MovieChat Forums > The Ninth Configuration (1980) Discussion > San Antone

San Antone

posted 11 years ago by ccr1633
4 replies | jump to latest

That song fit reasonably well in Rolling Thunder, but seems completely out of place in The Ninth Configuration. The easygoing country tone is all wrong. The setting is the Pacific Northwest. What the hell were they thinking?

[–] Edward_de_Vere 11 years ago

The song "San Antone" is pleasant enough, but I agree that it's somewhat out of place here. If Blatty wanted a music video overture, a better fit would have been an orchestral piece based on the film score's recurring theme. Or, he could have used some solemn, perhaps religiously inspired classical piece as an opening.

[–] ccr1633 11 years ago

Hell, Voodoo Chile by Hendrix or I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night by The Electric Prunes would've been a better fit.

[–] pcventures 9 years ago

Sometimes choosing counterintuitive music makes for a better result.
In nearly every YouTube video I've made and posted, I picked a piece of music that was obscure, unexpected or thematically opposed to what I showed onscreen, and everyone thought they were great choices.
I actually thought "San Antone" worked well - never heard that song before or since - its relative obscurity was less distracting than a broadly popular piece. Although the film is obviously set in the Pacific Northwest, the song is still appropriately wistful and matches Cutshaw's contemplative mood, perhaps as he sits in the dimly lit alcove overlooking the courtyard, he's wishing he were "back in San Antone."

...and Mrs. Taylor sure seems to use a lotta ice, whenever he's away

[–] askmonroville 9 years ago

I have to agree. The entire point of the song was someone singing about missing their home. Here is a man who is on the brink of losing his mind, stuck in an insane asylum that is a rebuilt castle stuck in the middle of a forest in the Northwest, far from any peaceful living in some small town where you can live your life without guards shadowing your every move. The fact that it was also used in ROLLING THUNDER (which is also about ex-military trying to live their lives in a world that doesn't want them) is either an added benefit, or was picked by Blatty for that very reason.

Here is the song on youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qH47xPX7c8o

Also keep in mind that Cutshaw no doubt saw this in a theater and bought the soundtrack tape, which is why he's playing it (a fellow veteran wishing to visit a place that represents freedom or pleasant memories). ROLLING THUNDER came out in 1977, whereas NINTH CONFIGURATION takes place 3 years later (1980).