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The Vietnam War, the latest documentary project by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, will feature new, original music written and recorded by Academy Award-winning composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. It is the first time Burns and Novick have worked with Reznor and Ross.
Reznor and Ross, official members of the famed industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, have quite the résumé. By the early 2000s, their albums had already sold a record-setting 20+ million copies worldwide, with 10 million of those sales certified in the US alone. Additionally, they have been nominated for 13 Grammys (and have won two), were placed on Rolling Stone Magazine’s list of the 100 greatest artists of all time, and won an Academy Award for Best Original Score for their work on the critically-acclaimed film, The Social Network.
Given Reznor and Ross’s extensive list of accolades, it makes sense why Burns and Novick wanted them on board with their epic 10-part series. Here’s what they had to say:
“From the beginning of this project, we dreamed of working with Trent and Atticus,” Novick said. “The profound, haunting, unsettling and deeply moving music they created for us does what great music does best — express the inexpressible. They miraculously evoked so many of the complicated feelings embedded in this painful and tragic story. It is no exaggeration to say that they completely transformed our film.”
Burns was in total agreement. “It has been a tremendous privilege to work with these brilliant artists. The stirring and complex music they created for the series goes straight to the heart of the human condition in all of its subtleties and contradictions. Simultaneously melodic and discordant, propulsive and ethereal, their work was integral to bringing this history to life on screen.”
Click here for a sampling of Reznor & Ross’s music in “The Vietnam War.”
Serendipitously, Reznor and Ross are huge fans of the filmmakers and their vision for this documentary series too. “We are incredibly honored to be a part of this project. With ‘The Vietnam War,’ Ken, Lynn and Sarah have created something of vital importance. To bear witness to their process was immensely inspiring. The sheer scale of the project combined with the magnitude of the subject matter was initially daunting for us, but the commitment, care and reverence they displayed made the experience deeply satisfying on many levels,” Raznor and Ross said in a joint statement.
Hear more about their musical journey in “The Vietnam War” here:
