The Tragedyomacbeth Carter Burwell

Carter Burwell's score for Joel & Ethan Coen's cinematic version of Charles Portis' novel True Grit (they consciously decided to ignore the original Oscar-winning film because they considered it a bore) is rooted in the world view of its main character, the outrageously self-righteous Mattie Ross (played by Hailee Steinfeld). Burwell used classic Protestant hymns as inspirations; in some cases bits from the classic hymns themselves – “Hold to God’s Unchanging Hand” (by Franklin L. Eiland), “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” (by Charles Converse), “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms” (by Elisha A. Hoffman & Anthony J. Showalter), “Talk About Suffering” (Traditional), and “The Glory-Land Way” (by J.S. Torbett) – for his cues. These pieces in particular, from the opening theme, "The Wicked Flee," "A Methodist and a Son of a Bitch," and "I Will Carry You," all begin simply, lyrically, almost reverentially before giving way to grander pieces of music that reflect the land and history.

Carter Burwell's darkly mysterious orchestrations play a significant stylistic role in both Barton Fink and Fargo, two of the best films from acclaimed independent filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen, particularly in light of the oft-violent content of the Coens' stories: violence can of course be laughable when the characters are too goofy to be believed, and tragic when the characters are too believable to be goofy, but the Coen brothers' creations are somewhere in between. They strike a precarious balance between a broadly comic Beckett-esque absurdism and a more straightforward, three-dimensional naturalism. Consequently, Burwell's grave, sweeping scores are a crucial reassurance that the Coens are not taking their characters' personal tragedies less seriously than are their audiences.

Varese Sarabande has announced details of the soundtrack album for Martin McDonagh’s comedy drama Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. The album features the film’s original music composed by Academy Award nominee Carter Burwell (Carol, Fargo, Twilight, True Grit) who previously collaborated with the director on In Bruges and Seven Psychopaths. Also included are tracks by Joan Baez, Monsters of Folk, Townes Van Zandt and The Four Tops. The soundtrack is set to be released physically on November 17, 2017 and is now available for pre-order on Amazon. A digital version is expected to be released earlier in November. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is written and directed by McDonagh and stars Frances McDormand, Sam Rockwell, Woody Harrelson, Abbie Cornish, John Hawkes, Lucas Hedges and Peter Dinklage. The movie premiered at this year’s Venice and Toronto Film Festivals and will be released on November 17 by Fox Searchlight. Visit the official movie website to learn more about the film.

Film composer Carter Burwell, who scored Joel and Ethan Coen’s Netflix release, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, is the next guest on The Hollywood Reporter's Behind the Screen podcast series.
Behind the Screen, hosted by THR tech editor Carolyn Giardina, features interviews with cinematographers, editors, composers, production designers and other creative talent behind the making of motion pictures.
Burwell has composed the music for more than 80 feature films, including 17 with the Coen brothers such as Raising Arizona, Barton Fink, Fargo, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, No Country for Old Men and True Grit. He’s also a two-time Oscar nominee for Carol and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. …