Staff Picks Blog
The Proposition, a 2005 film, is set in 19th century rural Australia. The plot involves the apprehension of 2 of the 4 notorious Burns brothers, a vicious gang that has been raping and pillaging the countryside. The film’s title comes from the offer made to one of the brothers: if he finds and kills his older brother, the mastermind of the gang, then his younger brother will be spared the gallows. You might expect the soundtrack to be pretty stark, and you would be right.
Singer/songwriter Nick Cave of the Bad Seeds, and Warren Ellis have teamed to create the brooding, haunting music for the film. Down to the Valley, The Proposition, Part 2, and The Rider Song, with their deep vocals and wailing, rasping violin are highlights for me. The music is bleak, but beautifully so, and it stays with me.
Thanks Ardis! I hadn’t heard about this but I love both Nick Cave and Warren Ellis. If you like the violin bit here, you have to check out Dirty Three, Warren’s earlier incarnation. Some of my favorite drone-y, emotional, rainy-day life soundtracks. I’m going to dig ‘em out of the many cd piles in my basement tonight!