Last night the death of a fundamental figure of cinema in its sound expression and also emotional. Angelo Badalamenti passed away at the age of 85, leaving behind an immense musical legacy through a very select filmography. Thanks to him we were able to feel immense pity for a young woman we hardly knew and restlessness in a mountain town.
It’s not just his strength that comes down to the ‘Twin Peaks’ series. Today we review some transcendental works to which he put iconic music and powerful that can also be found on streaming platforms. Three great films with three great scores that end up taking you to places beyond the realm of reality and thrown into dreams.
‘A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors’ (‘A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors’, 1987)
Director: Chuck Russell. Distribution: Heather Langenkamp, Patricia Arquette, Craig Wasson, Robert Englund, Laurence Fishburne.
Before delving into the elusive dream worlds of David Lynch, Badalamenti already explored oneiric sensations through horror cinema with the definitive sequel to ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’. His music is one of the fundamental parts for the perfect atmosphere and attitude of the movie by Chuck Russell along with the great song of Dokken in the credits.
In many respects it proves to be the most complete film in the saga with the iconic Freddy Krueger, entering more fully into aspects such as trauma and mental health as a result of the constant threat of the monster. Some of the franchise’s most potent horror sequences are found here, and Heather Langenkamp displays stupendous poise with a grown-up Nancy Thompson.
Watch on HBO Max
‘Twin Peaks: Fire walk with me’ (‘Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me’, 1992)
Address: David Lynch. Distribution: Sheryl Lee, Ray Wise, Moira Kelly, Chris Isaac, James Marshall.
In the absence of being able to include the series, which is undoubtedly Badalamenti’s most essential work and the one that comes first to mind when pronouncing his name, a good alternative is the prequel film that continues in a different but fascinating way one of the most special works of the history of television. His music creates the perfect atmosphere for a really sad horror movie.
already thirty years later continues to have a special influence in unsuspected corners, such as Andrew Dominik’s ‘Blonde’ who seeks that same feeling of innocence and femininity taken away by patriarchal monsters. ‘Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me’ gives us a glimpse into what triggers the events of the series, but manages to have meaning and entity of its own.
See in Filmin | Criticism in Espinof
‘Mulholland Drive’ (2001)
Address: David Lynch. Distribution: Naomi Watts, Laura Elena Harring, Justin Theroux, Ann Miller, Robert Forster.
He could have looked for some other work that was not by Lynch to complete the selection, such as his excellent work for ‘The City of Lost Children’. But we can’t fool ourselves either, Badalamenti’s name is strongly linked to David’s, and including only one of his works would mean doing without works like this where their collaboration touches the olympus.
Closely related to ‘Fire walk with me’, just because the film was born as a failed spin-off of ‘Twin Peaks’ and drops some of the same ideas about the destruction of innocence and perversity in the world (in this case , the world of the Hollywood industry). ‘Mulholland Drive’ is a powerful and elusive work as captivating in its image as it is absolutely essential in its sound. The sounds of the Silencio club are the pinnacle of Badalamenti’s work.
Watch on Amazon Prime Video and on Filmin | Criticism in Espinof