Last night I went to see the oneiric blockbuster
Inception. Christopher Nolan, the director, often has unexpected musical moments in his films — Boito's
Mefistofele figured in
Batman Begins — and in this case the plot pivots on Edith Piaf singing "Je ne regrette rien." Hans Zimmer is the composer, and his score is interestingly obsessive in the way that it works over and stretches various minimal motifs, including the brassy "heartbeat" from Piaf's famous recording. The
LA Times interviewed Zimmer about the score. Oh yes, the movie is good, brainy fun. The previews included a
Levi's commercial that uses the opening of
Rheingold.
