Soundtracking with Edith Bowman

It's been a while since we can recall such a keenly anticipated cinematic event, or one that has then gone on to exceed all our wildest expectations. But that is what our guest this week Denis Villeneuve has achieved with Bladerunner 2049. We discuss taking on the legacy of Vangelis - plus his trio of films with composer Jóhann Jóhannsson: Prisoners, Sicario and Arrival

Given how tragically hard we've found it to speak to women on this show, it's a genuine delight to welcome writer, director and producer Nancy Meyers to Soundtracking. Nancy is one of the grand dames of Hollywood. Having earned an Oscar nomination for her original screenplay for Private Benjamin in 1980, she's since been responsible for a string of commercial smashes, including The Parent Trap, So...

As drummer for one of the world's most successful, respected and critically-acclaimed bands, he's thrilled music-lovers across the planet for a quarter of a century. Now Philip Selway of Radiohead has turned his hand to film scores - taking charge of the music for Polly Steele's debut feature, Let Me Go. Based on the memoir of Helga Schneider, Let Me Go tells the story of a woman who discovers her...

We've had several polymaths on this show, from Jon Favreau to Matt Ross and Warren Beatty - who are as at home in front of the camera as behind it. And Stanley Tucci certaininly falls into that category - an actor, writer and director who's been involved with countless critically acclaimed works of film and television. Stanley's latest project is Final Portrait. Starring the sensational Geoffrey R...

Following a string of seasoned moviemakers such as Luc Besson, Doug Liman and Steven Soderbergh, we bring you a relative novice this week in the shape of Benedict Andrews. At least - a novice in cinematic terms. For Benedict is one of the world's foremost theatre and opera directors, who makes the transition to the screen with psychological thriller Una. Given this is Benedict's first film, much o...

When Edith sat down with Steven Soderbergh, he immediately told her he'd been listening to our podcast by way of research. That unsettled her a little bit, but we hope you'll agree his homework served him well - such was the magnificence of his company! As a director, he's renowned for his expert use of both needle-drop and score - with Thomas Newman and Cliff Martinez two of his go-to composers....

From indie classics Swingers and Go to big budget blockbusters The Bourne Identity and Edge Of Tomorrow, Doug Liman is a director who makes a point of thrusting the viewer into the very heart of the action. His musical selections are central to the experience - as evidenced by the Oakenfold track which so memorably accompanied the exhilarating car chase in Bourne, and accompanies Edith's intro. Do...

It's fair to say Soundtracking might not exist without Clint. That's because the genesis of the idea formed when Edith saw him performing his film scores at the Largo in Los Angeles back in 2012. And 5 years later, here we all are! After his band Pop Will Eat Itself disbanded in 1996, Clint was introduced to the business when Darren Aronofsky asked him to score Pi. The pair have collaborated sever...

From short film Pioneer to romantic crime drama Ain't Them Bodies Saints and Disney epic Pete's Dragon, David Lowery has made a habit of examining the nature of identity, family and relationships from altogether sideways perspectives. It's an approach that's served him well - and one he uses to great effect again in his latest offering, A Ghost Story. A Ghost Story stars Casey Affleck as the spiri...

This weekend mark's our first birthday, and it occurred to us that we've been rather remiss in our formative year in not having featured a music supervisor. So we decided to put that right by speaking to Sarah Bridge, who came highly recommended by one of our previous guests, the Oscar winning John Ridley. As well collaborating with John on Sky Atlantic's TV series Guerrilla, Sarah has worked on a...

When it comes to stylish movie-making, you can generally rely on the French. And one man with Gallic flair in abundance is Luc Besson. The genial Parisian has been involved in over 100 films as either a writer, producer or director - including much loved cult classics Nikita, The Big Blue and Leon. His latest project is CGI sci-fi epic Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets, a sumptuous visua...

When we originally conceived the idea of a show about film music, one of the first names on our guest wishlist was Sofia Coppola. And we finally got our girl - with the supremely gifted writer / director joining Edith on the release of The Beguiled, which won her the Palme D'Or at Cannes. Sofia's pedigree is impeccable. Few directors in the history of cinema have used music more effectively than h...

He's back! Having joined us to reflect upon his career to date in Episode 34, Edgar Wright returns to concentrate on his latest project Baby Driver, which has received widespread critical acclaim as it wows cinema-goers around the world. The film tells the story of young getaway driver Baby, who uses music to calm his nerves in the face of chronic tinnitus. As such, he's listening to his iPod thro...

One of the surprise cinematic hits of 2016 was the heart-wrenching coming-of-age drama Moonlight, which of course won Best Picture at this year's Oscars in unforgettable circumstances. Written and directed by Barry Jenkins, Moonlight presents 3 stages in the life of the main character Chiron as he struggles to deal with his sexuality and challenging social circumstances. It was beautifully scored...

There have been many great documentary makers over the years, but of those at work today one of the undoubted bosses is Nick Broomfield. Often controversial, always challenging, Nick has covered myriad subjects - from serial killer Aileen Wuornos and Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss to Afrikaner nationalist Eugene Terre Blanche. He's perhaps best known for Kurt & Courtney, an incendiary investigat...

Edith's latest guest is an unassuming delight - still early in her career but surely destined for great things (of which she's already achieved a fair few). Alice Lowe is actor, writer and now director, who has appeared in a host of critically acclaimed TV shows and films - including Ben Wheatley's Sightseers, which she co-wrote. Her mainstream directorial debut Prevenge is a black comedy about a...

One hardly needs an excuse to discuss the work of Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, but it's always good to have one anyway. Australian director David Michod has employed the services of the ever-reliable duo for his latest project War Machine, which is exclusively available to watch on Netflix. It is a staggering score, of which you can hear plenty during Edith's conversation with David. They also disc...

Whatever you think about the Guy Ritchie canon, it's hard to dispute his flair for combining the visual with the sonic. From Lock, Stock ... and Snatch to Sherlock Holmes and The Man From UNCLE, the musical elements of his films often drive the narrative - through his ingenious use of needle-drops and bold score. Indeed, when it comes to the latter, he's collaborated with the great Hans Zimmer on...

Over the course of the last twenty odd years, British director John Madden has brought us a string of critically acclaimed films which, pleasingly, have tended to do rather well at the box office too. Indeed, Shakespeare in Love not only landed seven Oscars, but also returned a tidy proft of over $250 million. And as we'll discover, it's John's view that you can't make a good movie without conside...

Though we've been lucky enough to speak to a fair few superstars in our relatively short run here on Soundtracking, this might just be the first time we've welcomed a genuine grandee to the programme. Michael Apted is a writer, producer and actor who's been involved in film and television for well over 50 years. His credits include everything from British soap opera Coronation Street and the revol...

If anyone knows how to use music to maximum effect on screen it's James Gunn. For James is the man behind both Guardians Of The Galaxy volumes, which are as celebrated for their hugely successful Awesome Mixes as his sharp, fun and witty interpretation of the Marvel franchise. In the movies, Star Lord Peter Quill listens to mixtapes given to him by his mother, which are laden with music from 1970'...

Edith's guest this week requires very little introduction. An actor, writer, director and producer, he appeared in his first film in 1961 and has subsequently been nominated for no fewer than 14 Oscars, winning best director for Reds in 1981. We are,of course, talking about the legend that is Warren Beatty. Throughout his career, Warren has demonstrated a passion for source cues in particular - fr...

John Ridley describes Idris Elba as a Renaissance man; were he not so humble, he might just as easily apply the expression to himself. An Oscar-winning screenwriter for the magnificent 12 Years A Slave, he's also a dab hand at directing, producing, novel-writing and (believe it or not) stand-up comedy. He's ferociously thoughtful, considered and intelligent too, so our latest offering is as much a...

It's back to where it all began, with Edith's second crack at British director, Ben Wheatley. This time round they're focusing on Ben's new film Free Fire, a super-stylish action comedy which he co-wrote with his wife and longtime creative partner, Amy Jump. Executive produced by Martin Scorsese, Free Fire is scored by Geoff Barrow and Ben Salisbury, who took sonic inspiration from David Shire's e...

Good grief, does this fine gentleman have a few stories to tell. Whether discussing Tony Hancock with David Bowie or royally pissing off Harvey Weinstein, British producer Stephen Woolley has been there, done that, and bought the (band) T-shirt. Stephen is perhaps best known for his work with Neil Jordan on films such as Interview With The Vampire, The Company Of Wolves, Michael Collins and the Os...