Late Night Tales Presents: What to Watch

“Sarabande” is from the 1975 film *Barry Lyndon, directed and produced by Stanley Kubrick, based on the 1844 novel by William Makepeace Thackeray, The Luck of Barry Lyndon. Kubrick began production on this movie after his 1971 film A Clockwork Orange. Since the period drama film is set in the 18th century — telling the fictional story of an opportunist who marries a rich widow — Kubrick chose primarily classical music, including pieces by Bach, Vivaldi, Mozart and Schubert. The featured track, “Sarabande,” is the piece most associated with the film, written by George Frideric Handel. The film is critically acclaimed, especially for its groundbreaking cinematography, and among many awards, it won an Academy Award for Best Scoring: Original Song Score.

Streaming options: Vudu (rent/buy) • ** Amazon Prime Video** (rent/buy) • Apple TV (rent/buy) • YouTube (rent/buy)

“Moonlight Cowboy” is the titular song by John Barry from the 1969 film of the same name, directed by John Schlesinger. A buddy drama film based on the novel of the same name by James Leo Herlihy, the movie stars Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight. Midnight Cowboy won three Academy Awards and is the first and only X-rated film ever to win Best Picture.

Streaming options: Vudu (rent/buy) • Amazon Prime Video (rent/buy) • Apple TV (rent/buy) • YouTube (rent/buy)

“Mad World” is a haunting Tears for Fears cover by Gary Jules for the soundtrack of 2001’s Donnie Darko. (An actual Tears for Fears song, “Head Over Heels,” is featured earlier in the movie.) The Jules cover of the song went No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart for three weeks upon release, and is the most memorable musical moment in the movie, playing during its end sequence. Donnie Darko, directed by Richard Kelly, is a sci-fi psychological thriller with a cult following, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, Maggie Gyllenhaal, James Duval and Drew Barrymore. This year is the film’s 20th anniversary, and a possible sequel (Kelly approved, unlike 2009’s S. Darko) has been teased.

Streaming options: Pluto TV (free) • Amazon Prime Video (subscription) • Tubi (free) • Vudu (rent/buy)

“March of the Siamese Children” is from the 1956 film The King & I, directed by Walter Lang, starring Deborah Kerr and Yul Brynner. There are many layers between the film and its source material, as it is based on a musical of the same name by Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammersteinhere; the play is in turn based on a novel by Margaret Landon; the novel is in turn based on memoirs written by Anna Leonowens. Leonowens’ stories were thought to be autobiographical, discussing her time as a school teacher to the children of King Mongkut of Siam in the early 1860s, but elements of her memoir have been called into question. Although the basis of the story itself is questionable, the film was a critical and commercial success and won many awards, including an Academy Award for the Best Scoring of a Musical Picture.

Streaming options: Vudu (rent/buy) • Amazon Prime Video (rent/buy) • Apple TV (rent/buy) • YouTube (rent/buy)

The featured version of “Adagio for Strings” in the 1986 film Platoon is performed by the Orchestra London Sinfonietta, conducted by Nick Ingman. Platoon is a war film written and directed by Oliver Stone, starring Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe and Charlie Sheen. It’s the first in his trilogy of Vietnam War films, followed by Born on the Fourth of July in 1989 and Heaven & Earth in 1993. “Adagio for Strings” plays repeatedly in the film, and has been used in many other settings — films, radio, events — to communicate grief.

Streaming options: Hulu (subscription) • Showtime (subscription) • Amazon Prime Video (subscription) • Apple TV (rent/buy) • YouTube (rent/buy)

“Cavatina,” aka “He Was Beautiful,” is a piece performed by classical guitarist John Williams, commonly known as “The Theme from The Deer Hunter,” the Michael Cimino-directed fIlm from 1978. The Deer Hunter is an epic war drama film starring Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken and John Savage, with John Cazale, Meryl Streep and George Dzundza in supporting roles (with this film marking Meryl Streep’s first Academy Award nomination). The film faced controversy for a Russian Roulette scene and for its critical take on the American involvement in Vietnam. Despite being controversial, The Deer Hunter was nominated for, and won, many awards — although its soundtrack is not critically acclaimed.

Streaming options: Vudu (rent/buy) • Amazon Prime Video (rent/buy) • Apple TV (rent/buy) • YouTube (rent/buy)

“The Office” is a selection from Michael Kamen’s score for the 1985 film Brazil. Despite being named after the country, the film is not about Brazil and doesn’t take place there — it’s named after the recurrent theme song, “Aquarela do Brasil” by Ary Barroso, performed here by Geoff Muldaur. Brazil is a dystopian sci-fi satire directed by Terry Gilliam, starring Jonathan Pryce and also featuring Robert De Niro. The film initially was a success in Europe and had an unsuccessful North American release, but eventually became a cult film and has been called both Orwellian and Kafkaesque.

Streaming options: Tubi (free) • Vudu (rent/buy) • Amazon Prime Video (rent/buy) • Apple TV (rent/buy) • YouTube (rent/buy)

“Outer Space” is included on the score by Bernard Herrmann in the 1951 film The Day The Earth Stood Still. Directed by Robert Wise, the sci-fi film — set during the Cold War — follows a humanoid alien visitor who comes to Earth with a message that will affect the entire human race, based on a 1940 sci-fi short story “Farewell to the Master” by Harry Bates. The score received a nomination at the Golden Globes and went on to be used in the TV series Lost in Space and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.

Streaming options: Hulu (subscription) • Sling TV (subscription) • Vudu (rent/buy) • Amazon Prime Video (rent/buy) • Apple TV (rent/buy) • YouTube (rent/buy)

“Midnight, the Stars and You,” by Ray Noble & His Orchestra, is one of 11 non-original songs used on the soundtrack for The Shining. The 1980 psychological horror film, produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick — starring Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Scatman Crothers and Danny Lloyd — is based on Stephen King’s 1977 novel of the same name. King criticized the film due to its deviations from the novel, and the general response at the time of its release was mixed. Over time, critical opinion has become more favorable and the film is now considered one of the greatest and most influential horror films ever made, and, in 2018, has even been selected for preservation in the US National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.

Streaming options: HBO Max (subscription) • Philo (subscription) • Vudu (rent/buy) • Amazon Prime Video (rent/buy) • Apple TV (rent/buy) • YouTube (rent/buy)

“Ode To Joy” Wendy Carlos, Mark Ayers In the 1971 film A Clockwork Orange, the central character, Alex, is obsessed with Ludwig van Beethoven in general and his Ninth Symphony in particular, including “Ode To Joy,” in its fourth movement. Directed by Stanley Kubrick, with a soundtrack by composer and musician Wendy Carlos, is a graphically violent, thought-provoking sci-fi crime film adapted from Anthony Burgess’ novel of the same name. Controversial and accused of inspiring copycat acts of violence, despite being banned in some places the film still received several awards and nominations, and later gained a cult following.

Streaming options: Hulu (subscription) • Showtime (subscription) • Sling TV (subscription) • fuboTV (subscription) • Vudu (rent/buy) • Amazon Prime Video (rent/buy) • Apple TV (rent/buy) • YouTube (rent/buy)

Music is used sparingly in the 1979 Hal Ashby-directed Being There, with a little original music composed by Johnny Mandel, and this featured track, which is the Eumir Deodato jazz/funk arrangement of the opening of Richard Strauss’ Also Sprach Zarathustra. Being There is a satire film based on the novel of the same name by Jerzy Kosiński, starring Peter Sellers and Shirly MacLaine. The film gave Sellers a hit, after many of his previous films outside of the Pink Panther series had been flops.

Streaming options: Hulu (subscription) • Vudu (rent/buy) • Amazon Prime Video (rent/buy) • Apple TV (rent/buy) • YouTube (rent/buy)

Thomas Newman — the composer of the score for 1994’s prison drama The Shawshank Redemption, directed by Frank Darabont — allegedly had trouble composing music that would elevate scenes that he already found highly emotional without distracting from them. The featured track from the soundtrack, “Brooks Was Here,” features the Hollywood Studio Symphony. The score was nominated for a Grammy Award and the Academy Award for Best Original Score (but lost both to The Lion King).

Streaming options: HBO Max (subscription) • Vudu (rent/buy) • Amazon Prime Video (rent/buy) • Apple TV (rent/buy) • YouTube (rent/buy)

The piano-based melody in the first part of “Tubular Bells,” originally on the 1973 debut album from progressive rock musician Mike Oldfield, has become inseparably linked with The Exorcist (also released in 1973) and is now considered to be the main theme from the film’s soundtrack. The William Friedkin-directed horror film, based on the novel by the same name by William Peter Blatty, is widely considered one of the best horror movies ever made.

Streaming options: Sling TV (subscription) • Philo (subscription) • Apple TV (rent/buy) • YouTube (rent/buy)

Japanese guitarist Tomoyasu Hotei is featured prominently in the soundtrack from Quentin Tarantino’s 2003 film Kill Bill, including in the track featured here, “Battle Without Honor or Humanity.” Partially set in Tokyo, the martial arts film stars Uma Thurman in a classic revenge plot, paying homage to grindhouse cinema. Originally intended to be a single film, with a runtime of over four hours, it was divided into two volumes. The soundtrack also features Spaghetti Western scores by Ennio Morricone and a whistled version of Bernard Herrmann’s theme from Twisted Nerve.

Streaming options: HBO Max (subscription) • Hulu (subscription) • Amazon Prime Video (subscription) • Vudu (rent/buy) • Apple TV (rent/buy) • YouTube (rent/buy)

“Halloween Main Theme” is from the 1978’s Halloween, the John Carpenter-directed and scored independent slasher film that went on to spawn a film franchise. The movie, starring Donald Pleasence and Jamie Lee Curtis in her film debut, is about an escaped mental patient — originally committed for murdering his babysitting teenage sister on Halloween when he was six — who has returned to his hometown, stalking a babysitter and her friends. The entire score was allegedly composed in three days, and was inspired by the scores for Suspiria and The Exorcist.

Streaming options: Amazon Prime Video (subscription) • Philo (subscription) • fuboTV (subscription) • Vudu (rent/buy) • Apple TV (rent/buy)

This featured track is the main title from the 1976 Martin-Scorsese-directed film Taxi Driver, scored by Bernard Herrmann; this was his final score before his death in 1975, and the film is dedicated to his memory. The drama stars Robert De Niro, a taxi driver and veteran whose mental state deteriorates as he works night in New York City, and generated controversy for casting 12-year-old Jodi Foster in the role of a child prostitute. The film is critically and commercially acclaimed, including nominations of the score for Academy and Grammy Awards, with a posthumous win of Best Music from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards for Herrmann.

Streaming options: Vudu (rent/buy) • Amazon Prime Video (rent/buy) • Apple TV (rent/buy) • YouTube (rent/buy)

“Chase” appears on the soundtrack by Italian synth-pioneer Giorgio Moroder for the 1978 film Midnight Express. The prison drama directed by Alan Parker was based on Billy Hayes’ 1977 nonfiction book of the same name (although it was criticized for a negative portrayal of incarcerated Turkish men and for deviating too much from the source material). Criticism aside, Midnight Express received generally positive reviews on release and won Academy Awards for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Original Score.

Streaming options: Hulu (subscription) • Showtime (subscription) • Sling TV (subscription) • fuboTV (subscription) • Vudu (rent/buy) • Amazon Prime Video (rent/buy) • Apple TV (rent/buy) • YouTube (rent/buy)

This track is the theme from the 1971 Gordon Parks-directed film, Shaft, which is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Ernest Tidyman. The blaxploitation crime drama stars Richard Roundtree as John Shaft, a private detective who is hired by a mobster to rescue his daughter. “Theme from Shaft” won an Academy Award for Best Original Song and is included in AFI’s 100 Years… 100 Songs, among other honors.

Streaming options: HBO Max (subscription) • Amazon Prime Video (subscription) • Vudu (rent/buy) • Apple TV (rent/buy) • YouTube (rent/buy)

This track is the main title song from contemporary jazz style score by Lalo Schifrin for the 1968 film Bullitt. The film, directed by Peter Yates, is a neo-noir action thriller starring Steve McQueen, based on the 1963 novel Mute Witness by Robert L. Fish aka Robert L. Pike. It's known for having a fantastic car chase scene through the streets of San Francisco, highly regarded as one of the most influential chase scenes in movie history.

Streaming options: Vudu (rent/buy) • Amazon Prime Video (rent/buy) • Apple TV (rent/buy) • YouTube (rent/buy)

“Tears In Rain” is from the 1982 science fiction film Blade Runner, directed by Ridley Scott, which went on to be an acclaimed cult film regarded as one of the all-time best sci-fi films. The film, set in a dystopian future Los Angeles of 2019 is an adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s 1968 novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? — starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young and Edward James Olmos. The soundtrack by Vangelis was nominated for a BAFTA and a Golden Globe as best original score.

Streaming options: HBO Max (subscription) • Netflix (subscription) • Vudu (rent/buy) • Amazon Prime Video (rent/buy) • Apple TV (rent/buy) • YouTube (rent/buy)

“We Have All The Time In The World,” performed by Louis Armstrong, is from John Barry’s score for the 1969 film On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. The film, directed by Peter R. Hunt (the only Bond film directed by Hunt, also his directorial debut after serving in other roles for previous films in the series), is the sixth movie in the James Bond series produced by Eon Productions, featuring George Lazenby — a model with no acting credits at the time — replacing Sean Connery in the role of James Bond. The soundtrack is Barry’s sixth successive Bond score, and is considered one of his best in the series.

Streaming options: Pluto (free) • Vudu (rent/buy) • Amazon Prime Video (rent/buy) • Apple TV (rent/buy) • YouTube (rent/buy)