Interview: Composer Daniel Hart on the Music of ‘The Green Knight’ and Working With David Lowery

When you watch a David Lowery movie, it’s an all-encompassing sensory experience. Not only are his visuals to die for, with a story depicting events in a way you’d never expect, the score is always aces. To that end, composer Daniel Hart deserves a ton of credit for the magic he works. Alongside Lowery for much of his career, Hart has come up with soundscapes that are always unique, yet never feel out of place for the material. Personally, their work on A Ghost Story remains a crowning achievement, but this year’s The Green Knight is very impressive as well. Recently, I sat down on Zoom with Hart to discuss the film, the music, and what interests him as a composer.

Below, you can see my discussion with Hart. This might shock you, but The Green Knight was a major focus. Of course, given my affection for A Ghost Story (I will never stop playing the song “I Get Overwhelmed”), that movie came up more than a bit as well. Hart is a pretty unassuming guy, but he’s a master composer and musician, so it was a pleasure to pick his brain for about twenty minutes and change. If you haven’t seen their latest flick yet, definitely check out the magic Hart and Lowery have conjured up with The Green Knight. I went in with trepidation but it more than won me over. I suspect it will do the same for you…

This is some of what I had to say in my review of The Green Knight:

David Lowery really puts his own stamp on the medieval story. He may have envisioned the fantasy adventure within Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, but it’s very much his version. Here, we get very little action, but a ton of memorable little moments. Almost nothing he chooses to do here is commercial, but the writing hooks you in. Narratively and visually, he directs the hell out of this flick, allowing you to invest yourself in potentially off-putting material. As always, his below the line work is impeccable, with the cinematography by Andrew Droz Palermo and score by Daniel Hart being immediately captivating.

Here now is my interview with The Green Knight composer Daniel Hart. Enjoy:

The Green Knight is available to own now!