Clint Mansell

Biography

Clint Mansell (born 7 January 1963 in Coventry) is a British musician and composer, best known for his film scores, especially those written for the films of director Darren Aronofsky. Before turning to film music he was the lead vocalist, guitarist and songwriter of the alternative rock band Pop Will Eat Itself, which gained a following in the British scene of the late 1980s and 1990s.

After the band split in 1996, Mansell moved to New York hoping to start a solo career, but found the period creatively frustrating. Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails invited him to stay in an apartment he owned in New Orleans, and it was there that Reznor introduced him to Pro Tools, a step that proved important for his later work. His first film assignment came through Aronofsky, a friend of a mutual acquaintance, who asked him to write the opening title piece for Pi (1998). With little money available, the director ended up hiring Mansell to score the whole film, an electronic soundtrack that won little attention at the time but gained fans over the years.

His breakthrough came with Requiem for a Dream (2000), whose track «Lux Aeterna» became a cult favourite and a staple of trailers and adverts. A re-orchestrated version, «Requiem for a Tower», gained wide exposure after appearing in the trailer for The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. He also scored Aronofsky's The Fountain (2006), which earned a Golden Globe nomination, and The Wrestler (2008) and Black Swan (2010), the latter bringing several nominations and awards. His style blends rock foundations with electronic and orchestral layers; he works from drum, bass, guitar and vocal lines, which an orchestrator then develops.

Mansell has also worked with Ben Wheatley, Duncan Jones and Park Chan-wook. His filmography includes Moon (2009), Sahara (2005), Stoker (2013) and Rascacielos (2015), alongside television and video game work. His legacy lies largely in how his emotive, electronic-leaning scores have shaped the sound of contemporary cinema, and he remained an active composer at the time of this entry.

Key films

• Pi (1998): Aronofsky's first film for which Mansell wrote the complete score, with an electronic approach.
• Requiem for a Dream (2000): a defining work whose track «Lux Aeterna» reached a wide audience.
• The Wrestler (2008): score for Aronofsky's drama about an aging wrestler.
• Moon (2009): feature directing debut of Duncan Jones, with a melancholic score.
• Black Swan (2010): a soundtrack that earned several nominations and awards.
• Stoker (2013): score for Park Chan-wook's thriller, shared with Philip Glass.