Matthew Sweet takes his cue from the UK release of Juliano Dornelles's and Kleber Mendonca Filho's award winning film 'Bacurau', with music by Mateus Alves and Tomaz Alves Souza, for an examination of the strange world of the 'Weird Western' and the music written for it. Weird Westerns combine the traditional cowboy film with elements of fantasy, science fiction or horror, and amongst his selection Matthew includes music for 'The Valley of Gwanji', 'Cowboys and Aliens', ''Westworld', 'Wild Wild West', 'High Plains Drifter', 'Rango', 'El Topo', 'Ravenous', 'Bone Tomahawk', and 'Bacarau'.

Sound of Cinema

Weird Westerns

Matthew Sweet talks to composer Isobel Waller-Bridge about her score for the new film of Emma and looks back at other Jane Austen adaptations over the years. From famous Mr Darcy's like Laurence Olivier and Colin Firth to Gwyneth Paltrow as Emma, and Kate Winslet and Emma Thompson as the Dashwood Sisters. Featuring music by Rachel Portman, Patrick Doyle, and Dario Marianelli, whose 2005 score for Pride and Prejudice is our classic score of the week.

Jane Austen

In the weekend of the Academy Awards Matthew Sweet looks at some wonderful film scores over the decades that somehow failed to pick up an Oscar despite their greatness. The programme includes music from Erich von Korngold, Bernard Herrmann, Max Steiner, Leonard Bernstein, Henry Mancini, Nino Rota, Richard Rodney Bennett, John Corigliano, John Williams, James Horner, Philip Glass and Mica Levi. The programme also features music from the nominees for the Best Music Score category at this year's Academy Awards.

The Oscars

In the week that sees the release of Greta Gerwig’s ‘Little Women’ Matthew Sweet focuses his attention on music for films that explore the idea of coming of age. The programme features music for the new film by Alexandre Desplat, as well as other films on the subject, and also looks back on previous scores for screen adaptations of Louisa M Alcott’s classic novel, including Max Steiner's classic 1933 version. Featured scores include: Leonard Rosenman's 'Rebel Without A Cause'; Jean Constantin's 'Les Quatre Cents Coups'; Michel Legrand's 'The Summer of 42'; Nino Rota's 'Amarcord'; Ron Grainer's 'To Sir With Love'; Richard Addinsell's 'Tom Brown's Schooldays'; Danny Elfman's 'Good Will Hunting'; Jo Hishiashi's 'Spirited Away'; Nicholas Britell's 'Moonlight' and Jon Brion's 'Ladybird'.

Coming of Age

As the nationwide BFI Musicals season continues Matthew Sweet celebrates the all-singing, all-dancing world of MGM musicals on film. Featuring Judy Garland, Gene Kelly and Howard Keel in music from Easter Parade, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Show Boat, An American in Paris, and our classic score of the week Singin' in the Rain. Image © Warner Bros. Ent. All rights reserved. Singin’ in the Rain is showing in selected cinemas as part of the BFI Musicals season.

The MGM Musical

Matthew talks to the celebrated Los Angeles-based English film composer, conductor and arranger Henry Jackman. Jackman is now hugely successful in Hollywood. In this probing interview he relates his background in classical music to the world of the Hollywood blockbuster.

Henry Jackman

Matthew Sweet presents music from films with characters who come back down to earth with a bump. Whether it's returning to everyday life after war, surviving an accident or extreme event, or adjusting to life after fame. Our featured new release is Lucy in the Sky, starring Natalie Portman as an astronaut whose suburban life spirals out of control after returning to earth.

Down to Earth

Matthew's guest is the Hollywood Sound Designer Midge Costin (Con Air, The Rock, and Armageddon), director of the new documentary 'Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound', who discusses the story of sound in film and how the industry has been comparatively slow to acknowledge the significance of what we hear impacts the way we see. The programme outlines some of the key milestones in sound design alongside music from the films, Armageddon, Wings, King Kong, Citizen Kane, Spartacus, Apocalypse Now, Star Wars - A New Hope, Jurassic Park, A Star Is Born and Black Panther.

The "Sound" of Cinema

Composer Bear McCreary's credits include Godzilla King of the Monsters, 10 Cloverfield Lane, Child's Play, Battlestar Galactica, The Walking Dead, and the PlayStation 4 game God of War. In this exclusive interview he talks to Matthew Sweet about writing for tv, film and games, his love of horror and sci-fi, and the influence of his mentor Elmer Bernstein.

God of War and Battlestar Galactica composer Bear McCreary

Joker is the new Batman-themed film directed by Todd Philips, a movie which describes the rich psychological back-story of its lead character, played by Joaquin Phoenix. Matthew Sweet uses the major new release to step into the world of films which explain the actions or motivations of their lead characters through a serious psychological event in their past. Producer: Paul Frankl

Primal Scene

With the screen adaptation of Donna Tartt’s novel ‘The Goldfinch’ just released, Matthew Sweet features some of Trevor Gorecki’s score plus music for films on the theme of covetousness. The programme includes an interview with the film’s composer, Trevor Gureckis, plus music for Indiana Jones, Jason and the Argonauts, The Silver Chalice, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, The Thomas Crown Affair, Woman In Gold, and the Classic Score of the Week - Adolph Deutsche’s music for The Maltese Falcon.

Object of Desire

Matthew Sweet ventures into deep space and spins a few stellar cinematic discs to mark the launch of ‘Ad Astra’ and a new score from Max Richter. Featuring music from Lost in Space, Sunshine, and Solaris. In it's 40th anniversary year the classic score of the week is Star Trek: The Motion Picture by Jerry Goldsmith.

Deep Space

The big-screen version of Downton Abbey is released this week so the setting for today’s theme is the stately pile or country retreat - the des res much beloved by film makers. Featured music comes from 'The Duchess', 'Pride and Prejudice', 'Mansfield Park', 'The Shooting Party', 'The Remains of the Day', 'The Ruling Class', 'Skyfall', 'Rebecca', and 'Gosford Park. The Classic Score of the Week is Richard Addison's award winning music for the 1972 'Sleuth'. Matthew's guest is 'Downton Abbey' composer John Lunn.

The Country House

With the next chapter in the 'It' series released this week, featuring music by Benjamin Wallfisch, Matthew Sweet turns his attention to music that underscores children in the horror genre.

Spooky Children

Composer Alberto Iglesias has worked extensively with legendary Spanish director Pedro Almodovar since the late nineties, scoring All About My Mother, Talk to Her, Bad Education, Volver, The Skin I Live In, and Julieta. Their latest collaboration Pain and Glory, starring Antonio Banderas as an ageing auteur is released in the UK this weekend. Alberto studied music in his home city of San Sebastian, Paris and Barcelona. He cites Stravinsky and Debussy as his biggest influences and has written for the concert stage and ballet. He talks to Matthew about working in Europe with Almodovar as well as other regular collaborators Julio Medem and Iciar Bollain, and in Hollywood where he's been Oscar nominated for The Constant Gardener, The Kiterunner, and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

Alberto Iglesias

Series of programmes exploring film music

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Sound of Cinema

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