New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Varèse Sarabande will release the
STEVE MCQUEEN THE MAN & LE MANS - Original
Soundtrack digitally on November 6 and on CD November 13, 2015. The soundtrack features original music by composer Jim Copperthwaite (SPORTS LIFE STORIES, THE FIGHT OF THEIR LIVES). The film is a documentary that looks at the making of the seminal Steve McQueen film, LE MANS. As a special bonus, the album also includes selections of Michel Legrand's themes from the film LE MANS.
It is widely known that actor Steve McQueen was an avid racing fan. "He wanted to put the person in the theatre in the seat of a race car. He wanted them to feel what he felt as a driver himself. That was always his objective," said Bob Rosen, Executive Producer, Cinema Center Films, which released LE MANS.
As a nod to McQueen's love for racing, composer Jim Copperthwaite turned towards the speedway. "The sound that begins the score is a wavering drone that I created from a recording of a Porsche 917 engine at full throttle," described Copperthwaite. "This sound became central. It's really got something of the era in it."
"When you're racing, it's life. Anything that happens before or after is just waiting."
STEVE MCQUEEN: THE MAN & LE MANS is the story of obsession, betrayal and ultimate vindication. It is the story of how one of the most volatile, charismatic stars of his generation, who seemingly lost so much he held dear in the pursuit of his dream, nevertheless followed it to the end.
The story of the making of LE MANS seemingly takes as many turns as the race for which it was named. "I've never seen the movie. It's too difficult for me. He lost his wife, lost his marriage, lost the film . . . lost everything. The world just became a different color to him after that film," said his ex-wife Neile Adams McQueen.
For his score, Copperthwaite also took several twists and turns, "It's quite a hybrid," he described. "I have a core string orchestra augmented by Piano and solo Flugelhorn along with processed electric guitars and lots of creative synth work. It has its thematic core, its dramatic moments, but is more often than not it is nuanced, atmospheric and beautiful. I felt the notion of a solo Flugelhorn could do a great job bringing some sense of the vulnerability of Steve McQueen."
FilmRise presents
STEVE MCQUEEN THE MAN LE MANS in theaters on November 13, 2015. Varèse Sarabande will release the
STEVE MCQUEEN THE MAN LE MANS - Original Motion Picture
Soundtrack digitally on November 6 and on CD November 13, 2015.
