Alex North – The Dead soundtrack 1987

Yes — The Dead (1987) is a film directed by John Huston, adapted from James Joyce’s famous short story (the final tale in Dubliners). It was John Huston’s last film, and it’s often regarded as a deeply moving farewell — both to his career and to life itself. The music for The Dead was composed by Alex North, one of Hollywood’s greats (known for A Streetcar Named Desire, Spartacus, Cleopatra, etc.). 🎵 About the Dead soundtrack (1987) Composer: Alex North Director: John Huston Release year: 1987 (film), soundtrack released later Tone: Intimate, nostalgic, and mournful — blending Irish folk influences with North’s trademark emotional restraint and lyricism. Instrumentation: Features strings, piano, and subtle Irish motifs that mirror the film’s setting and themes of memory, love, and mortality. The score is minimal but deeply evocative, supporting the reflective mood of the story — especially in the final scene, where Gabriel (Donal McCann) contemplates snow “falling faintly through the universe.” It’s one of North’s last and most poetic works, written when he was in his mid-70s. Many film music critics consider it a quiet masterpiece — understated, almost chamber-like in its design, and perfectly attuned to Joyce’s melancholy.