He's My Rushmore

I'm finally going to see 'The Grand Budapest Hotel' tonight. It's the first film from Wes Anderson I missed seeing on the big screen, and I'm just sick about it. If you happen to be the person who read this blog in 2009 (OK, maybe there were two of you), then you know I did an entire week on the soundtracks to Anderson's movies as a walk up to the release of 'Fantastic Mr. Fox.' The following is a digest of that fine work. (I don't mean mine.) It makes for a fine little mix.

I should probably have a song by the Rolling Stones here. The band's music appeared in every film through 'Fantastic Mr. Fox.' For the longest time, Anderson could use the Stones' music in his films, but he wasn't allowed to include their songs on the soundtrack. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. In 2009, Anderson signed on with the band's original label, and Abkco finally allowed the Rolling Stones on an Anderson soundtrack. Now that's a fan!

I especially admire the work found on the early soundtracks. Mark Mothersbaugh created the original scores back then, and I find his pieces to be charming and quirky... just what you would expect from a member of Devo. Having said that, if you're going to replace Mothersbaugh, you can hardly go wrong with Alexandre Desplat, as all of his Academy Award nominations will attest. His music has really grown on me. Check out a couple of my favorites from these geniuses at the bottom of the post.

Do you have a favorite Anderson film, or do you find his work over the top and the attention to detail just a little too much? Whatever your opinion, I hope we can agree the use of music in his films has been spot on. Just the fact that all but 'Bottle Rocket' are still in print, when most soundtracks disappear in a flash, is quite a testament in itself.

Love - Alone Again Or (from 'Bottle Rocket')
Creation - Making Time (from 'Rushmore')
Nico - These Days (from 'The Royal Tenenbaums')
Devo - Gut Feeling (from 'The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou')
The Kinks - This Time Tomorrow (from 'The Darjeeling Limited')
The Bobby Fuller Four - Let Her Dance (from 'Fantastic Mr. Fox')
Françoise Hardy - Le Temps De l'Amour (from 'Moonrise Kingdom')

Mark Mothersbaugh - Hardest Geometry Problem in the World (from 'Rushmore')
Alexandre Desplat - Mr. Fox in the Fields (from 'Fantastic Mr. Fox')