In both concept and composition, he has offered compelling solutions to the musical demands of films by Carlos Saura ( Dispara), John Malkovitch ( The Dancer Upstairs - one of the most underrated scores ever), and of course the films of his ongoing collaborators Julio Medem ( La Ardilla Roja - one of Stanley Kubrick\'s favourite modern films Lovers of the Arctic Circle and Sex and Lucia) and Almodovar, all of whose films since La Flor de mi Secreto have been scored by Iglesias. And rightly so - for over the years Iglesias has perfected an approach to scoring based on (for the most part) chamber ensembles specific to the ideas of each film.
VOLVER PEDRO ALMODOVAR TV
Indeed, Volver was cited by Hans Zimmer, Gabriel Yared, Howard Shore and recent Oscar winner Gustavo Santaolalla as a personal favourite among the scores of this year in a recent Hollywood Reporter "Film and TV Music" Issue. With a recent induction into the Music Branch following on the heels of his nomination for his score to The Constant Gardener, the Spanish composer\'s work appears to be highly esteemed by both critics and peers. Penelope Cruz represented the film alone for Best Actress, Almodovar not even securing a Best Foreign Language Film nomination.Īlberto Iglesias\'s score should also be counted among those unluckily passed over by the arbiters of cinematic taste in Los Angeles. Despite exuding a far warmer and cuddlier air than the director\'s divisive Bad Education, and securing strong box office results for a foreign language film, Volver\'s showing at the recent Oscars was lean indeed. Reviews suggest the film is a typical effort from the acclaimed Spaniard: a high-strung female-centred melodrama with extroverted colour palette, earthy humour, black comedy, some unusual genre crossover (here a ghost story), and a fair bit of self conscious camp.
Acclaimed on its presentation at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival, Volver reunited director Pedro Almodovar with two of his leading ladies of years gone by - Penelope Cruz and Carmen Maura.