A last thought on this: not Steiner’s best score. Some neat effects here and there but pretty forgettable.

From Roger Ebert’s review

I mean, I do care if people use it, for ethical and environmental reasons. But if I’m gonna pick hills to die on, this would be one.

Then again, it's hardly an obscure thought that westerns (if you read these films that way) make a major point of the wind. It's all but a generic trait. But these films put the lie to Wayne, Eastwood, etc. (to say nothing of, say, Elmer Bernstein or the Italians) and their romanticisms.

I might do something with this, but it occurs to me that Zhao uses wind in a similar way to Ang Lee in BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN. Lee really underlined the importance of wind as Proulx did in the original short story.

Also this movie is so damn beautiful. Deserved every accolade.