The Sound of the 70s - 80s English • Filmhuis Denhaag Filmhuis Denhaag

The Sound of the '70s - '80s

Disaster Movies and Blockbusters 

Young filmmakers continued to rail against global issues such as war, political scandals, unemployment and environmental pollution. This led to monster and disaster movies with soundtracks that made you shake in your cinema seat. The disillusionment in Apocalypse Now (Francis Ford Coppola 1979 ) was palpable thanks to the combination of an electronic soundtrack with pop songs by The Doors and others. 

During the 1970s, film studios tried to attract audiences with big stars in the leading roles. One such blockbuster was Jaws (Steven Spielberg 1975). A cool soundtrack was also important for box office sales, preferably with lots of pop music. Without the music of the Bee Gees, Saturday Night Fever (John Badham 1977) would never have been as popular. This didn’t signal the end of traditional film scores, however: in science fiction movies such as Star Wars (George Lucas 1977), a large symphony orchestra provided an anchor in the vastness of space. The revival of Disney musicals such as Aladdin (Ron Clements & John Musker 1992) is also impossible to imagine without large orchestras and hit songs. 


01
02
03
04
05

Meanwhile Europe was making idiosyncratic films with singular soundtracks. Dutch cinema remained small, but here too notable soundtracks were being written. Cycling through Amsterdam changed forever with the soundtrack of Turks Fruit (Paul Verhoeven 1973). 

And then suddenly the CD arrived. Around 1990 these discs brought a – temporary – end to the LP, and with it the record cover. But not to the soundtrack: film and music are linked for all time.

Listen to the blockbusters, the mafioso and the soundtrack of sexual freedom

Immerse yourself in the menacing sounds of a disaster movie, dance along to Bee Gees disco, venture into the unpredictable jungle of Vietnam or whistle along to the most uplifting tones of a Dutch classic.

Facts of Filmmusic

The Godfather by Francis Ford Coppola (1972)

In 1972, composer Nino Rota received an Oscar nomination for his score for The Godfather. When the nomination was withdrawn, there was quite a stir: Rota had used some of the music years earlier in the Italian comedy Fortunella (1958). Two years later, Nino Rota finally won an Oscar with his soundtrack for the film’s sequel: The Godfather Part II. In 2015, Italy was up in arms when a notorious Italian mob boss was given a lavish funeral. With Rota’s music from The Godfather.

Taxi Driver by Martin Scorsese (1976)

Martin Scorsese belonged to a new generation of filmmakers who grew up watching classic movies on television and who mastered their craft at film school. While Scorsese may not have belonged to ‘old’ Hollywood, he was definitely a fan. This is why he asked none other than Bernard Herrmann (Citizen Kane, Vertigo) to write the music for Taxi Driver. Hermann agreed and wrote a score for the New York fever dream. His music intensified the main character’s deteriorating mental state in a surprising way – the score moans, growls and sweats. It also lets you hear the sounds of the city, which sound like jazz played with smoke rather than air. Herrmann was never able to judge the end result; he died several hours after finishing the recording.

Apocalypse Now by Francis Ford Coppola (1979)

The Apocalypse Now soundtrack is an unusual mix of music styles, including parts from The End by rock band The Doors alongside a memorable performance of Ride of the Valkyries by German composer Richard Wagner. For the score, director Francis Ford Coppola turned to his father Carmine, whose classically-orientated music was run through a synthesizer, giving it an otherworldly feel. To the annoyance of music lovers, dialogue from the film also appears on the LP, including Robert Duvall’s immortal words: ‘I love the smell of Napalm in the morning.’

Les Choses de la Vie by Claude Sautet (1970)

Les Choses de la Vie (1970) opens with the central character Pierre (Michel Piccoli) being involved in a car accident. Seriously injured, he lies waiting for help and remembers in flashback earlier relationships with two women. The film was a huge commercial success, partly thanks to Philippe Sarde’s romantic and melancholy score. The film also includes one of the most memorable melodies in French cinema history: La Chanson d’Hélène, sung by Romy Schneider. With her vulnerable performance, Schneider fits in well with the list of singing film stars such as Marilyn Monroe, Sophia Loren, Brigitte Bardot, Robert Mitchum, Anthony Perkins and Bruce Willis.

Turks Fruit by Paul Verhoeven (1973)

One of the most talked-about films in the Netherlands about love, sex and death is Paul Verhoeven’s Turks Fruit. The story is based on the extremely popular novel by Jan Wolkers. The soundtrack is by Rogier van Otterloo. Together with jazz pianist Louis van Dijk, he managed to add more to the film than just standard melodies. The soundtrack’s success was largely due to the Belgian Toots Thielemans. As well as a preeminent harmonica player, Thielemans was also an excellent whistler. It was Thielemans who whistled the well-known tune during the scene where Monique van der Ven and Rutger Hauer cycle through Amsterdam. Turks Fruit was nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film and in 1999, it received a special Golden Calf Award for Best Dutch Film of the Century.
Read and listen more of the exhibition
Enter

Voor je bezoek

Openingstijden

Van maandag t/m zondag is de kassa van 10.00 tot 22.00 uur open. Ons café is open van 10.00 tot 00.00 uur. Kom dus heerlijk ontbijten, een kop koffie drinken, lunchen of vegetarisch dineren. We kijken ernaar uit!

Kassa

Info over tickets, prijzen en kadobonnen vind je op de bezoekerspagina. Vragen? De kassa is telefonisch (070-3656030) bereikbaar op maandag tot en met vrijdag tussen 10:30 en 12:30 uur. Je kunt ook een mailtje sturen naar tickets@filmhuisdenhaag.nl.

Kom eten

Speciaal voor het Filmhuis hebben onze vrienden van Karsten & Kuiper een selectie van heerlijke gerechten samengesteld waarvan je in gezelschap - of alleen - kunt proeven! Verse, lekkere en verrassende smaken van kwaliteit voor een vriendelijke prijs, gezellig in ons filmcafé.