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What Song Does the Sergeant Sing About a Sparrow in “Hostiles”?

Sparrow Hostiles

While watching the Western Hostiles (2018) you may have noticed a character singing a beautiful song while playing mandolin around the campfire. What was the song?

Although it sounds like it is a timeless folk song, it is a new song written by Ryan Bingham called “How Shall a Sparrow Fly.” Bingham recorded the song for Hostiles, which stars Christian Bale. And that is Bingham playing the song as a sergeant in the movie.

In the video below, Bingham plays “How Shall a Sparrow Fly.”

Bingham also co-wrote with T. Bone Burnett the excellent Oscar-winning song “The Weary Kind,” which appeared in Crazy Heart (2009). That film, which starred Jeff Bridges, was directed by Scott Cooper, who also directed Hostiles.

Bingham recently explained to Variety that Cooper asked Bingham to be in Hostiles when he saw some video of Bingham on horses. After getting the script, Bingham worked up “How Shall a Sparrow Fly” on his mandolin while touring.

Unfortunately, “How Shall a Sparrow Fly” did not receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Song. But it is a wonderful song from the singer-songwriter.

“How Shall a Sparrow Fly?” appears on the Hostiles soundtrack with a full orchestra.

Leave your two cents in the comments.

A Dark Humorless Somewhat Revisionist Western: “Hostiles” (Short Review)

Keeping the Wolves At Bay

Ryan Bingham: “Radio”

A Crazy Violent Act and A Very Good Film (“The Dark Knight Rises”)

The Dark Knight Rises . . . In Legos

The Myth of Redemptive Violence (Part Two): The American Western

(Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)

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What is that song in “A Ghost Story”?

Ghost Story Song I finally got around to watching A Ghost Story (2017), an interesting and somewhat unusual film about loss, love, death, and time. The movie also features a beautiful song that plays a prominent role. Upon hearing the song, I had to track it down.

First, a few comments about the movie. Without going into an extensive review, I found it fascinating. As others have noted, it is a little slow, but if you are in the right mood and patient, you might get a lot out of A Ghost Story. I found myself slowly getting sucked into where the movie had a big emotional impact.

A Ghost Story stars Casey Affleck (as “C”) and Rooney Mara (as “M”) portraying a young couple living in a house when Affleck’s character is killed. Without giving too much away, Affleck sort of rises from the dead as a ghost, returning to the house to haunt the house through time. While one might expect the film to feature Affleck’s ghost interacting with his lover throughout the rest of the movie, the movie travels further through time, both forwards and backwards.

Director David Lowery made an interesting choice to have Affleck portray the ghost underneath a sheet with two eyes. Or so it appears at first, because the costume designed by Annell Brodeur is actually more complex. But it is a simple, recognizable ghost image without distracting special effects, serving the simplicity of the story.

There is little dialogue in A Ghost Story, as the ghost never makes any verbal sounds. So, much of the movie plays like a silent film. Again, some may find it boring, but if you are willing to invest in the movie, you might find it captivating.

“I Get Overwhelmed”

The movie also features a song that C plays for M when they are together. And M later listens to the song after C has died. Like the film, the song captivates you in a hypnotizing way. The song is “I Get Overwhelmed” by Dark Rooms.

Is your lover there?
Is she wakin’ up?
Did she die in the night?
And leave you alone?
Alone.

Dark Rooms features Daniel Hart, a performer and composer from Dallas, Texas. Hart has created music for other films and TV too. Dark Rooms’ first album, which includes “I Get Overwhelmed” from A Ghost Story, is Distraction Sickness, released in September 2017. The band is working on another album in Los Angeles.

Distraction Sickness is available from Dark Rooms’ Bandcamp website and at Amazon. A Ghost Story is now streaming on Amazon Prime. If you have already seen the movie and wonder how the song lyrics might play a bigger role in the movie, check out this discussion, which includes spoilers.

What did you think of A Ghost Story? Leave your two cents in the comments.

That Dirty Little Coward That Shot Mr. Howard

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(Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)

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What Tarantino’s “Star Trek” Might Look Like

Star Trek fans have been curious since it was announced that Quentin Tarantino will be directing a new film in the franchise. What would the director of violent films such as Reservoir Dogs (1992), Django Unchained (2012), and The Hateful Eight (2015) do to the beloved series? Now, Nerdist presents a short preview for how they imagine the new film will look.

The trailer features a narrator over scenes from the original series. It also includes a guitar soundtrack that sounds right out of Pulp Fiction (1994).

In Nerdist’s imagination, the Tarantino film will feature Captain Kirk and the rest of the gang blazing their way through the universe with guns and punches. Do not want to cross this crew.

Check out the funny trailer for Quentin Tarantino’s Star Trek: Voyage to Vengeance. “Set your phasers to thrill!”

As of now, the upcoming Star Trek film, which will be written by Mark L. Smith who wrote The Revenant (2015), does not have a release date.

What is your favorite Star Trek film? Leave your two cents in the comments.

Two Spocks and an Audi

Pop Culture References in Tarantino Films

All This Science I Don’t Understand: William Shatner

One Degree of Separation Between Bob Dylan & Twilight Zone: Bonnie Beecher & “Come Wander With Me”

New Honest Trailer for “The Princess Bride”

“Star Trek Beyond” Gets Back to Basics

(Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)

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Was Kurt Russell’s Voice in “Forrest Gump” as Elvis Presley?

Kurt Russell Elvis Presley

In Forrest Gump (1994), there is a scene where the young Forrest Gump is dancing while a young man staying at Gump’s mom’s house plays the guitar and sings. The viewer immediately recognizes the singer character as Elvis Presley, who learns some of his dance moves from the kid. But did you recognize the voice of the actor playing Elvis? It was Kurt Russell.

Kurt Russell is not credited with the role, but many observers have recognized his voice for the actor Peter Dobson. While some have debated whether or not it is really Russell, IMDb lists Russell as providing the voice. Also, reportedly, the DVD commentary to the film confirms Russell’s participation.

Below is the Elvis scene from Forrest Gump. Do you recognize Russell’s voice for the young Elvis? By the way, the later scene of Elvis on television is of course the real Elvis with his real voice.

Russell as Elvis in Other Movies

Forrest Gump director Robert Zemeckis knew that Russell had played Elvis in the 1979 made-for-TV film Elvis, directed by John Carpenter. So, he concluded that Russell, who was by then too old to appear as the young Elvis, would be ideal to provide the Elvis voice in Forrest Gump.

In this scene from Elvis, Russell plays the young Elvis. Interestingly, Carpenter did not use Russell’s voice for the singing Elvis in the movie. Singer Ronnie McDowell, whose first hit was the 1977 song “The King is Gone,” provided the voice for Russell’s Elvis when he was singing.

Russell would reprise his Elvis skills in the Las Vegas heist film 3000 Miles to Graceland. In that 2001 film, Russell works with Kevin Costner to plan a Las Vegas robbery during an Elvis Presley impersonators convention.

Besides dressing as an Elvis impersonator in 3000 Miles to Graceland, Russell also portrayed Elvis in the music video for Presley’s “Such a Night,” which was featured on the soundtrack for the movie.

Russell With Elvis

Those movie appearances as Elvis (or an Elvis impersonator), however, are not Kurt Russell’s only connection to Elvis. When Russell was a child actor, he briefly appeared in It Happened at the World’s Fair (1963).

In that movie, Russell appeared onscreen to kick the King. In the film, Elvis had paid the young boy to kick him so he could meet the nurse at the fairground.

It Happened at the World’s Fair was Russell’s first movie appearance. At that time, Elvis was 27 years old; and Russell would later be 27 years old when he portrayed Elvis in Elvis.

In this segment from Turner Classic Movies, Russell tells the story about meeting Elvis and about portraying him on film.

And that is the story behind the movie and Russell’s connections to Elvis Presley, who was born on January 8, 1935.

Do you think it is Russell’s voice in Forrest Gump? Leave your two cents in the comments.

Elvis Presley’s Funny Take on “Are You Lonesome Tonight” in Omaha in 1977

Chuck Jackson Was There Before Elvis: “Any Day Now”

Lisa Marie Presley and Elvis: “I Love You Because”

Townes Van Zandt Covered an Elvis Song About a Shrimp?

Did Elvis Perform “If I Can Dream” Facing a Christmas Stage As In Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis” Move?

Morgan Wade: “Run” (Song of the Day)

(Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)

Christmas Don’t Be Late

All I Want Is a Hula Hoop Before the movies, there was the classic Chipmunks Christmas album that featured “The Chipmunk Song.” Although the version below with puppets does not have the technology of the movies, I still like it best. Perhaps my fondness for the original results from the fact that my family played this song (and the album) every year when I was growing up.

Alvin and the Chipmunks were created by Ross Bagdasarian Sr., who went by the name David Seville as the human foil to the rascally Alvin. Bagdasarian as Seville had a 1958 hit with a novelty song, “Witch Doctor.” That song and his follow-up featured some use of his speeded-up voice.

But in late fall of 1958, he made more use of the speed technique when he released the first Chipmunks song. Bagdasarian reportedly got the idea for chipmunk characters when one of the animals had dashed in front of his car while he was driving in Sequoia National Park. The result, “The Chipmunks Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late),” became a massive hit.

The popularity of the Christmas song led to other Chipmunk songs. The original song first appeared on the album Let’s All Sing with the Chipmunks (1959). It appeared again on the 1962 holiday album, Christmas with the Chipmunks, which is the album we had in our house.

Bagdasarian also wrote the Rosemary Clooney hit “Come on-a My House.” And he appeared in some small movie roles before he created The Chipmunks.

In Rear Window (1954), Bagdasarian portrays a piano-player songwriter who writes the song “Lisa.” In this clip, he plays a piano in a scene that also features director Alfred Hitchcock’s signature cameo.

I cannot remember whether I got a hula-hoop before or after I heard “The Chipmunks Song” the first time. But I suppose kids today might question how the hottest toy at the time was a hoop you threw around your waist. Oh well.

In the video below, Bagdasarian, i.e. David Seville, appears with the Chipmunks on The Ed Sullivan Show. Merry Christmas.