In The Loop End Credits Audio

Armando Iannucci's In The Loop (2009) ends with two pieces of music. One is Bach's Prelude #1 in C Major, i.e., the opening stanza of The Well-Tempered Clavier, which represents the Enlightenment, reason, the potential of the West - everything that we've seen painfully, hysterically go up in flames over the course of the film. The second is an uncredited but rather glorious new piece, apparently due to Adem Ilhan, for string quartet and a bunch of mallet instruments (and possibly a piano). Ilhan's piece, which is our focus here, isn't as sedate or inherently optimistic as Bach's Prelude, hence its use isn't as straightforwardly ironic. Rather, Ilhan's piece functions principally as a come-down or chill-out, a sobering up and de-ironizing moment for the audience. It's melodically and timbrally plaintive and slightly skeptical, even as it's rhythmically insistent. We leave In The Loop entranced by this novel piece of music, but also somewhat saddened. Ilhan makes us think of the (likely now suicidal?) peripheral figure in the film who's (i) been playing classical music throughout, (ii) tries to do something noble (Spartacus-like) by volunteering for the blame for a leak, (iii) is turned into the marionette typist of the doctored evidence in the film's ugliest scene, and (iv) who suffers the indignity of becoming "Debussy", the literal, final provider of the causus belli, at least insofar as any such thing exists. Ilhan's music's impact is huge in other words - in some respects it's the key to In The Loop's claim to be anything more than a silly pastiche and swearathon.

Amazingly, however, as far as I know, this track isn't available anywhere (there's been no official soundtrack released for In The Loop). Maybe my posting the audio from these last 3.5 minutes of the film will inspire Ilhan (who apparently has some connections to Four Tet), or Iannucci, or whomever (Alex Ross from The New Yorker?) to release or agitate for releasing the track properly (on iTunes say). There may not be enough original music in the film to warrant a soundtrack album as such, but it's crazy to not have a clean version of this lovely (in context - important) piece out there.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• In The Loop
• Adem Ilhan
• new music
• Bach
• end credits
• classical music

[Horxata]

Wow, thank you for putting this on! Just saw the movie & was smitten as I heard the end credit piece & couldn't find any info at the end or on the net. Thanks for the info here. Agree, hopefully it's gonna be released.

To quote from your text: "The second is an uncredited but rather glorious new piece, apparently due to Adem Ilhan, for string quartet and a bunch of mallet instruments (and possibly a piano)."

How did you know it's from Adem Ilhan?

[swanstep]

@Horxata Thanks for your comment. The classical credits for the film end with the Debussy piece (you can just see that at the bottom of my third frame grab - that's the soundtrack info. you'll find repeated at imdb and on teh web more generally) so the overall film music composer/'music by' credit (see the second frame I grab) seems to apply.

[chitemene]

Thanks for finding out about this haunting music. ITL is one of my favourite films, and I am always moved by the sadness of the end, when everyone just goes about their business as though there were no tragedy at all. Reminds me of Auden's poem "Musee de beau arts".

[swanstep]

@chitemene . You're very welcome, and thanks. I don't know that Auden poem you mention, but will now track it down.

[biuliano11]

If Adem IIhan does release this piece he should consider leaving in Malcolm Tucker's last comment!!

wonderful

[swanstep]

@biuliano11 Good idea, and the dialogue at the beginning with Gina McKee asking Malcolm, 'War going great guns?' then Malcolm responding, 'Cheeky....' might be worth keeping too, at least in one version. Great stuff this film.

[anonymousbrit93]

ITS JUST VOWELS!!!!!!

[lungster]

@Horxata I love the music too. Adem's website (adem.tv) seems to confirm what Swanstep concludes. See blog post "Adem is In The Loop."

[Horxata]

@swanstep

thank you. I must be behind the moon, but I still don't get it. I looked it up on imdb, wiki, and other web sources, and still can't see any connection. Maybe I'm blinded or deafened by this beautiful piece to see it.

Thanks for uploading, you amongst another (2 of you) is a good audio quality. Mercie.

[srkdad]

@ swanstep I've been searching ages for this and your description is spot on.

[chitemene]

Thanks for finding out about this haunting music. ITL is one of my favourite films, and I am always moved by the low key ending.

[JinRenegade]

I'm looking everywhere trying to find this damn song, can't find it anywhere.