over the top.”
Eastwood went on to add that he believed music in films must work to enhance the narrative and develop it further, and not just be used as a separate entity without a real reason.
Also Read:“It looked like they had a good time making it”: Clint Eastwood Became a Massive Robert Downey Jr. Fan For His One Movie That Risked Getting Him Canceled
Clint Eastwood On Using Jazz and Blues Music ForThe Bridges Of Madison County
A film’s soundtrack, if done perfectly, is equal to being another character in the narrative. Clint Eastwood has proved that he is a master at incorporating the apt music for his films. The Oscar-winning director who is a self-confessed fan of jazz and blues, used music from this genre seamlessly in his filmThe Bridges of Madison County, in which he co-starred withMeryl Streep.
Eastwood though, did not go with songs from iconic artists like Frank Sinatra or Nat King Cole, but instead chose to use the music of relatively unknown artists in the field like Johnny Hartman and Irene Karl. Speaking toRolling Stoneon the reasons behind this decision, the actor-turned-director said,
“Yeah, that was intentional. I love Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole as much as anyone — they were fabulous singers. But I also enjoy a lot of more fringe people. I just didn’t want to get too mainstream. I also didn’t want to use the same tracks as a lot of other movies”.
Eastwood’s instinct turned out to be spot on, with the music and background score ofThe Bridges of Madison Countybecoming one of the most popular film soundtracks of the 90s.
Also Read:“I don’t like the wimp syndrome”: Clint Eastwood Had a Lot To Say About “Macho Males”, Claimed They are the “Most gentle people in the world”
Sharanya Sankar
Senior Writer
Articles Published :1230
Sharanya Sankar, Writer for FandomwireHaving completed her Masters degree in Journalism and Mass Communication, Sharanya has a solid foundation in writing which is also one of her passions. She has worked previously with Book My show for a couple of years where she gained experience reviewing films and writing feature articles. Sharanya’s articles on film and pop culture have also been published on Film Companion, a popular film-based website. Apart from movies and pop culture, her interests include music and sports. She has contributed over 650 articles to Fandomwire so far.
