Philip Glass has been composing soundscapes of ambient intrigue for documentary filmmaker Errol Morris for decades, from the groundbreaking true-crime doc “The Thin Blue Line” to the Robert McNamara portrait “The Fog of War.” Now, the three-time Oscar-nominated modernist composer (“The Hours,” “Notes on a Scandal,” “Kundun”) and co-writer Paul Leonard-Morgan (“Dredd,” “Limitless,” and now a frequent Morris collaborator) have crafted the original score for Morris’ John le Carré documentary “The Pigeon Tunnel,” the Apple TV+ documentary that opens Friday, October 20. Also premiering that day will be the film‘s original soundtrack from Platoon, and IndieWire shares an exclusive track off the album below.
“It is our pleasure to share ‘The Pigeon Tunnel’ soundtrack,” said Philip Glass and Paul Leonard-Morgan, adding that “the orchestral journey this score took us on, combing the cimbalom of ’60s espionage soundtracks with symphonic orchestral work, led to 80 minutes of score, almost the entirety of the film.”
The film centers on four days of interviews with le Carré in 2019 that turned out to be his last.
Paul Leonard-Morgan further added, “When Errol asked Philip and myself to collaborate on ‘The Pigeon Tunnel,’ it felt so incredibly appropriate. With Philip having scored three of Errol’s movies, including the Oscar-winning ‘Thin Blue Line,’ and me having scored the last five, it was an opportunity for us to collaborate on an Errol movie, after scoring the series ‘Tales from the Loop‘ and ‘The Green Veil’ together.”
Collaborating with Errol and Paul on the fascinating subject of John le Carré was a wonderful experience,” added Philp Glass. “I had worked with Paul and Errol separately, but coming together to explore the life of this pivotal figure was a special opportunity. The soundtrack provides a sonic landscape for the journey, exploring both intimate and full orchestral moments, of which we hope you enjoy.”
The “Pigeon Tunnel” soundtrack was recently nominated by the Critics Choice Association Documentary Awards for Best Score.
