Being the Ricardos (soundtrack) explained

Cover:Being the Ricardos (Amazon Original Motion Picture Soundtrack).jpg
Being the Ricardos (Amazon Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Type:film
Artist:Daniel Pemberton
Released:December 17, 2021
Recorded:2021
Genre:Film score
Length:57:08
Label:Lakeshore
Producer:Daniel Pemberton

Being the Ricardos (Amazon Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack to the 2021 film Being the Ricardos directed by Aaron Sorkin, about the relationship between I Love Lucy stars Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, played by Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem. The score composed by Daniel Pemberton was released by Lakeshore Records on December 17, 2021. It received a nomination at the 75th British Academy Film Awards for Best Original Music.[1]

Development

Daniel Pemberton composed the score after working with Sorkin in Steve Jobs (2015), Molly's Game (2017) and The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020). Being the Ricardos was an unusual film for Pemberton, as the story set in the golden age of Hollywood, it needed a classical score, saying "A lot of the story is, in some ways, this dream of a perfect world, which Lucy’s searching for… the perfect home, a husband who is there [...] There is an element of nostalgia, not just looking back at these classic characters, but also a time when the identity of the country was quite different. I wanted to capture some of the wonder and the magic of that time period." Pemberton did not have any idea on the actors and the sitcom I Love Lucy, although watch few of the episodes on YouTube which felt "the show seemed to represent what was great about America, and how America saw itself".[2]

After attending the 93rd Academy Awards on April 25, 2021, Pemberton wrote a 70-piece orchestra based on a single theme which had a "bittersweet melancholia and an element of aspiration and dream" as several contemporary filmmakers shy away from strong melodies and huge orchestral themes, and Pemberton felt it as a canvas to reintroduce the idea. He wrote 65 minutes of the music at his home due to the COVID-19 pandemic where he and Sorkin communicated through video conferencing and email.[3] [4]

He incorporated rhythmic ideas using conga drums and percussions but did not replicate the Arnaz nightclub sound or the "I Love Lucy" theme, as he wanted "a different way to represent the energy of that world, the writers, the pace, the tension of the show". Some of the challenges include the flashback sequences, which took him long time to get the tone and had re-scored the scene over 20 times, since "We have to see Lucy thinking, working things out, letting the audience understand the process she goes through". For the nightclub scenes and recreating the theme song, the film's music supervisor Mary Ramos brought source music specialist Michael Andrew, who said: "There was a magic sound to Desi Arnaz’s orchestra. The goal was to get the sound of that orchestra, not a recording of it. We had to create it from scratch.” He recruited two fellow arrangers to listen closely to the televised versions and supervised the orchestration, instrumentation and choir to get it right. Ramos also brought Santana conga player Walfredo Reyes Jr. who worked with Javier Bardem on playing congas for the scenes.

Reception

Jason Bailey of Vulture called the score as "hoary" and "obvious".[5] Justin Chang of Los Angeles Times and Pete Hammond of Deadline Hollywood called the score as "rapid" and "lovely".[6] [7] Patrick Gibbs of Slug Magazine wrote "The score by Daniel Pemberton has some great moments, but some of the cues are a bit too melodramatic".[8]

Accolades

Pemberton's score was shortlisted for Academy Award for Best Original Score at the 94th Academy Awards, but was not nominated.[9] [10] [11]

BAFTA AwardsMarch 13, 2022Best Original MusicDaniel Pemberton[12]

Notes and References

  1. Nominations Announced: EE British Academy Film Awards in 2022 . . 3 February 2022 . 3 February 2022 . 3 February 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220203130733/https://www.bafta.org/media-centre/press-releases/film-awards-nominations-announced-2022 . live.
  2. Web site: Burlingame . Jon . 2021-12-14 . 'Being the Ricardos' Composer Daniel Pemberton on Crafting an Orchestral Score With Nostalgia and Wonder . https://web.archive.org/web/20230201165540/https://variety.com/2021/music/news/being-the-ricardos-score-daniel-pemberton-1235132682/ . 2023-02-01 . 2023-07-12 . Variety . en-US.
  3. Web site: Rosen . Christopher . 2021-11-21 . How composer Daniel Pemberton found the right theme for Aaron Sorkin's 'Being the Ricardos' [EXCLUSIVE VIDEO INTERVIEW] ]. https://web.archive.org/web/20211207064450/https://www.goldderby.com/feature/daniel-pemberton-being-the-ricardos-composers-video-interview-1204580289/ . 2021-12-07 . 2023-07-12 . GoldDerby . en-US.
  4. Web site: Eng . Joyce . 2022-01-22 . 'Being the Ricardos' composer Daniel Pemberton on capturing 'this slightly doomed love story' [EXCLUSIVE VIDEO INTERVIEW] ]. https://web.archive.org/web/20220125084606/https://www.goldderby.com/feature/daniel-pemberton-being-the-ricardos-composer-interview-1204739886/ . 2022-01-25 . 2023-07-12 . GoldDerby . en-US.
  5. Web site: Bailey . Jason . 2021-12-21 . Being the Ricardos Isn't a Biopic, It's a Filmed Wikipedia Page . https://web.archive.org/web/20220120133744/https://www.vulture.com/article/movie-review-aaron-sorkins-being-the-ricardos.html . 2022-01-20 . 2023-07-12 . Vulture . en-us.
  6. Web site: Chang . Justin . 2021-12-07 . Review: Nicole Kidman has a ball with Lucy in the fitfully effective 'Being the Ricardos' . https://web.archive.org/web/20220112122345/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2021-12-07/being-the-ricardos-review-nicole-kidman-lucille-ball-i-love-lucy . 2022-01-12 . 2023-07-12 . Los Angeles Times . en-US.
  7. Web site: Hammond . Pete . 2021-12-07 . 'Being The Ricardos' Review: Nicole Kidman & Javier Bardem Give New Reasons To Love Lucy In Aaron Sorkin's Brilliant Look At A Showbiz Marriage . https://web.archive.org/web/20220125005839/https://deadline.com/video/being-the-ricardos-review-nicole-kidman-javier-bardem-aaron-sorkin-i-love-lucy/ . 2022-01-25 . 2023-07-12 . Deadline . en-US.
  8. Web site: 2021-12-14 . Film Review: Being the Ricardos . https://web.archive.org/web/20220119102636/https://www.slugmag.com/arts/film-arts/film-reviews/being-the-ricardos/ . 2022-01-19 . 2023-07-12 . Slug Magazine . en-US.
  9. Web site: 2021-12-22 . Oscars 2022 Shortlists: Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Billie Eilish, Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood, and More . https://web.archive.org/web/20220117045712/https://pitchfork.com/news/oscars-2022-shortlists-beyonce-jay-z-billie-eilish-radiohead-jonny-greenwood-and-more/ . 2022-01-17 . 2023-07-12 . Pitchfork . en-US.
  10. Legaspi . Althea . 2021-12-22 . Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Two Jonny Greenwood Scores Among Oscars Shortlists . https://web.archive.org/web/20221107113311/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/beyonce-billie-eilish-ariana-grande-jonny-greenwood-oscars-shortlists-1274782/ . 2022-11-07 . 2023-07-12 . Rolling Stone . en-US.
  11. Web site: Gallagher . Alex . 2021-12-22 . Beyoncé, Billie Eilish and Jonny Greenwood among those shortlisted for 2022 Oscars . https://web.archive.org/web/20220118185620/https://www.nme.com/news/music/beyonce-billie-eilish-jonny-greenwood-shortlisted-2022-oscars-3124333 . 2022-01-18 . 2023-07-12 . NME . en-GB.
  12. Web site: Ravindran . Manori . February 3, 2022 . BAFTA Awards Nominations Unveiled: 'Dune,' 'Power of the Dog' Lead Field, Will Smith Earns First BAFTA Nod . https://web.archive.org/web/20220204105323/https://variety.com/2022/film/news/bafta-2022-awards-nominations-full-list-1235170992/ . February 4, 2022 . February 3, 2022 . Variety.

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