Seeing Robbie Robertson through the lens of his film scores

Robbie Robertson never intended to get into the film industry, but the music he made was always cinematic in its own way. In a 2019 interview with Vulture, the songwriting force behind the Band explained his music-making process in a way that blurs the line between musician and filmmaker: "When it connects in my imagination somewhere, and I can see it, it becomes like a movie to me." 

Robertson's entry into movies, specifically writing moody, dramatic film scores, was through Martin Scorsese. The two first met through Robertson's road manager at the time, Jon Taplin, who produced Scorsese's 1973 crime thriller, Mean Streets. Shortly after that, Robertson and Scorsese started having conversations about making a music documentary. The result was The Last Waltz, widely cited as one of the best concert films ever, which chronicled the Band's final live performance at San Francisco's Winterland Ballroom featuring an all-star lineup of guests including Bob Dylan, Ronnie Hawkins, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Emmylou Harris, Van Morrison, Ringo Starr and more.

What could have been a one-and-done experience with Scorsese soon transformed into a decades-long working relationship for Robertson, whose post-Band career not only included solo releases but also film soundtracks and scores for more Scorsese projects including the soon-to-be-released epic Killers of the Flower Moon, based on the 2017 book of the same name by David Grann. In 2011, Robertson told Hot Press, "Every time I get the call from him, 'Hey, I've been working on this project, see what you think about this,' I just want to do something great for him." 

Robertson died on Wednesday after a year-long battle with prostate cancer. That same day, Scorsese shared a statement calling Robertson "one of my closest friends, a constant in my life and work." 

He continued: "I could always go to him as a confidante. A collaborator. An advisor. I tried to be the same for him. Long before we ever met, his music played a central role in my life — me and millions and millions of other people all over the world. The Band's music, and Robbie's own later solo music, seemed to come from the deepest places at the heart of this continent, its traditions and tragedies and joys. It goes without saying that he was a giant, that his effect on the art form was profound and lasting." 

While Robertson's work with the Band will stand as some of his greatest achievements, his work in film score composition and producing also left a giant mark in the history of cinema. Scroll down to see five of Robbie Robertson's best contributions to film. 

Carny (1980) 

After the success of The Last Waltz, Robertson was viewed by some as a movie star in the making. Fielding a number of scripts, Robertson's next step in the film world was producing, starring in and creating music for Robert Kaylor's 1980 film, Carny. Having grown up in the world of carnies, Robertson felt personally connected to the script and played the role of Patch alongside a cast rounded out by Gary Busey, Jody Foster and a number of real-life carnies. While the film wasn't a blockbuster hit, Robertson described the film as "a fresh thing and so original" in a Rolling Stone interview the year the film was released. For Carny's soundtrack, Robertson teamed up with Alex North (A Streetcar Named Desire, Spartacus) to create a whimsical composition that taps into the orchestral grandeur of old Hollywood film scores. 

Raging Bull (1980) 

Scorsese reached out to Robertson after encountering initial problems with the soundtrack of his 1980 film, Raging Bull, which would be their first collaboration post-The Last Waltz. "[Scorsese] had no clue [about what he wanted for the soundtrack], and he wanted to know if I had any ideas," Robertson revealed in Craig Harris's 2014 book, The Band: Pioneers of Americana Music. After that, Scorsese brought Robertson on as a consultant. That role eventually evolved into actual contributions to the film's soundtrack, including the instrumental track "Webster Hall" and a piano rendition of Mack Gordon and Harry Warren's 1941 song, "At Last." 

The King of Comedy (1982) 

In addition to producing the soundtrack for this film — which featured music from Ray Charles, Van Morrison, B.B. King and the Pretenders — Robertson also contributed a song of his own, "Between Trains." The song features his former bandmates Garth Hudson on synths and Richard Manuel on backing vocals. It's dedicated to Scorsese's assistant Dan "Cowboy" Johnson, who died of meningitis.  

The Color of Money (1986) 

If there's a loose feeling of improvisation to Robertson's music for Scorsese's 1986 film The Color of Money, it's because it kind of is. In his Vulture interview, Robertson described the idea of "bringing a nice sleaziness" to the film, which is set in the pool-hall world. Initially, he recorded his ideas to tape where he hummed a melody alongside an instrumental of piano, guitar and keyboard. While the melody was a rough sketch, intended to be filled in later with something more fleshed out, Scorsese surprised Robertson by using his demos in the final cut. "Marty said that they worked beautifully, but I was embarrassed because I wasn't dressed," he said. "He was using naked music before I even had a chance to do my thing. Marty kept telling me that it was really working, and I'd be surprised in the end. He finally showed me the movie, and I thought, 'Well, I'll be damned.'" 

The Irishman (2019) 

For Scorsese's three-and-a-half-hour epic The Irishman, Robertson was tasked with creating a score that sounded timeless as the film stretched its story across multiple decades. The result is a tense and mournful theme marked by a bellowing cello and melancholic harmonica. "Marty wasn't interested in a traditional movie score," Robertson told the Hollywood Reporter in 2019. "It's a very strong mood, and I've never seen a gangster movie with this kind of tonality before. It was tricky."