Archive
Under-the-Radar Round Up 2013, Part 1
Original Reviews by Jonathan Broxton
I’m pleased to present the first installment in what will become an on-going series of articles looking at some of the best under-the-radar scores from around the world – music from films and television projects which, for one reason or another, may not receive the international attention they deserve.
This first article looks at eleven scores from 2013, primarily drawn from the German and wider European film music scene. They include an epic German historical drama about dreams of emigration to America, a Czech Holocaust romance, a bittersweet comedy-drama about a young woman living with cancer, a German western about settlers in 19th-century America, a lyrical Turkish period drama about two poets in love, an intellectual journey into the dark history of Portugal’s Salazar dictatorship, a spectacular nature documentary exploring the North Sea, a family drama about the bond between a rebellious teenager and a horse, an orchestral fantasy adventure involving time travel, an ambitious World War II television drama following five young German friends, and an intimate documentary examining one family’s experience with Alzheimer’s disease. The composers featured include Michael Riessler, Atli Örvarsson, Johan Hoogewijs, Karim Sebastian Elias, Rahman Altin, Annette Focks, Oliver Heuss, Philipp F. Kölmel, Fabian Römer, and Jessica de Rooij.
KELEBEĞIN RÜYASI/THE BUTTERFLY’S DREAM – Rahman Altin
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
There aren’t many Turkish films which attain any sort of international prominence, but director Yılmaz Erdoğan’s film Kelebeğin Rüyası – The Butterfly’s Dream – is one of the rarities. It was Turkey’s official submission to the 86th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film; according to its official press, the film is set in Turkey in the early 1940s, and revolves around two good friends, Rüştü Onur (Mert Firat) and Muzaffer Tayyip Uslu (Kıvanç Tatlıtuğ), who make a living out of publishing poetry. However, with World War II in full swing across the world, and with the social class system and religious barriers of the time giving rise to numerous problems, their story takes a turn when both fall in love. Read more…

