You can't open a film with a song as AMAZING as Marvin Gaye's Inner City Blues and tease us for a film with a great early 80s soundtrack then have NO MUSIC whatsoever for the entirety of the film!
shareI actually liked that...
That is a GREAT song, and it was a great opener and theme song for the movie. The rest of the movie was shot, acted and themed in an awesomely timeless way, despite being set in the 80's and I think the lack of music reflected that.
Also, "Inner City Blues" was released in 1971, so I don't know why it would be teasing us up for a "great early 80's soundrack"...
Also, "Inner City Blues" was released in 1971, so I don't know why it would be teasing us up for a "great early 80's soundrack"...
I was looking forward to those 80's fashions, on the same level as the 70's were so beautifully brought to life in "American Hustle." That film had an almost fetishistic obsession for the period. "A Most Violent Year" wasn't like that at all, with either the clothes OR the hair. But because this movie was great anyway, I forgive it for not including any mullets, afros or parachute pants..
"IMdB; where 14 year olds can act like jaded 40 year old critics...'
Probably a budgetary reason. Licensing music can be surprisingly expensive. Then again, the tone of the film was very dark and brooding throughout. Maybe the filmmaker felt adding popular music would interrupt the mood they were trying to evoke.
I'm always up for a good soundtrack on a period film. But I didn't really miss it in this case.
wow, you are right
some 80's music would have helped with the atmosphere and drama
was this an artistic decision or a financial decision?
It just shows how accustomed we become to "rules" of storytelling, and how difficult it often is to experience another way.
"What can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence."