Robbie Robertson

Made films the shows talk about.

Wikidata Q117249: matched by corpus:resolve, told apart by Wikidata joins them to The Color of Money, which The Color of Money with Chris Ryan credits them on.

Counted as composer, the making department they hold the most credits in. The films the hosts said they scored, which the two lists below run through too: The Color of Money (1986); The Departed (2006); The Wolf of Wall Street (2013); Killers of the Flower Moon (2023).

Draws on

What the speakers say they, or a film of theirs, drew on. Each is a speaker's account: “the maker said so” when they report the maker's own words, “the host's read” when the read is theirs.

The Hustler (1961): 7 lines

  1. lineage (callback) · through The Color of Money (1986), which they scored: The Hustler ⇒ The Color of Money (the host's read). The mentoring conversation Newman has with Vince and Carmen mirrors the one George C. Scott has with Newman in The Hustler; both films also go on the road.
    “that's basically the George C. Scott has the same conversation with Paul Newman and the Hustler.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Color of Money’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:44:53 · Chris Ryan (0.65 sure it was them)
  2. lineage (sequel/continuation) · through The Color of Money (1986), which they scored: The Hustler ⇒ The Color of Money (the host's read). Newman's Eddie Felson in 1986 becomes the George C. Scott hustler-mentor character of the original, and the sequel answers rather than remakes it.
    “the Newman character in the color of money becomes the George C. Scott character in the Hustler.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Color of Money’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:45:31 · Sean Fennessey (0.60 sure it was them)
  3. lineage (lineage) · through The Color of Money (1986), which they scored: The Hustler ⇒ The Color of Money (the host's read). The Color of Money revisits Eddie Felson years later, with Paul Newman in his twilight and a new protege.
    “Now we find Paul Newman bringing up like a new protégé.”
    The Big Picture · ‘Gladiator II’ Is Here. Are We Not Entertained? · 1:47:28 · Chris Ryan (0.60 sure it was them)
  4. lineage (callback) · through The Color of Money (1986), which they scored: The Hustler ⇒ The Color of Money (the host's read). Newman getting drunk and hustled by Amos is the first time he plays the Jackie Gleason role of the original, drunk and overconfident.
    “it's basically the 1st time he plays Jackie Gleason and the hustler where he's just like wasted and thinks he's going to win and then gets gets hustled.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Color of Money’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:45:56 · Sean Fennessey (0.50 sure it was them)
  5. lineage (source material) · through The Color of Money (1986), which they scored: The Hustler ⇒ The Color of Money (the host's read). The film is theoretically based on Walter Tevis's follow-up novel to The Hustler but has almost nothing to do with it; Minnesota Fats was in the novel.
    “this is theoretically based on Walter Tevis's follow-up novel to the Hustler, but the movie has almost nothing to do with the novel”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Color of Money’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:52:26 · Sean Fennessey (0.50 sure it was them)
  6. unmapped (continuing tragedy) · through The Color of Money (1986), which they scored: The Hustler ⇒ The Color of Money (the host's read). The Color of Money carries the original film's tragedy as backstory without explaining it in a monologue.
    “And that's all the backstory for this movie, which is so interesting that he doesn't give the big monologue explaining what happened in the 1st film.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · The Color of Money with Chris Ryan · 0:12:13 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
  7. lineage (sequel) · through The Color of Money (1986), which they scored: The Hustler ⇒ The Color of Money (the host's read). The Color of Money is the sequel to The Hustler, but built from a new script that keeps only the title of the Tevis sequel novel.
    “Even when they start developing scripts and go, like, throw all that out, start fresh, they kept writing in parts from Minnesota fats.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · The Color of Money with Chris Ryan · 0:13:06 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)

Goodfellas (1990): 3 lines

  1. craft (opening style) · through Killers of the Flower Moon (2023), which they scored: Goodfellas ⇒ Killers of the Flower Moon (the host's read). The opening tracking shot echoes the Copacabana shot before the film rejects that mode.
    “It was a very long tracking shot through Leo's arrival, which is, you know, gesturing to Copacabana”
    The Big Picture · ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ Is Astounding · 0:14:19 · Sean Fennessey (0.60 sure it was them)
  2. contrast (inverts) · through Killers of the Flower Moon (2023), which they scored: Goodfellas ⇒ Killers of the Flower Moon (the host's read). Same crimes by white men but with no romance or good life, a deliberate answer to Goodfellas' seductiveness.
    “there's a romance to Goodfellas that does not exist here.”
    The Big Picture · ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ Is Astounding · 0:28:46 · Amanda Dobbins (0.50 sure it was them)
  3. unmapped (narration trick) · through Killers of the Flower Moon (2023), which they scored: Goodfellas ⇒ Killers of the Flower Moon (the host's read). Molly's voiceover recalls Karen taking over narration in Goodfellas.
    “Goodfellas does this. There's a moment when Karen takes over the narration.”
    The Big Picture · ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ Is Astounding · 1:08:58 · Sean Fennessey (0.50 sure it was them)

After Hours (1985): 1 line

  1. career (career bridge) · through The Color of Money (1986), which they scored: After Hours ⇒ The Color of Money (the host's read). The camera moves of After Hours carry into Color of Money's pool table, tied to Ballhaus; both lead to Goodfellas.
    “that same thing, that camera is flying across the pool table.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘After Hours’ with Bill Simmons and Sean Fennessey · 0:30:24 · Sean Fennessey (0.60 sure it was them)

Boiler Room (2000): 1 line

  1. lineage (lineage) · through The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), which they scored: Boiler Room ⇒ The Wolf of Wall Street (the host's read). Koppelman says Boiler Room informed Wolf, being the fictional version of Jordan Belfort's story.
    “Boiler Room really informed Wolf of Wall Street because Boiler Room was the fictional version of Jordan's story”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Margin Call’ With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, and Brian Koppelman · 0:25:01 · Brian Koppelman (0.90 sure it was them)

Francis Bacon: 1 line

  1. unmapped (painting reference) · through The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), which they scored: Francis Bacon ⇒ The Wolf of Wall Street (the host's read). Bacchanal tableaux reference the Last Supper and Francis Bacon.
    “Sometimes it's the last supper. Sometimes it's Francis Bacon and like the disgusting nature of the human soul.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:16:25 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

Infernal Affairs (2002): 1 line

  1. lineage (remake source) · through The Departed (2006), which they scored: Infernal Affairs ⇒ The Departed (the host's read). The Departed is a remake of the Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs, which is tighter.
    “It was called Infernal Affairs, the Hark Kong one?”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Departed’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan · 0:59:09 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)

Leonardo DiCaprio: 1 line

  1. industry (financing / star power) · through The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), which they scored: Leonardo DiCaprio ⇒ The Wolf of Wall Street (the host's read). Leo raised the money and attached Scorsese and the cast, which let an extreme film get made without a studio.
    “the idea that it was DiCaprio, who went out and raised the funds to get this movie made”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:11:02 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

Michael Ovitz: 1 line

  1. industry (packager) · through The Color of Money (1986), which they scored: Michael Ovitz ⇒ The Color of Money (the host's read). Ovitz engineered the Newman-plus-Scorsese pairing, nudging Newman to write a letter and nudging Scorsese toward a commercial project.
    “I know he's an artiste. He's probably not going to want to do like a commercial thing. So I'm going to try and like nudge him towards something commercial.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · The Color of Money with Chris Ryan · 0:55:45 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)

Paradise Lost (Milton): 1 line

  1. theme (literary echo) · through The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), which they scored: Paradise Lost (Milton) ⇒ The Wolf of Wall Street (the host's read). Belfort descending into hell as the lights change reads as Paradise Lost.
    “Yeah, that's the Paradise Lost, you know, yeah.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:16:07 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

Paul Newman: 1 line

  1. unmapped (mentorship) · through The Color of Money (1986), which they scored: Paul Newman ⇒ The Color of Money (the host's read). Cruise picked up tips on managing movie stardom from Paul Newman on The Color of Money.
    “he picked up from the Paul Newmans of the world when appearing in the color of money.”
    The Big Picture · The Tom Cruise Hall of Fame · 0:44:17 · Sean Fennessey (0.40 sure it was them)

Raging Bull (1980): 1 line

  1. people (origin of collaboration) · through The Color of Money (1986), which they scored: Raging Bull ⇒ The Color of Money (the host's read). Newman watched Raging Bull on Ovitz's recommendation and wanted to work with Scorsese.
    “Paul Newman watches Raging Bull on, I guess Ovid's his recommendation and says, like, that's one of the best things I've ever seen.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · The Color of Money with Chris Ryan · 0:53:44 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981): 1 line

  1. craft (camera-movement coverage) · through The Color of Money (1986), which they scored: Raiders of the Lost Ark ⇒ The Color of Money (the host's read). Scorsese covers scenes with morphing moving master shots, like Spielberg's quick efficient coverage, to stay under schedule.
    “But he's doing like all this Spielberg, like coverage with camera movement.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · The Color of Money with Chris Ryan · 1:21:44 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)

Scarface (1983): 1 line

  1. lineage (homage) · through The Departed (2006), which they scored: Scarface ⇒ The Departed (the host's read). The film has references to classic gangster films like the original Scarface that feel like pastiche.
    “there's a couple of references in this movie to classic gangster films like the original Scarface”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Departed’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan · 0:45:24 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)

The Band: 1 line

  1. career (career) · them, directly: The Band ⇒ Robbie Robertson (the host's read). The score blends his Indigenous roots and what he did with The Band into the film's sound.
    “Robbie Robertson has indigenous roots in Canada, and he understands that this music and kind of like blends what he did with the band, with this sound.”
    The Big Picture · ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ Is Astounding · 0:30:19 · Sean Fennessey or Amanda Dobbins (0.40 sure it was them)

The Rolling Stones: 1 line

  1. lineage (lineage) · them, directly: The Rolling Stones ⇒ Robbie Robertson (the host's read). The score's first hour plays like Rolling Stones rock transplanted to Oklahoma.
    “Even the Robbie Robertson score in the 1st hour is like, what if we were doing like Oklahoma Rolling Stones?”
    The Big Picture · ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ Is Astounding · 0:30:04 · Sean Fennessey or Amanda Dobbins (0.40 sure it was them)

Titanic (1997): 1 line

  1. lineage (callback) · through Killers of the Flower Moon (2023), which they scored: Titanic ⇒ Killers of the Flower Moon (the host's read). The car make-out scene is a funny Titanic callback.
    “I thought there was a really funny callback to Titanic when they're making out in the car.”
    The Big Picture · ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ Is Astounding · 0:35:48 · Amanda Dobbins (0.50 sure it was them)

Drawn on by

What the speakers say drew on them or a film of theirs, marked the same way.

Doom (2005): 1 line

  1. unmapped (cultural legacy) · through The Color of Money (1986), which they scored: The Color of Money ⇒ Doom (the host's read). Cruise saying 'Doom' in the pool hall scene led a software company to name its video game Doom.
    “That leads to the software company coming up with the name for their new revolutionary video game.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Color of Money’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:59:44 · Bill Simmons (0.60 sure it was them)

One Battle After Another (2025): 1 line

  1. lineage (influence / humor) · through The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), which they scored: The Wolf of Wall Street ⇒ One Battle After Another (the host's read). Scorsese influenced PTA, and the uncomfortable-laughter humor of Wolf is very PTA.
    “Scorsese is a huge influence on all filmmakers, including PTA, and there is a, like, a really screwed up level to the humor in this movie that is that is very PTA as well”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:16:54 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

The Last Temptation of Christ (1988): 1 line

  1. career (career enabler) · through The Color of Money (1986), which they scored: The Color of Money ⇒ The Last Temptation of Christ (the host's read). The paycheck-gig hit stabilizes Scorsese's career and makes Last Temptation and Goodfellas possible.
    “Must admit though, it is the guarantor that allows him to immediately then make. Last temptation of Christ in Goodfellas.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · The Color of Money with Chris Ryan · 0:17:57 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)

Top Gun: Maverick (2022): 1 line

  1. lineage (legacy-sequel heirs) · through The Color of Money (1986), which they scored: The Color of Money ⇒ Top Gun: Maverick (the host's read). Gap-based legacy sequels like Top Gun Maverick, Tron Legacy and Blade Runner follow the template Color of Money invented, though in 1986 sequels were derided.
    “now we get more and more like your your Tron legacies and your Top Gun Mavericks, where it's just casually... 37, 40 years later”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · The Color of Money with Chris Ryan · 1:07:05 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)

What the speakers said they did

Music (6) everyone in music

Other (1) everyone in other

What was said about them, by kind

career (1)

  1. career (career): Robbie Robertson → The Band. The score blends his Indigenous roots and what he did with The Band into the film's sound.
    “Robbie Robertson has indigenous roots in Canada, and he understands that this music and kind of like blends what he did with the band, with this sound.”
    The Big Picture · ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ Is Astounding · 0:30:19 · Sean Fennessey or Amanda Dobbins (0.40 sure it was them)

contrast (1)

  1. contrast (contrast): The Departed → Robbie Robertson. A host says that for the fee a name like Robertson commands, the Departed soundtrack should beat classic-radio picks like Gimme Shelter.
    “you could do better than every classic radio station in America”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Departed’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan · 0:24:51 · Bill Simmons (0.50 sure it was them)

craft (4)

  1. craft (craft): Robbie Robertson → The Color of Money. Robertson's early dub-style music work on the film is singled out as the fun part of the Werewolves of London sequence.
    “Early Robbie Robertson, like, dubmaster stuff going on here where... The Robbie stuff in this is so fun.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · The Color of Money with Chris Ryan · 2:13:17 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)
  2. craft (craft): Robbie Robertson → The Color of Money. A host praises Robbie Robertson's score as excellent.
    “Robbie Robertson's score is excellent.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Color of Money’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey · 0:38:04 · Sean Fennessey (0.35 sure it was them)
  3. craft (craft): Martin Scorsese → Robbie Robertson. A host says Robbie Robertson mostly serves as music supervisor on Scorsese's soundtracks.
    “Robbie Robertson from the band for these soundtracks where Robbie will do a little bit of music, but for the most part, he's the music supervisor.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘The Departed’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan · 0:24:45 · Bill Simmons (0.50 sure it was them)
  4. craft (music): The Wolf of Wall Street → Robbie Robertson. Scorsese and Robertson were obsessed with the hungry, lascivious blues records used in the soundtrack.
    “a kind of like, um, Hungry, lascivious quality to some of those blues records that Scorsese and Robbie Robertson were obsessed with”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:15:02 · Sean Fennessey (0.50 sure it was them)

lineage (1)

  1. lineage (lineage): Robbie Robertson → The Rolling Stones. The score's first hour plays like Rolling Stones rock transplanted to Oklahoma.
    “Even the Robbie Robertson score in the 1st hour is like, what if we were doing like Oklahoma Rolling Stones?”
    The Big Picture · ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ Is Astounding · 0:30:04 · Sean Fennessey or Amanda Dobbins (0.40 sure it was them)

people (2)

  1. people (people): Robbie Robertson → Martin Scorsese. A joke pictures Scorsese and Robertson staying up all night watching horror movies while editing.
    “Scorsese and Robbie Robertson staying up all night watching horror movies when they're editing.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · The Color of Money with Chris Ryan · 0:54:32 · Griffin Newman (0.35 sure it was them)
  2. people (people): Martin Scorsese → Robbie Robertson. The score is described as a culmination of Scorsese and Robertson's whole project together.
    “It's just, it's kind of like weirdly like a culmination of their whole project together”
    The Big Picture · ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ Is Astounding · 0:30:42 · Sean Fennessey or Amanda Dobbins (0.40 sure it was them)

Fun items about them

None.