“I’ve never had anything like this before.” When Tim Burton chose Harry Belafonte’s music to fix a scene… because it was cheap

There are songs that define movies and vice versa. One of the most remembered cases is that of the recently deceased Harry Belafonte and “Bitelch”, an ’80s classic Tim Burton who used his songs because Fit the scene…and the budget.

Calypso rhythm

We recently said goodbye to Harry Belafonte, the legendary American musician who passed away at the age of 96. The King of Calypso has made history in music and film, as there have been numerous occasions when his songs have been complemented by great seventh art titles.

One of the most remembered is ‘Bitelchús’, the superhero comedy that launched Tim Burton’s career in 1988. His song “Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)” became a part of moviegoers’ imaginations Thanks to that hilarious scene in which the characters start dancing at dinner, possessed by a mysterious force that forces them to do so.

But it’s not the only Belafonte song we can hear on the tape starring Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder: “Jumpi in the line (Shake Señora)” also appears in the scene where Lydia starts flying.

The decision to use Belafonte’s songs in the film came during the filming of the dinner scene itself, in which he is Kathryn O’Hara suggested giving the sequence more life, with music by calypso And songs like “Rum and Coca Cola” or “Day-O” suggested themselves.

But what tipped the balance in favor of the musician’s songs of Jamaican origin was the film’s limited budget, which he was able to pay for at a really decent price: I think it was about $300. I remembered Jeffrey Jones, one of the interpreters.

Producer David Geffen contacted the musician and asked permission to use his songs in the film. So Belafonte recalled her: “They never proposed anything like that to me. We talked a little, I liked the idea of ​​”Bitelch” and agreed to do it“.

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