Bandoneon Facts
5 Movies Soundtracks with Bandoneón
The Bandoneón through the Eyes of the Cinema. The bandoneón is perhaps the most melancholic instrument of all, as well as the very symbol of
4 October 2025
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The bandoneón is perhaps the most melancholic instrument of all, as well as the very symbol of tango. Thanks to its unique sound, the bandoneón is increasingly being used in cinema to add a distinctive touch to film scores.
But the bandoneón is not only about melancholy and sadness: it can convey a wide range of emotions, often contrasting ones. It can evoke joy and nostalgia, vitality and despair; it can suggest mystery and seduction, or a stripped-down, intimate simplicity.
In Argentina, the bond between cinema and bandoneón runs deep. This instrument, so closely tied to the nation’s cultural identity, has also become a recognizable presence on the big screen.
In this article we’ve selected five soundtracks where the bandoneón plays a central role. These are not only Argentine productions, nor are they always films directly linked to tango or Argentina itself. On the contrary, they show the growing interest of composers and musicians worldwide in this instrument, increasingly valued for its ability to add depth and emotion to cinematic language.
So, let’s explore five films where the bandoneón, with its intense and unmistakable voice, steps into the spotlight of the soundtrack, enriching the images with emotional layers that only this instrument can provide.
PS: stick with us until the end—there’s a special mention waiting for you.
Il Postino (The Postman) is a 1994 film directed by Michael Radford and starring Massimo Troisi and Philippe Noiret. It tells the story of Mario Ruoppolo, a postman in a small village on a southern Italian island, who befriends the exiled poet Pablo Neruda.
Through their friendship, Mario learns to read, write, and discover the power of poetry and art. Meanwhile, his love for Beatrice, the mayor’s daughter, drives him to fight for independence and a place of his own in the world.
The film received wide critical acclaim and won the Academy Award for Best Original Score in 1996.
For this soundtrack, Argentine composer Luis Bacalov wanted a bandoneón “a little different than usual”—what he described as a Barlettian sound, with the flavor of a harbor. The choice naturally fell on Uruguayan bandoneonist Héctor Ulises Passarella, a student of René Marino Rivero, who in turn studied directly under Alejandro Barletta, famous argentinian bandoneón player who explored a lot the classical music repertory with the bandoneón.
Il piccolo diavolo (The Little Devil), directed by and starring Roberto Benigni with Walter Matthau as co-star, is a comedy built around Benigni’s quirky, playful style. He plays a mischievous, naïve “little devil” who crosses paths with a moody exorcist and stumbles into complicated love affairs.The score was composed by American musician Evan Lurie, a passionate tango enthusiast.
The bandoneón parts were performed by Alfredo Pedernera, who often collaborated with Lurie and recorded with him in the Lurie Quintet, featured on albums like Pieces for Bandoneón (1987) and Selling Water by the Side of the River (1990).
La historia oficial (The Official Story) is set in 1980s Argentina during the military dictatorship. It follows Alicia, a teacher who, together with her businessman husband (deeply tied to the regime), adopts a little girl named Gaby.
Her doubts about Gaby’s origins grow when a friend returns from exile with stories of atrocities, and when she meets Sara, a woman searching for her missing granddaughter. Alicia begins to suspect that Gaby might be the daughter of a desaparecidos couple. Her painful search for the truth begins.
The film’s soundtrack was written by Argentine composer Atilio Stampone, with bandoneonist Daniel Binelli performing the haunting bandoneón passages. Binelli also played as soloist in Stampone’s tango orchestra.
Unfortunately the soundtrack is not available online. I therefore invite you to watch the film, easily available on various streaming platforms.
Fernando E. Solanas’ Sur (1988) tells the story of Floreal, a man released in 1983 after five years as a political prisoner under Argentina’s dictatorship. Returning home, he struggles to face reality and fears his wife’s possible betrayal, wandering the night in the company of his friend’s ghost, “El Negro.”
The film explores the challenges of reintegration after repression, symbolizing the need to confront the past in order to move forward.
The soundtrack was composed largely by Astor Piazzolla and performed by his legendary Quintet (with Suárez Paz, Ziegler, and Console). It also features tangos sung by Roberto Goyeneche, accompanied on bandoneón by Néstor Marconi.
Among the many films scored by Astor Piazzolla, one stands out: Enrico IV (Henry IV), Marco Bellocchio’s adaptation of Luigi Pirandello’s celebrated play.
After falling from a horse during a masquerade, a young man comes to believe he is the character he was dressed as—Henry IV. Twenty years later, the truth comes to light, but his madness proves irreversible.The film features Marcello Mastroianni and Piazzolla’s unforgettable composition Oblivion, written specifically for this production.
Astor Piazzolla also has a curious connection to Bernardo Bertolucci’s Last Tango in Paris. He missed the chance to compose what became the most famous tango in film history—the one danced by Marlon Brando and Maria Schneider.
The story is not entirely clear. According to the version most often told—by Bertolucci himself—the director chose Gato Barbieri for the soundtrack. Together, they called Piazzolla to ask if he would handle the arrangements. Piazzolla reportedly felt insulted at being asked to arrange rather than compose, as if treated like a craftsman instead of a serious composer.
Years later, Piazzolla is said to have visited Bertolucci, apologizing for his earlier reaction. He confessed that he loved the film and regretted not being part of it. As a gesture of friendship, he gave Bertolucci a home-recorded 45 rpm disc with a theme he had composed as an apology: El Penúltimo Tango.
There’s another version of the story: that Piazzolla was initially chosen to write the entire score but was replaced by Barbieri, which upset him deeply. In response, Piazzolla supposedly composed two themes to show what his soundtrack might have sounded like. We may never know the truth, but we can still listen to his haunting piece Jeanne y Paul, composed with the film in mind and played here by Daniele di Bonaventura.
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