127 Hours (soundtrack)

Development

Rahman collaborated with Danny Boyle for the second time. Their previous association, Slumdog Millionaire was a great critical and commercial success to Rahman, who was described by Time magazine as India's most prominent movie songwriter, in 2005. After the scripting finished, Boyle handed over the script to Rahman, who says when he first got the script and the screenplay, even before the shoot, some kind of sounds came into his mind and he put some stuff down and sent it to Boyle when he was cutting the movie. Rahman wanted the score to feel very much like something the cinematic Ralston might be listening to, a mix of heavily layered acoustic and electric guitars, brightened with digital effects.{{cite news | access-date= 17 January 2011 }} Rahman says that he was able to complete the score within a short period of three to four weeks.

Reception

The soundtrack received generally favourable critical reviews. Philip French of The Observer commented that "The music is subtly varied; the soundtrack makes admirable use of silence and natural sound."{{cite web |author-link=Philip French |access-date=17 January 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110128121327/http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2011/jan/09/127-hours-danny-boyle-james-franco-review |archive-date=28 January 2011 |url-status=live

Sarah Kurchak of ChartAttack reviewed the music saying "There's something about the way Danny Boyle uses popular music in his films that's really exciting for anyone who genuinely cares about the medium. Plenty of directors are good with a score, and he's no slouch in that department, but the use of songs is a different beast. In both score and songs, Boyle seems to have an inherent ability to understand the moods and emotions music can inspire in people and uses it to augment his storytelling."{{cite web |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100924043014/http://www.chartattack.com/reviews/2010/sep/22/tiff-review-127-hours |url-status = dead |archive-date = 24 September 2010 |access-date = 17 January 2011

The soundtrack was rated five out of five in the review by Danny Graydon of Empire magazine. His review reads: "Following their Oscar-winning collaboration on Slumdog Millionaire, A. R. Rahman provides Danny Boyle’s tale of a mountaineer in dire straits with an affecting core of slow-burn, reflective cues that ultimately penetrate in a big way, supported by a typically eclectic array of exterior tracks from the likes of Free Blood, Bill Withers and, most effectively, Sigur Rós. Rahman’s nine cues are anchored on acoustic guitar and generate a suitably meditative tone, augmented by ethnic pipes (Acid Darbari) and ethereal vocals (R. I. P.). Rahman’s collaboration with singer Dido, If I Rise, closes proceedings with a cathartic and quietly optimistic tone which almost prompts a tear."

Margaret Wappler, in the review published in Los Angeles Times, said that "In his last movie, Slumdog Millionaire, director Danny Boyle showed a sophisticated sense of how music and image can intertwine and intensify each other. With his latest, 127 Hours, he proves his skill again, reenlisting composer A.R. Rahman, who won two Academy Awards for his racing, kinetic score to Boyle's violent fairy tale set in Mumbai, India."

Daniel Schweiger of Film Music Magazine said that "Danny Boyle and A.R. Rahman are going for a far more interior moment of transcendence, one that tells us the often-awful fight for life is more than worth it- especially in this haunting fever dream that take a filmmaker and musician to new heights while pondering their way out of a man's darkest hours."

The review published by Christian Clemmensen at Filmtracks commented that "Whether or not you can stomach this film or its equally challenging album, the music serves as even more evidence that the diversity of Rahman's talents can compete favourably in an otherwise arguably stale film scoring environment in the United States."

Jonathan Broxton of Movie Music UK gave a favourable review and called the score an "unconventional one". He also praised Rahman for his ability to score in multiple genres.

Director Shekhar Kapur, after a special screening of the movie, commented through Twitter that "Rahman's score adds depth to Danny Boyle's deft and energetic direction in 127 hours. Rahman certainly deserves another Oscar for 127 hours, Danny Boyle and Rahman are proving to be a great combination."

Aron Ralston, on whom the movie is based, praised Rahman for the music and posted a hand-written note on Facebook and Twitter.

Awards and nominations

• Nominated – Academy Award for Best Original Score
• Nominated – Academy Award for Best Original Song for "If I Rise"
• Nominated – Alliance of Women Film Journalists Award for Best Score
• Nominated – BAFTA Award for Best Film Music
• Won – Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Song for "If I Rise"
• Nominated – Central Ohio Film Critics Association Award for Best Score
• Won – Denver Film Critics Society for Best Song for "If I Rise"
• Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score
• Nominated – Houston Film Critics Society Award for Best Original Score
• Nominated – Houston Film Critics Society Award for Best Original Song for "If I Rise"
• Nominated – Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Song for "If I Rise"
• Nominated – San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Original Score
• Nominated – Satellite Award for Best Original Score
• Nominated – Satellite Award for Best Original Song for "If I Rise"
• Nominated – Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Score
• Won – World Soundtrack Award – Public Choice (A. R. Rahman)
• Nominated – World Soundtrack Award for Best Original Song Written Directly for a Film for "If I Rise"

Track listing

; Notes

Personnel

• A. R. Rahman – harpejji
• Ranjit Barot – drums
• Sanjay Divecha – guitar
• Joel Shearer – guitar
• Karl Peters – bass guitar
• Pete Lockett – percussion

References

References

1. Shankaran Malini. (29 December 2010). "Rahman's music enthralls for 127 hours". The New Indian Express.
2. Roberts, Sheila. "Composer A.R. Rahman Interview 127 Hours".
3. [http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/127-hours-music-from-the-motion-picture-soundtrack-album-to-be-released-digitally-on-november-2nd-and-in-physical-format-on-november-22-on-interscope-featuring-new-original-music-by-oscar-winning-film-composer-ar-rahman-105986908.html "127 Hours: Music From The Motion Picture Soundtrack Album to Be Released Digitally on November 2nd and in Physical Format on November 22 on Interscope, Featuring New Original Music by Oscar-Winning Film Composer A.R. Rahman"]
4. Burlingame, Jon. (11 February 2011). "Eye on the Oscars: Music".
5. Grimm, Becca. "Sigur Rós, Bill Withers, Many More Featured on 127 Hours Soundtrack".
6. (22 October 2010). "Best Song and Score is not cool enough for Reznor and Ross". [[AwardsDaily]].
7. [http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20091110/NEWS/911109995 Aron Ralston's insight helping form Boyle's ‘127 Hours'] {{Webarchive. link. (18 September 2010 . ''The Washington Post''. 9 November 2009.)
8. [[Richard Corliss. Corliss, Richard]]. (1 January 2005). [http://www.time.com/time/columnist/corliss/article/0,9565,1013198,00.html That Old Feeling: Isn't It Rahmantic?] {{Webarchive. link. (4 November 2010 ''[[Time (magazine)). Time]]'' magazine. Retrieved on 25 May 2008.
9. James Christopher Monger. "127 Hours: Music from the Motion Picture".
10. Danny Graydon. (17 January 2011). "Review of 127 Hours".
11. Margaret Wappler. (4 January 2011). "Soundtrack review: A.R. Rahman's '127 Hours'". [[Los Angeles Times]].
12. Daniel Schweiger. (1 November 2010). "CD Review: 127 Hours – Original Soundtrack". Film Music Magazine.
13. (18 November 2010). "Editorial Review: 127 Hours". Filmtracks.
14. Jonathan Broxton. (7 November 2010). "127 HOURS – A.R. Rahman". Movie Music UK.
15. (29 October 2010). "AR Rahman deserves Oscar for '127 Hours': Shekhar Kapur". Filmydum.com.
16. (10 December 2010). "Aron Ralston praises Rahman". [[The Times of India]].
17. (25 January 2011). "List of Academy Award nominations". [[Chicago Sun-Times]].
18. (21 December 2010). "2010 EDA Awards Nominees". Alliance of Women Film Journalists.
19. (18 January 2011). "Rahman gets BAFTA nomination for 127 Hours". [[Hindustan Times]].
20. Susan King. (14 January 2011). "'The Social Network' wins Critics' Choice Movie Award for best film". [[Los Angeles Times]].
21. (3 January 2011). "Central Ohio Film Critics Association Awards Nominees". awardsdaily.com.
22. (28 January 2011). "Denver Film Critics Society 2011 Award Winners". Denver Film Critics Society.
23. (17 January 2011). "A. R. Rahman loses out on Golden Globe". [[The Hindu]].
24. (12 December 2010). "Precursor: Houston Film Critics Society Nominations". Cinema Sight.
25. (17 December 2010). "The Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards". Awards Daily.
26. (17 December 2010). "2010 Awards". [[San Diego Film Critics Society]].
27. (1 December 2010). "15th Satellite Awards to be held December 19, 2010 in Los Angeles". [[Satellite Awards]].
28. (6 December 2010). "2010 WAFCA Winners". [[Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association.
29. Collin Rodriguez. (27 February 2011). "Mumbai choir voice of Oscar-nominated song". [[The Hindustan Times]].