Soundtracking With Edith Bowman

Back in 2016, Jon Favreau was kind enough to be the very first person we recorded for our film music podcast, Soundtracking. 151 episodes later, and Jon returns to discuss his flabbergasting remake of Disney's much-loved Oscar-winning musical, The Lion King - a mind-boggling photorealistic animation starring Donald Glover, Seth Rogen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Billy Eichner, and Beyoncé.  As with the 1994 version, this new film is scored by our old friend Hans Zimmer, with Elton John returning to rework his compositions from the original alongside South African composer, producer and singer Lebo M. Pharrell Williams also produced five of the tracks.

Edith's latest guest on Soundtracking is one seriously multi-talented lady. Emma Forrest is a journalist, novelist and screenwriter - who has now added directing to her CV with her drama, Untogether.  Starring Lola and Jemima Kirke, Jamie Dornan, Billy Crystal and Emma's former husband Ben Mendelsohn, Untogether tells the story of two sisters in the throes of relationships that are challenging for very different reasons. Music plays a key part in setting the tone, with one specific track by Primal Scream inspiring the whole film.  The film is scored by Robin Foster. And it's with Robin's track Hercules Climbs The White Mountain that we begin, since this was the piece he played to Emma that provided the basis for the entire soundscape of the movie ...

Our guest on this week's Soundtracking is the extremely talented and likeable director Yann Demange. Having made his name with TV shows such as Dead Set and Top Boy, Yann moved into cinema with '71, a critically acclaimed drama about the Troubles in Northern Ireland. '71 is scored by David Holmes, who was also instrumental in helping Yann pick the music for his second feature, White Boy Rick. Based on an incredible true story, White Boy Rick stars Richie Merritt as Richard Wershe Jr., who became the youngest FBI informant ever at the age of 14 in the 1980s.  The film is scored by wonderful Max Richter - who you'll be able to hear on this podcast soon - and also features a banging set of tunes from the 70s and 80s.

We couldn't be more excited about our latest episode of Soundtracking, recorded with the one and only Cliff Martinez at his beautiful home & studio in Topanga Canyon, California. Cliff's name has come up on countless occasions since we started this podcast - not least in the company of Steven Soderbergh, Nicolas Winding Refn, Todd Phillips and Drew Pearce, all of whom have employed the expert services of the former Red Hot Chilli Pepper to score their movies. We'll hear plenty more about all of these fine gentleman - and get the inside line on Cliff's work on films such as Sex, Lies and Videotape, Drive, Only God Forgives, War Dogs and Hotel Artemis. 

As with the lunar landing and assassination of JFK, there are a fair few folk who can tell you exactly where they were and what they were doing when Diego Maradona punched the ball into Peter Shilton's net, sending Argentina on their way to victory in the quarter final of the 1986 World. So it's no surprise, over three decades later, that someone has decided to tell the story of this enigmatic sporting superstar. And that someone is our old friend Asif Kapadia, returning to Soundtracking to discuss his revealing biopic, Diego Maradona. Having previously explored the lives of troubled geniuses Ayrton Senna and Amy Winehouse, Asif has once again cast a forensic eye across a mind-bendingly brilliant yet undoubtedly flawed individual - with the key difference in this instance being that his subject is still alive. The results are utterly captivating. As with both Senna and Amy, Asif turned to Brazilian composer Antonio Pinto for the score. And, as ever, you'll hear plenty of Antonio's work throughout the c

Three inspirational women are the stars of our latest episode of Soundtracking, Edith's weekly screen music podcast, as we bring you another of our live events recorded at London's British Film Institute. Carly Paradis, Amelia Warner and Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch are all making big waves in the world of film composition - which, let's be honest, is (like the rest of the business) rather male dominated. So is was an absolute pleasure to get them on stage together in front of an audience to appreciate and celebrate their work. Though this was recorded quite a few months ago, we've held it back because, on June 12th in London, a new concert event celebrating the work of female composers in film & media will take place at EartH in Hackney, in which all three will feature. More information on that event can be found here. 

It's three for the price of one on the latest episode of Soundtracking. First up is actress, producer and now director, Olivia Wilde, who makes her debut behind the camera with Booksmart.  A coming-of-age comedy/drama starring Kaitlyn Dever and Beanind Feldstein, it boasts a killer soundtrack and a super-cool score by Dan The Automater. As if that weren't enough, we then welcome director Dexter Fletcher and composer Giles Martin, who join forces to fabulous effect on the Elton John musical biopic, Rocketman. Starring Taron Egerton in the lead role and Jamie Bell as Elton's longtime collaborater, Bernie Taupin, the film features all the classics, reworked for the purposes of the narrative by Giles. But we begin with Olivia - who we can assure you knows and loves her music. As we mentioned, she's used a number of great needle-drops in Booksmart, including tracks by LCD Soundsystem, Lizzo and Anderson Paak. Dan the Automator, meanwhile, compliments her choices with his score, which more than passes as a s

It's a welcome return for Guy Ritchie to Soundtracking, Edith's weekly film music podcast. And it's also a welcome return for Aladdin, making his first big screen appearance since 1992 in Guy's live action remake of DIsney's animated classic.  In this visually stunning reboot, Will Smith is charged with filling Robin Williams's considerable boots as Genie, with Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott playing Aladdin and Jasmin respectively. As with the animation, this latest incarnation is scored by Alan Menken, who won an Oscar and Golden Globe for the original. And in addition to a new number called Speechless, it features plenty of familiar tunes, including the classics Arabian Nights, One Jump Ahead and Friend Like Me.

We are truly in the company of cinematic royalty on the latest episode of Soundracking, as Keanu Reeves joins John Wick director Chad Stahelski to discuss chapter 3 of the hugely enjoyable franchise. Theirs was very much a partnership forged during the filming of The Matrix trilogy - on which Chad worked as both a stuntman and stunt co-ordinator. When Keanu received the script for Wick, he invited Chad on board, who in turn enlisted the services of composers Tyler Bates and Joel J. Richard. They provided the scores for all three movies, and as ever you'll hear plenty of their work sprinkled throughout the conversation - as well as a couple of classic needle drops from The Matrix.

We have a treat for you on our latest episode of Soundtracking, not just in the shape of our guest but also the quite magnificent score that accompanies his new film. For director Dome Karukoski wisely enlisted the services of the incomparable Thomas Newman for Tolkein, a biopic on the life of The Hobbit and Lord Of The Rings author. Starring Nicholas Hoult, Lily Collins, Colm Meaney, and Derek Jacobi, Tolkein charts the writer's formative years, as his creativity, friendships and love affair with Edith Bratt are put to the test by the outbreak of World War I. As ever, you'll hear plenty of Thomas's music throughout the conversation, as well as examples of Hildur Guðnadóttir & Lasse Enersen's work on one of Dome's previous movies, Tom Of Finland.

After 22 films featuring a legion of heroes and villains, it is the end (of sorts) for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Avengers: Endgame is the culmination of an epic undertaking on the part of Marvel Studios, and delivers thrills, laughs, spectacular set pieces and one or two tears.  We've done our best to avoid spoilers, but if you haven't seen Endgame or indeed Infinity War, you might want to wait before diving in to this latest episode of Soundtracking. As with Infinity War, Endgame directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, with the score provided by Alan Silvestri. And in the fine tradition of the Marvel movies, we've got a rather large bonus at the end of our conversation in the shape of our first interview with the Russo brothers, to save you searching for it on the internet. It really is worth revisiting.

What links Gandhi, Dangerous Liaisons, Groundhog Day, My Name Is Joe, The Fisher King and You've Got Mail? The answer is composer George Fenton, who scored all of these films as well as a hundred-odd more! He also provided the music for several big budget BBC wildlife documentaries, including as The Trials Of Life and Blue Planet and Planet Earth. So we are indeed in esteemed company on our latest episode of Soundtracking, the original podcast about screen music. We caught up with George at his wonderful home on the release of Red Joan, a British spy drama starring Sophie Cookson and Judi Dench. As usual, you'll hear George's work from this and other movies throughout the conversation, as well his experiences of collaborating with Stephen Frears, Terry Gilliam, Ken Loach, Nora Ephron and Sir Richard Attenborough. 

Our guest on this week's Soundtracking is not necessarily a name you'll be familiar with. But as a movie fan, you'll certainly know the music he has had a key hand in. For in his 20 years at Air Studios, Jake Jackson has produced and engineered an extraordinary number of magnificent scores. As well as being Nick Cave and Warren Ellis's go-to guy, he has also worked on Gladiator, Pete's Dragon and Under the Skin among many other well-known films. Indeed, his work has featured on at least 20 episodes of this podcast, which is why we were so keen to get him on.

It's three for the price of one in our latest episode of Soundtracking, as director Tom Harper, writer Nicole Taylor and actress Jessie Buckley join me to discuss their new film, Wild Rose. Set in Glasgow, Wild Rose tells the story of Rose-Lyne Harlan, a troubled working class mother of two who dreams of becoming a country star in Nashville. With strong support from Julie Walters and Sophie Okonedo, it's a moving, bittersweet affair, that never goes in quite the direction you're expecting. It also features plenty of music - some of which you'll recognise and some of which is totally original. Indeed, with the help of their music guru Jack Arnold, Nicole and Jessie wrote several of the songs that appear in the movie. 

Our latest episode of Soundtracking is another live event, recorded at the British Film Institute in London with writer, director & actor Andy Serkis and musician Nitin Sawhney. The pair have collaborated on several occasions, most recently on Mowgli: Legend Of The Jungle, Andy's performance capture reimagining of The Jungle Book. It's available to watch now via Netflix, and if you haven't seen it already we highly recommend it. Nitin also provided the score for Breathe - Andy's directorial debut. As alway's, you'll hear plenty of music from both films during the conversation and plenty more besides.

You wait months for a guest to talk with authority about scary movies, then two come along at once. Following Jordan Peele's fine turn in our previous episode, we're delighted to welcome Eli Roth to the show this time round. Eli is a writer, director, actor and producer who came to prominence with films such as Cabin Fever and Hostel. While much of his work is not for the faint hearted, his latest project, The House With A Clock In Its Walls, follows the great Spielberg tradition of frightening family fun.  Eli is also an encyclopaedia when it comes to score - to the point at which we couldn't source half of the music he refers to. But no matter: as you'll hear, he delivers quite the lesson nonetheless ...

We haven't featured as much horror as we'd like on Soundtracking, so it really is a great thrill for us to welcome the man of the moment in that particular field, Jordan Peele. Having forged a hugely successful career as a comedian and actor, Jordan won an Oscar and numerous other accolades for his debut feature, Get Out, which blended traditional genre tropes with social observation to create something altogether fresh. Now he follows it up with the equally brilliant Us, in which a family is confronted by a group of doppelgängers. Both films were scored by Michael Abels, who had never previously worked on a movie until Jordan came along. We'll hear plenty of Michael's work, as well as some of the truly brilliant needle drops that are used across the Get Out and Us.

Two extremely talented gentlemen join us for our latest episode of Soundtracking, better known for their work in fields other than cinema.  But in Benjamin, writer / director Simon Amstell and composer James Righton of Klaxons fame have collaborated on a film that is tender, moving and also very funny. Starring Colin Morgan and Phénix Brossard, Benjamin tells the story of a filmmaker who is forced to confront life's big questions as he embarks on a relationship with a charismatic young musician.   As ever, you'll hear plenty of James' score, as well as an insight into Simon's CD soundtrack collection ...

There is a fine tradition of female singers who have made the successful transition to cinema - from Barbara Streisand and Queen Latifah to Diana Ross and Lady Gaga. And we can certainly include R&B goddess Mary J Blige on that list. Having sold over 80 million records, Mary has a string of impressive acting credits to her name too. She played Malcom X's widow Dr Betty Shabazz in Betty and Coretta, and was nominated for an Oscar for performance as matriarch Florence Jackson in the deeply moving period drama, Mudbound. Mary is equally at home at the less-serious end of the entertainment spectrum, as demonstrated by her turns in Rock Of Ages and The Umbrella Academy, which is available now on Netflix.  We should say that we had some terrible static interference on the recording of this interview, which we genuinely think may have been caused by Mary's earrings! We've tried to clean it up as best we can, but do forgive us as and when the quality occasionally dips below our usual high standards … Head

Genius though he is, Martin Scorsese would be the first to admit the enormous debt of gratitude he owes to one Thelma Schoonmaker. For Thelma is the woman who has edited over 20 of his movies, from Raging Bull and Casino to Gangs Of New York and The Departed. So it's truly an honour to welcome her to Soundtracking, the weekly screen music podcast. As you'd hope, she has some great stories to share with us. Thelma was married to the late Michael Powell, one half of the legendary partnership Powell and Pressburger. Their work influenced Martin hugely - and indeed it was he who introduced Thelma to her would-be husband. You'll hear plenty of music from their films, as well as some of the more memorable cues to feature in Martin's back catalogue. There are a few notable clips to enjoy, too ...