A memorable debut at the Venice Film Festival can mark the beginning of a film’s enduring legacy. The event’s highly regarded Golden Lion award has been bestowed on classics such as Brokeback Mountain and recent Oscar winners like The Shape of Water, but films don’t necessarily need the top award to benefit from being shown at Venice.

Current artistic director Alberto Barbera has been praised by the industry for balancing buzzy blockbuster rollouts with the 91-year-old festival’s strong tradition of independent cinema. The longest-running cinematic showcase in the world is a solid stage for new talents and well-known auteurs alike. Taste rules the day and discovering the right sound for your next production can make the difference between a crowd favorite or a dud.

Here are four occasions when music helped a movie make a splash in Venice:

 

Rashomon (1951)

This innovative Japanese film by auteur Akira Kurosawa shows the story of a murdered samurai from four different characters’ perspectives. This approach fascinated popular director Quentin Tarantino and inspired his signature use of unreliable narrators and subjective storytelling in the 1990’s and early aughts. The score, written by Fumio Hayasaka, pulls a bit of a trick itself, deliberately lifting from Maurice Ravel’s classical composition Bolero, but transforming and twisting the familiar tune throughout the perspective-bending movie.

Kurosawa appropriated famous classical compositions in later movies after the successful reception of his innovative filmmaking on the world stage.

 

Battle of Algiers (1966)

This raw, documentary-like movie told Venice audiences the story of Algerian rebels who fought against the French for their independence. The war had only ended three years before the movie’s debut. The film’s use of music conveyed nuanced emotions across the opposing cultures of Algeria and their occupiers, whom European audiences in Venice were more likely to relate to innately than the north-African rebels. Director Gillo Pontecorvo helped compose the score himself, making his mark on cinematic history.

Fun fact: The film's score was composed by Pontecorvo and Ennio Morricone, whose music you can also license via Universal Production Music.

 

Joker (2019)

Though some critics have called the needle-drops in this Batman prequel “on the nose,” the classic-rock heavy soundscape helped develop the bleak inner world of Joaquin Phoenix’s soon-to-be super villain.

The use of rich Sinatra tracks alongside the likes of Cream and Donovan also works as an homage to the works of director Martin Scorsese, Phillips' obvious inspiration. "On the nose" or not, Venice audiences seemed to get Phillips' vision, as the film was awarded a Golden Lion.

 

TÁR (2022)

This searing satire of power in the classical music world was guided by its haunting score. As audiences watched Cate Blanchett’s titular composer-conductor protagonist fall apart, Icelandic composer Hildur Guðnadóttir’s score masterfully weaves strands of Gustav Mahler's Fifth Symphony and Elgar's Cello Concerto throughout. It’s difficult to make classical music feel contemporary, but TÁR manages the feat.

Unlock your next sound

Even before characters in movies could even talk, there was music. It continues to be a vital storytelling component. With Universal Production Music's vast collection of tracks for film and television, you can find the missing ingredient for your filmmaking vision.

Sign up to start your next project and gain access to original content and fair licensing terms. It doesn’t pay to skimp on music – the right tracks can make all the difference in your film’s reception.