Mank | ||||
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Film score by | ||||
Released | December 4, 2020 | |||
Recorded | 2020 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 93:32 | |||
Label | The Null Corporation | |||
Producer |
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Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross chronology | ||||
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Mank (Original Music Score) is the score album for David Fincher's 2020 film of the same name, composed by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. It was released by The Null Corporation label on December 4, 2020, coinciding with the worldwide release on Netflix. [1] The film marks Fincher's fourth collaboration with Reznor and Ross after the Academy Award-winning score for The Social Network (2010), The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) and Gone Girl (2014). Both Reznor and Ross used period-authentic instrumentation from the 1930s and 40s, instead of their synth-heavy style. [2] The orchestral sections were performed by each members at their homes, due to the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. [3]
The score album featured 52-tracks with a duration of one-and-a-half hours, upon the initial release. [1] A vinyl edition of the soundtrack was released in 2023. In addition, an extended soundtrack consisting of 87 tracks with a duration of three-and-a-half hours, was released through Reznor and Ross' blog on the online music distributor Bandcamp. The bonus content featured 35 tracks of unreleased music and demos that were not featured in the film. [3]
The score received positive response from critics and listeners, appreciating Reznor and Ross, for the period setting and instrumentation saying that "it takes back to the 1930s" [3] Following the reception, the film score received nominations from several award ceremonies, including Golden Globe, Academy and BAFTA. The duo, however, won the awards at the major ceremonies for their compositions in Soul . [4] [5]
Fincher's frequent collaborators Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross composed the score for Mank, whom confirmed their association in December 2019. [6] Fincher did not have any pre-conceived musical approach while writing the script, but the team decided for a period-setting score reflecting Bernard Herrmann's composition for Citizen Kane (1941). Thus, Reznor and Ross used period-authentic instrumentation from the 1930s and 1940s, instead of their synth-heavy style, to accompany the film. [7] [lower-alpha 1] The duo stated that "[Ross and I] were intimidated, as usual, but I think any good project starts with a level of discomfort [...] we were looking for something that's interesting and would feel, if it was in 1940, would be an experimental approach to how it would sound." [9] They called scoring a period film was "challenging" as the score was highly unconventional, calling it as "a pre-modern story in postmodern clothes". [7] [10]
The musical palette ranges from big-band arrangements and percussive, jazz, orchestral pieces, strings and other period instruments to imitate Herrmann's style for Citizen Kane. [11] [12] In an interview with The New-York Magazine , Fincher stated that "The music has been recorded with older microphones, so it has a sort of sizzle and wheeze around the edges — you get it from strings, but you mostly get it from brass. What you're hearing is a revival house — an old theatre playing a movie." [13] [14]
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, each member of the orchestra recorded their sections for the score from home. [9] [15] Ross said that "When those sessions were presented to us, and we hit the spacebar, and we just heard the raw piece play, it sounded incredible. I thought I couldn’t believe it". [16] The first listen of the soundtrack was released on Reznor's private website on October 21, 2020. This featured over official stills and more than 200 behind-the-scenes footage regarding the making of the film. The soundtrack list was also released on the website on that date. [9] While releasing the additional compositions, the band Nine Inch Nails had stated that "These are additional and alternate compositions that didn’t get used in the film along with a selection of Trent and Atticus demos pre-orchestration". [2] [17]
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Welcome to Victorville" | 2:15 |
2. | "Trapped!" | 1:17 |
3. | "All This Time" | 2:01 |
4. | "Enter Menace" | 0:48 |
5. | "First Dictation" | 2:22 |
6. | "A Fool's Paradise" | 1:33 |
7. | "Once More Unto the Breach" | 2:05 |
8. | "About Something" | 0:54 |
9. | "Glendale Station" | 1:16 |
10. | "What's at Stake?" | 0:53 |
11. | "Every Thing You Do" | 3:01 |
12. | "Cowboys and Indians" | 1:20 |
13. | "Presumed Lost" | 1:09 |
14. | "(If Only You Could) Save Me" | 3:18 |
15. | "Means of Escape" | 0:49 |
16. | "All this Time (A White Parasol)" | 0:34 |
17. | "M.G.M." | 2:51 |
18. | "A Respectable Bribe" | 1:03 |
19. | "I, Governor of California" | 1:32 |
20. | "A Leaden Silence" | 0:54 |
21. | "San Simeon Waltz" | 4:55 |
22. | "Time Running Out" | 0:44 |
23. | "Mank-heim" | 1:24 |
24. | "Lend Me a Buck?" | 1:20 |
25. | "You Wanted to See Me?" | 1:03 |
26. | "In Your Arms Again" | 3:18 |
27. | "The Dark Night of the Soul" | 1:09 |
28. | "Clouds Gather" | 0:13 |
29. | "Way Back When" | 3:19 |
30. | "An Idea Takes Hold" | 3:40 |
31. | "Marion's Exit" | 3:18 |
32. | "Absolution" | 1:05 |
33. | "Scenes from Election Night" | 4:23 |
34. | "Election Night-mare" | 1:31 |
35. | "All This Time (Dance Interrupted)" | 1:01 |
36. | "All This Time (Victorious)" | 1:12 |
37. | "I'm Eve" | 0:32 |
38. | "A Rare Bird" | 2:10 |
39. | "Look at What We Did" | 2:30 |
40. | "Menace Returns" | 0:33 |
41. | "Forgive Me" | 2:15 |
42. | "Final Regards" | 1:11 |
43. | "Where Else Would I Be?" | 1:04 |
44. | "The Organ Grinder" | 1:52 |
45. | "All This Time (Not No More)" | 1:13 |
46. | "Costume Party" | 1:10 |
47. | "Dulcinea" | 0:37 |
48. | "Shoot-out at the OK Corral" | 1:42 |
49. | "The Organ Grinder's Monkey" | 2:24 |
50. | "The Act of Purging Violence" | 0:38 |
51. | "All This Time (Happily Ever After)" | 2:26 |
52. | "A Rare Bird (Reprise)" | 4:45 |
Total length: | 93:32 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Welcome to Victorville" | 2:15 |
2. | "Trapped!" | 1:17 |
3. | "All This Time" | 2:01 |
4. | "Enter Menace" | 0:48 |
5. | "First Dictation" | 2:22 |
6. | "A Fool's Paradise" | 1:33 |
7. | "Once More Unto the Breach" | 2:05 |
8. | "About Something" | 0:54 |
9. | "Glendale Station" | 1:16 |
10. | "What's at Stake?" | 0:53 |
11. | "Every Thing You Do" | 3:01 |
12. | "Cowboys and Indians" | 1:20 |
13. | "Presumed Lost" | 1:09 |
14. | "(If Only You Could) Save Me" | 3:18 |
15. | "Means of Escape" | 0:49 |
16. | "All this Time (A White Parasol)" | 0:34 |
17. | "M.G.M." | 2:51 |
18. | "A Respectable Bribe" | 1:03 |
19. | "I, Governor of California" | 1:32 |
20. | "A Leaden Silence" | 0:54 |
21. | "San Simeon Waltz" | 4:55 |
22. | "Time Running Out" | 0:44 |
23. | "Mank-heim" | 1:24 |
24. | "Lend Me a Buck?" | 1:20 |
25. | "You Wanted to See Me?" | 1:03 |
26. | "In Your Arms Again" | 3:18 |
27. | "The Dark Night of the Soul" | 1:09 |
28. | "Clouds Gather" | 0:13 |
29. | "Way Back When" | 3:19 |
30. | "An Idea Takes Hold" | 3:40 |
31. | "Marion's Exit" | 3:18 |
32. | "Absolution" | 1:05 |
33. | "Scenes from Election Night" | 4:23 |
34. | "Election Night-mare" | 1:31 |
35. | "All This Time (Dance Interrupted)" | 1:01 |
36. | "All This Time (Victorious)" | 1:12 |
37. | "I'm Eve" | 0:32 |
38. | "A Rare Bird" | 2:10 |
39. | "Look at What We Did" | 2:30 |
40. | "Menace Returns" | 0:33 |
41. | "Forgive Me" | 2:15 |
42. | "Final Regards" | 1:11 |
43. | "Where Else Would I Be?" | 1:04 |
44. | "The Organ Grinder" | 1:52 |
45. | "All This Time (Not No More)" | 1:13 |
46. | "Costume Party" | 1:10 |
47. | "Dulcinea" | 0:37 |
48. | "Shoot-out at the OK Corral" | 1:42 |
49. | "The Organ Grinder's Monkey" | 2:24 |
50. | "The Act of Purging Violence" | 0:38 |
51. | "All This Time (Happily Ever After)" | 2:26 |
52. | "A Rare Bird (Reprise)" | 4:45 |
53. | "Dark Corners" | 2:56 |
54. | "Constellations" | 2:20 |
55. | "Internal Logic" | 3:34 |
56. | "Picture Frame" | 2:35 |
57. | "An Idea Takes Hold (Demo)" | 3:36 |
58. | "Maybe Another Time" | 4:17 |
59. | "Uncertainty Strikes" | 2:05 |
60. | "Reasons to Continue" | 5:17 |
61. | "The Organ Grinder's Monkey (Demo)" | 5:41 |
62. | "Look At What We Did (Demo)" | 3:41 |
63. | "M.G.M. (Demo)" | 2:55 |
64. | "A Fool's Paradise (Demo)" | 3:54 |
65. | "How It Could Have Been (Version 1)" | 1:47 |
66. | "Enter Menace (Demo)" | 5:21 |
67. | "Welcome to Victorville (Demo)" | 1:57 |
68. | "It Can Get Cold at Night" | 4:22 |
69. | "Marion's Exit (Demo)" | 3:47 |
70. | "A Rare Bird (Demo)" | 2:14 |
71. | "What's at Stake (Demo)" | 3:51 |
72. | "You Can Count on Me" | 2:34 |
73. | "A Respectable Bribe (Demo)" | 2:23 |
74. | "Way Back When (Demo)" | 1:59 |
75. | "Possibilities" | 2:31 |
76. | "I Never Thought It Would Be You" | 3:15 |
77. | "Scenes From Election Night (Demo)" | 3:31 |
78. | "In Your Arms Again (Demo)" | 1:07 |
79. | "An Act of Purging Violence (Demo)" | 2:22 |
80. | "First Dictation (Demo)" | 1:55 |
81. | "Glassy Eyes" | 5:44 |
82. | "Election Night-mare (Demo)" | 3:10 |
83. | "How It Could Have Been (Version 2)" | 1:51 |
84. | "Shoot-out (Demo)" | 4:05 |
85. | "Glendale Station (Demo)" | 4:39 |
86. | "About Something (Demo)" | 6:56 |
87. | "All This Time (Piano demo)" | 4:44 |
Total length: | 3:31:15 |
Allie Gemmill of Collider said that: "The rich, warm, brassy sounds that score the story as we follow Mankiewicz through a decade's worth of professional and personal highs, lows, and revelations only enriches the viewing experience". [9] Critic Jonathan Broxton stated: "The score works in the film and succeeds admirably as a standalone experience [...] It’s compositionally interesting and intellectually stimulating, dramatically apt, thoroughly enjoyable from a purely musical point of view, and shows a rich new side to their musical personality that continues to evolve over time." [20] Firstpost-based critic Lakshmi Govindarajan Javeri called the score album as "one of the refreshing soundtrack of the lockdown year", further adding that "Reznor and Ross have captured an entire bygone era in 52 tracks and have certainly left us with the impression of having lived at the time". [3] Indulge-based Benjamin Milton said "The soundtrack is perfect, at times it even sounds like it may have been written and recorded in the nineteen-thirties." [21] Filmtracks.com wrote "The quality of the score simply cannot support either length of time, but not because of the big band and foxtrot portions. Sprinkled extensively into the first two-thirds of the score and featuring the straight big band performances far more often, these passages are quite admirable in their variety and authenticity. If assembled into their own lengthy suite of cues, they'd be a compelling tribute to the style of the era." [22]
Chart (2010) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Soundtrack Albums (Billboard) [23] | 30 |
Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Academy Awards | April 25, 2021 | Best Original Score | Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross | Nominated | [24] |
British Academy Film Awards | April 11, 2021 | Best Original Music | Nominated | [25] | |
Chicago Film Critics Awards | December 21, 2020 | Best Original Score | Nominated | [26] [27] | |
Critics’ Choice Awards | March 7, 2021 | Best Score | Nominated | [28] | |
Golden Globe Awards | February 28, 2021 | Best Original Score – Motion Picture | Nominated | [29] | |
Hollywood Critics Association Awards | March 5, 2021 | Best Score | Nominated | [30] | |
Hollywood Music in Media Awards | January 27, 2021 | Best Original Score in a Feature Film | Nominated | [31] | |
Satellite Awards | February 15, 2021 | Best Original Score | Nominated | [32] | |
Saturn Awards | October 26, 2021 | Best Music | Nominated | [33] |
David Andrew Leo Fincher is an American film director. His films, most of which are psychological thrillers, have collectively grossed over $2.1 billion worldwide and have received numerous accolades, including three nominations for the Academy Awards for Best Director. He has also received four Primetime Emmy Awards, two Grammy Awards, a BAFTA Award, and a Golden Globe Award.
Michael Trent Reznor is an American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and composer. He serves as the lead vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and principal songwriter of the industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, which he founded in 1988 and of which he was the sole official member until 2016. The first Nine Inch Nails album, Pretty Hate Machine (1989), was a commercial and critical success. Reznor has since released 11 more Nine Inch Nails studio albums.
Atticus Matthew Cowper Ross is an English musician, record producer, composer, and audio engineer. Along with Trent Reznor, he won the Academy Award for Best Original Score for The Social Network in 2010. In 2013, the pair won a Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media for their soundtrack to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. In 2021, alongside Jon Batiste, they won the Golden Globe and Academy Award for the soundtrack for Pixar's Soul.
The Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Score is one of the Critics' Choice Movie Awards given to people working in the film industry by the Critics Choice Association. It was first given out as a juried award from 1999 to 2001 and then competitively in 2002 onward.
The Social Network is the score album for David Fincher's 2010 film of the same name, composed by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. It was released on September 28, 2010, through The Null Corporation. On September 17, a five-track sampler was also made available for free. The score bears a similar sound to the previous Reznor/Ross 2008 collaboration, Ghosts I–IV, and even features two slightly reworked tracks from Ghosts; the track "Magnetic" and "A Familiar Taste".
"Mr. Self Destruct" is a song by American industrial rock act Nine Inch Nails. It was released on March 8, 1994. Written by frontman Trent Reznor, co-produced by Flood and recorded at Le Pig in 1993, it is the opening track of The Downward Spiral (1994), and predicts the album's "ugly" aesthetic and mostly "angry" tone. The song also gives a lyrical background of the album's protagonist. Its title is a reference to the eponymous opening track from British new wave duo Soft Cell's 1984 album This Last Night in Sodom.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is the score album for David Fincher's 2011 film of the same name, composed by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. It was released on December 9, 2011, through The Null Corporation in the US and Mute Records outside North America. This is the second soundtrack that Reznor and Ross have worked on together, following the Oscar-winning The Social Network, also for Fincher.
Gone Girl is the score album for David Fincher's 2014 film of the same name, composed by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. The album was released on September 30, 2014, through Columbia Records. It marks as third time that Reznor and Ross have collaborated with Fincher, following 2010's Oscar-winning The Social Network and 2011's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. The soundtrack was nominated for the 2015 Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media, and also for the 2014 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score.
Before the Flood is a collaboration soundtrack album by Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Mogwai and Gustavo Santaolalla for Fisher Stevens's film of the same name. It was originally made available as an Apple Music exclusive on October 21, 2016 and received a wide digital release on October 28. A CD release is scheduled for December 16, 2016 with a vinyl release to follow. The song "A Minute to Breathe" was first made available as a digital single on October 7, 2016. The album was released on Lakeshore Records.
Patriots Day is the score album for Peter Berg's 2016 film of the same name, composed by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. The album was released digitally on January 13, 2017, through Lakeshore Records. It is the fifth film score composed by the duo.
Mank is a 2020 American biographical drama film about screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz and his development of the screenplay for the 1941 film Citizen Kane. It was directed by David Fincher based on a screenplay written by his late father Jack Fincher and was produced by Ceán Chaffin, Douglas Urbanski, and Eric Roth. It stars Gary Oldman in the title role, alongside Amanda Seyfried, Lily Collins, Arliss Howard, Tom Pelphrey, Sam Troughton, Ferdinand Kingsley, Tuppence Middleton, Tom Burke, Joseph Cross, Jamie McShane, Toby Leonard Moore, Monika Gossman, and Charles Dance.
Erik Messerschmidt, ASC is an American cinematographer. He is best known for his collaborations with director David Fincher on the films Mank and The Killer and Gone Girl, and on the Netflix series Mindhunter. He has also shot episodes of the TV series Fargo, Legion, and Raised by Wolves. His work has been nominated for an Emmy. In April 2021, he won the top ASC Award and the Academy Award for Best Cinematography for Mank.
Watchmen (Music from the HBO Series) is the original score for the HBO superhero drama limited series Watchmen, composed by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. The score was released in three volumes on vinyl and digital services over the course of the series' broadcast in 2019, with Volume 1 on November 6, Volume 2 on November 27, and Volume 3 on December 18.
Soul: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack to the 2020 Disney-Pixar film Soul. The soundtrack is a compilation of all 23 score pieces by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross from the Soul: Original Motion Picture Score vinyl album as well as 16 original songs by Jon Batiste from the Music from and Inspired by Soul vinyl album. All three albums were released through Walt Disney Records on December 18, 2020.
The Killer is a 2023 American action thriller film directed by David Fincher from a screenplay by Andrew Kevin Walker. It is based on the French graphic novel series The Killer written by Alexis "Matz" Nolent and illustrated by Luc Jacamon. The film stars Michael Fassbender alongside Arliss Howard, Charles Parnell, Kerry O'Malley, Sala Baker, Sophie Charlotte, and Tilda Swinton in supporting roles. Fassbender plays an assassin who embarks on an international vendetta after a hit goes wrong.
Bones and All (Original Score) is the score album to the 2022 film of the same name, directed by Luca Guadagnino and starring Taylor Russell and Timothée Chalamet. The film's score was composed by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross and was released on November 18, 2022, on Reznor's label The Null Corporation. It features 23 score tracks, along with the original song, "(You Make Me Feel Like) Home". The score features acoustic music representing the Midwestern United States, and draws inspiration from classical Americana songs, that depicts the relationship between the leading characters, despite the horror setting.
Bird Box (Original Score) is the score album for the 2018 film of the same name, composed by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. The score was published by Maisie Music Publishing, which accompanied the music catalogue for Netflix, the film's distributor and released by Reznor's The Null Corporation label on January 7, 2019, two weeks after the film's release through the band's website and later received a wide release on January 25. While the original album consisted only 10 tracks, the album was issued in a special edition vinyl box set on November 22, 2019, which contained 13 additional tracks.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is the soundtrack to the 2023 film of the same name, directed by Jeff Rowe and featuring original music by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. Reznor and Ross aimed to give some of the tracks a garage band feel. The soundtrack was released on July 28, 2023, by Reznor's label, The Null Corporation, and received a largely positive critical response.
The Killer (Original Score) is the soundtrack to the 2023 film The Killer directed by David Fincher and features original music by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. The soundtrack was released through Reznor's The Null Corporation label on November 10, 2023, coinciding with its streaming release.
Those who watched HBO's Watchmen know that Reznor and Ross don't only stick to electronic music, and indeed in that show's jaw-dropping sixth episode, the action moved to the 1930s and Reznor and Ross created an era-appropriate score.