The Impossible (soundtrack)
| The Impossible (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Film score by | ||||
| Released | 13 November 2012 | |||
| Studios | Abbey Road Studios, London | |||
| Genre | Film score | |||
| Length | 52:29 | |||
| Label | Quartet Records | |||
| Producer | Stephen McLaughlin | |||
| Fernando Velázquez chronology | ||||
| ||||
The Impossible (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the film score composed by Fernando Velázquez to the 2012 film The Impossible directed by J. A. Bayona and starring Ewan McGregor, Naomi Watts and Tom Holland. The score was recorded at the Abbey Road Studios in London. It was released through Quartet Records on 13 November 2012 followed by a limited edition vinyl LP pressed in 600 copies was released on 11 December 2012.
Development
The original score for The Impossible is composed by Fernando Velázquez whom he had worked with Bayona in The Orphanage (2007). Velázquez received inputs from María Belón, the survivor of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, on whom the film is based, as she visited the Abbey Road Studios when he was recording the important cues with the musicians. He considered it "beautiful how she summarized simply with some words what the music means in the film" something which cannot be told in awards and understood the importance of music.[1]
Velázquez and Bayona were conscious on balancing the film's emotional musical cues, by calculating the amount of music, its placement, style and the number of players in each cue. He added that going a little too much will spoil the story, and little too less might not be enough to express the emotional quotient which was a challenges. Velázquez felt he and his team were happy because people went through tragedies like this can say that they can recognize themselves in the score which he considered to be rewarding enough.[1]
Reception
Jonathan Broxton of Movie Music UK described it as "one of the finest scores of 2012" which makes listeners "impressed, entertained, and deeply moved" and recommended it for those who like "orchestral, theme-driven scores with powerful emotional cores".[2] James Southall of Movie Wave called it an "an extremely beautiful, very affecting score featuring a main theme that is truly outstanding"; he added that despite the repetition, "the theme never loses its power, its ability to be quite profoundly moving".[3]
Deborah Young of The Hollywood Reporter wrote "Fernando Velazquez’s score is not afraid to step in operatically to push the emotions even farther but at times feels unnecessarily manipulative when everything onscreen is already at a fever pitch."[4] Justin Chang of Variety stated that Velázquez's score has "increasingly operatic surges".[5] Jeff Meyers of Metro Times wrote "Fernando Velázquez's histrionic score [puts] an unfortunate exclamation point on every heart-breaking scene."[6] Reema Moudgil of The New Indian Express wrote "Fernando Velázquez’s music gathers symphonic terror and gentle compassion, thundering and ebbing along with the story".[7] James Croot of Stuff wrote "Fernando Velazquez delivers a truly haunting score".[8]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Impossible Main Title" | 5:11 |
| 2. | "The Best Holiday Season Ever" | 2:27 |
| 3. | "Is It Over?" | 0:53 |
| 4. | "Even If It's the Last Thing We Do" | 1:28 |
| 5. | "Kem Kang Noi" | 2:02 |
| 6. | "My Boys, I Cannot See Them" | 3:53 |
| 7. | "Go and Help People" | 1:37 |
| 8. | "I Will Bring Your Pappa Here" | 1:23 |
| 9. | "Is There Somebody We Could Call?" | 1:21 |
| 10. | "We'll Drive You Somewhere Safer" | 1:17 |
| 11. | "I Won't Stop Looking Until I Find Them" | 1:31 |
| 12. | "But She'll Be OK, Right?" | 1:52 |
| 13. | "Mom, Guess What I Just Saw Outside?" | 5:50 |
| 14. | "Let's Go, No Need to Wait" | 4:45 |
| 15. | "Am I Dead?" | 2:36 |
| 16. | "I Have a Family Too" | 1:31 |
| 17. | "He Looked so Happy" | 5:02 |
| 18. | "The Impossible End Titles" | 7:50 |
| Total length: | 52:29 | |
Accolades
| Award | Category | Nominee | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goya Awards | Best Original Score | Fernando Velázquez | Nominated | [9] [10] |
| International Film Music Critics Association | Film Score of the Year | Fernando Velázquez | Nominated | [11] [12] |
| Film Music Composition of the Year | Fernando Velázquez – ("The Impossible Main Title") | Won | ||
| Best Original Score for a Drama Film | Fernando Velázquez | Nominated |
References
- 1 2 Sperling, Nicole (12 December 2012). "'The Impossible' composer Fernando Velazquez talks emotion". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 24 December 2025. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
- ↑ Broxton, Jonathan (16 October 2012). "LO IMPOSIBLE/THE IMPOSSIBLE – Fernando Velázquez". MOVIE MUSIC UK. Archived from the original on 18 October 2012. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
- ↑ Southall, James (20 October 2012). "The Impossible soundtrack review | Fernando Velázquez". Movie Wave. Archived from the original on 17 February 2014. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
- ↑ Young, Deborah (10 September 2012). "The Impossible: Toronto Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 26 September 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
- ↑ Chang, Justin (10 September 2012). "The Impossible". Variety. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
- ↑ Meyers, Jeff (14 January 2013). "Review: The Impossible". Metro Times. Archived from the original on 2 April 2026. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
- ↑ Moudgil, Reema (7 January 2015). "A Giant Tidal Wave of Expression". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 2 April 2026. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
- ↑ Croot, James (18 August 2023). "The Impossible: The harrowing, haunting movie that gave the world Tom Holland hits Netflix". Stuff. Archived from the original on 2 April 2026. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
- ↑ "Estos son los premios de los Premios Goya 2013". premiosgoya.com. Academia de las Artes y las Ciencias Cinematográficas de España. Archived from the original on 6 February 2017. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
- ↑ "Estas son las nominaciones de los Premios Goya 2013". premiosgoya.com. Academia de las Artes y las Ciencias Cinematográficas de España. Archived from the original on 21 April 2017. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
- ↑ IFMCA (2013). "2012 IFMCA Awards". IFMCA. IFMCA. Archived from the original on 10 November 2013. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
- ↑ Johnson, Terence (18 February 2013). "International Film Music Award Nominations highlight 'Cloud Atlas' and 'Life of Pi'". AwardsCircuit. The Awards Circuit, LLC. Archived from the original on 27 February 2022. Retrieved 1 May 2020.