Film Score Friday 8/20/99
by Lukas Kendall
Japanese readers, visit our Japanese-language
companion website for translated articles of the best of FSM -- new
this week is our "Sounds of the Empire" article from FSM Vol
4 No 5 with MIDI files for each theme.
I saw a 1978 telefilm on cable with a fantastic Maurice Jarre score,
and I have to know of ANYONE has ever seen or heard this. It's "The
Users," and it was on FXM, i.e. the Crappy Transfers of Mediocre Old
Fox Movies Network. This is a Valley of the Dolls type of novel that was
filmed by Aaron Spelling's company starring Tony Curtis as a washed up
actress and "Angel" Jaclyn Smith as a former Arizona callgirl
who weds him and falls into Hollywood high society. It's total drivel but
Jarre wrote a one-themed score that is infectious and hummable. I kept
watching just for the music.
No real news this week. We've been so busy sending out CDs -- speaking
of which, everything has been mailed, so if you ordered recently, you should
get your package soon, if you don't already have it.
Concert
From: GWatson683@aol.com
Thanks to Film Score Monthly I was able to learn about and obtain
tickets to two concerts by my favorite composers Jerry Goldsmith and Lalo
Schifrin. I worked this in with my yearly trip to the San Diego Comic Con.
Jerry's concert at the Hollywood bowl went off without a hitch on Friday.
Complete with a Klingon hiding Jerry's baton and Mickey Mouse with a 70th
birthday cake and Jerry's closing with fireworks in sync with music. Jerry
is quite spry for 70 years old. He didn't bring any encore music with him
so the group replayed the Star Trek theme for the encore once again. Lalo
at the John Ford was in a much smaller setting. Projected on a screen in
the background was stills from the various movies he was conducting music
from. Lalo did numerous piano performances himself. Barbara Bain was in
the audience! Great time for all. My thanks to the Film Score crew for
the updates on concerts.
1985 Poll
See the recent
article, current poll,
and recent
response column.
From: TOMASPDOUG@webtv.net
5. Young Sherlock Holmes Bruce Broughton John Williams did not write
this score, but it sure did sound like he did, which is a very good thing.
I loved this score, movie is long gone, but the score by Bruce Broughton
is one score I would love to have on cd.
I liked the male chorus much better than the male chorus that was
in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, it flowed much more smoother.
A rare score and one that should be on cd, it is a crime it is not.
Silverado Bruce Broughton, This score which is the oppisite of his
great score of Young Sherlock Holmes, This is a wild sound score, that
reminds me of Dimitri Tiomkin, and Alfred Newman wrapped into one great
western score. This score is also a fun score.
Explorers Jerry Goldsmith Not what was on the soundtrack, and on
cd, because like the film which is a story, the music is also telling a
story, and if you bought the soundtrack you were shorted a story by half!!!!
I remember what was on soundtrack in the movie is great, Jerry Goldsmith
had all the human emotion in this score, and some not so human. When the
kids took out their flying toy for the first time and came across the helicopter
pilot, and his thinking he came across aliens from space, bringing up his
own childhood memories, the music for him is so delicate, soft and also
moody, I was so pissed that it is not featured on the soundtrack, but we
get Less Than Perfect, by Red 7 and ThisBoy Needs To Rock, by Night Ranger,
if you were not listening, you would miss those two songs which you don't
need on the soundtrack, because they are not apart of the story, Jerry
Goldsmith composed a great score. This along with the upcoming Superman
score is the one complete score I would love to own. After the three boys
came back from outer space, and they had a big letdown, the music was not
a letdown, it was MOODY, it is hardy to convey moody, Jerry Goldsmith composed
a excellant score.
Out of Africa John Barry This won best score, If I was a Academy
Member I would of voted for this score, that was on the list of nomination.
John Barry is one of best of todays composers, and Out of Africa is as
lush as the great vision of Africa. If you expect John Barry to write a
fast pace score, this is not it!!!! It is a slow moody score. When I first
saw and heard Out of Africa, I did not like the music, I thought that the
music never fit in. But as I got older and began to understand what John
Barry was telling us in his score, I understood it all, LOVE!!
LifeForce Henry Mancini If this score was on the list of nominated
scores of 1985, and I was a Academy Member I would of voted for this brillant
score. I did not purchase this score until this year! It is a great score,
I remember Page Cook putting this score tops on his list in 1985. The film
is trash, pure trash!!! But with the great composers they have the talent
to write above the trash they are writing for. Henry Mancini wrote a classic
score, when I heard the LifeForce theme years ago, I was hook'd, and the
ending which goes into the LifeForce theme is superb. LifeForce music sounds
like an old blend of English music with a splash of old Hollywood. Great
score, everyone must go out and find this rare score.
I must make a short comment on the score that sounds like a John
Williams score, that was not written by John Williams, The Color Purple,
Quincy Jones, and 11 other composers wrote a John Williams score, when
only one man could of compose a John Williams score, for Steven Spielberg's
Color Purple, John Williams.
From: TheoristB@aol.com
What about Pee Wee's big Adventure? May be kinda hokey but you have
to love it. It is fun to listen to. Especialy "The Breakfast Machine"!
From: Randall Derchan <DSPY007@aol.com>
Under The Volcanoe, excellent as it was, was released in 1984, as
was "Revolution". I think Prizzi's Honor was 1985 though. I dissagree
with the comment about Barry's "Out Of Africa" score as not being
a signifigant entry. It revived his carreer and was remembered by many,
not that that means anything, but that shows signifigance when a orchestral
score becomes popular.
From: Musicunite@aol.com
James Southall's comments on John Barry's Out of Africa as the one
of the best scores of 1985, requires a reply.
Not only do I feel this to be one of Barry's worst efforts (pure
sugar and spice), certainly this dull film did nothing for the art of film,
nor film scoring. John Barry is one of the best and most effective film
composers today; he is very capable of writing romantic themes without
all the schmaltz( Mary, Queen of Scots ; Love Among the Ruins ; many of
the Bonds), however , Out of Africa was written with the 1001 string sound
of Montovani in mind. This one is right up there ( or down there) with
my other least favorite Barry work; Somewhere in Time.
And as for Dan Hobgood's take on the 1985 scores, that Goldsmith's
Legend is THE best score ever written by any composer ; all that I can
say to this, is that he hasn't listened to many film scores or indeed,
he hasn't heard many good ones.
From: n-l0911440929 <afn@netzland.net>
Jerry Goldsmith's LEGEND is by far the best score of 1985 and the
single-best one in Goldsmith's whole career. Such elaboratedness and sheer
unrestrained beauty has never been found again anywhere in the world of
film music. Your poll list is incomplete!
From: CCW <galt1138@prodigy.net>
Okay, I can almost ignore the readers who complained that 2010 (released
in 1984) and SpaceCamp (a 1986 entry) weren't in the Best of '85 poll.
What's unforgivable is Mr. Southall's comment that were it not for Barry's
score, Out of Africa "...would have stunk and probably bombed."
This, friends, is patently absurd. Not to take anything away from Barry's
score, but the vast majority of filmgoers are not soundtrack fans. An audience
is first and foremost engaged in the story and characters of a film, elements
that the score can enhance and support. The very idea that a film by a
director such as Sydney Pollack with two of the biggest stars of the time,
Redford and Streep, would bomb without John Barry's score shows a tremendous
ignorance of the attraction of movies. If anything, it is Barry who benefited
greatly from a film whose story, setting and characters inspired him to
write a beautiful score that, due as much to the popularity of the film
as much as the quality of his music, gave him another hit record and Oscar.
13th Warrior
Responding to this
week's column:
From: "Brian McVickar" <Brian.McVickar@alltel.com>
Just a quick note of thanks to Michael Ware for his insightful review
of Goldsmith's "13th Warrior". I am as impressed with this new
score as Michael is and I am glad he was able to justify it so well in
words. It's quite refreshing to have a score so unabashedly thematic, detailed,
and challenging. It shares some harmonic intervals with Wagner, which is
quite appropriate, and cues like 'The Fire Dragon' and 'Mother Wendol's
Cave' are built upon brutal, focused ostinati that completely envelop the
listener. In addition, there are wonderfully sublime textures developed
in 'The Great Hall' and 'Honey'. I realize I am probably just reiterating
observations noted in Mr. Ware's article, but I thought I'd mention that
I share his enthusiasm for this Goldsmith classic of the 90's.
Also, belated kudos to Jeff Bond's article on improving Goldsmith's
concerts. My favorite section of Goldsmith's Carnegie Hall appearance last
October was the performance of the "Planet of the Apes" material.
It was great to hear his internal score cues in a concert atmosphere, where
I always knew they would succeed. John Williams has been able to achieve
this in his concerts (most notably in 'Shark Cage Fugue' from "Jaws"
and recently with 'The Flag Parade' from "Phantom Menace"), but
this seems more acceptable to audiences and music promoters because the
structure of his cues are normally based on a formal, classical template.
It seems most concert-goers are unwilling to be introduced to orchestral
music that can be unaccomadating or non-melodic, but I'm confident (as
Jeff Bond) that once past their initial discomfort of being introduced
to something unfamiliar, they will certainly respond with much praise!
On the flip side, I don't think Goldsmith would ever seriously listen to
our suggestions. Bummer.
From: John_Fitzpatrick@prenhall.com
I hope that Michael Ware is right about Jerry Goldsmith's return
to form after the hollow-sounding sarcophagus of THE MUMMY. But as Mr.
Ware gives no evidence of actually having viewed THE THIRTEENTH WARRIOR,
I wonder how he can testify to "a master's dissertation on the craft
of dramatic scoring"? Doesn't the craft have something to do with
the drama? If the music is indeed "a thoroughly unified, and inspired,
symphonic expression," that achievement has little to do with the
movie. It suggests that someone has made a thoughtful rearrangement for
the album. Analyzing that arrangement will make for a lively discussion
that can begin only after we have seen the film. Personally I'd suggest
a five-year ban on any film score commentary not based on the movie itself.
If the music someday enters the repertory on its own strength, we can forget
about the picture. But we all know how rare an occurrence that is. And
at least we'd be spared such absurdities as the review of ELIZABETH last
year in which the fellow said there's a nice cut of Mozart and another
of Elgar--while never even raising the key question of what those worthies
were doing in the sixteenth century.
From: "Semih U. Tareen" <semih@u.washington.edu>
I love the score for the 13th warrior. I haven't talked to anyone
who doesn't, yet. Don't get me wrong from the subject of this message.
I am not here to comment on the quality of the score. I want to comment
on composing for movies that need middle eastern musical influences. First
the facts:
-Almost all American movies with a middle eastern story go for the
very typical "middle eastern minor harmonic chord progressions and
scales."
-Yes, that is the sound necessary for an audience, who has mostly
been exposed to minimal amounts of real middle eastern culture, to watch
the movie and get the "middle east" feel of it. -I grew up in
Turkey and have been involved with Turkish music since I first began my
music education.
-I am not here to tell you how things should be, but rather how
interesting it is for someone with my cultural background to watch movies
like the mummy, the 13th warrior, Lawrence of Arabia, the Message, and
to hear what the composer and director has been doing for the music.
Now my comments:
I am beginning to get bored of hearing the same kind of harmonics
-which, by the way, don't have alot to do with middle eastern music- being
used in movies that have something to do with the middle east. I picked
up the 13th warrior, very anxious to hear what it is like; after all, I
idolize Jerry Goldsmith. But what I heard was a little adding and cutting
on to the score for the Mummy with a little bit of well imagined Viking
music. Why did I think this way? Probably I am so much fed up of hearing
the same melodies that it is very easy for my ear to pick them up. You
know how when you go to the movies and you want every body to be absolutely
quiet but once you hear the guy behind you munch on pop corn you are completely
focused on it through out the movie: munch munch munch... I think that
Jerry Goldsmith and Maurice Jarre are some of the best composers who have
had to adapt middle eastern music to made-in-the-west films.
What would I have done?
Allow me to speak my mind freely as a future film composer. What
I think is missing is instrumentation. The middle east has so many instrument
with different timbre. What I have heard most used so far in American film
scores is the clarinet, violin, some percussion, and synthesized sounds
that remind you of the zither or the oud. I play the Turkish oud and saz.
Both are string instruments; the former for Turkish classical, the latter
for Turkish folk music. One aspect alot of instruments in the middle east
have in common is the possibility of vibration and use of comas. This means
instruments that have no frets on the neck (oud, violin, kemence) or wind
instruments that can perform coma notes in between the western full and
half notes (clarinet, ney). For instance Turkish music has 9 coma notes
between full notes. i.e. between C and D you have 9 different notes, all
defined by a different degree of a coma. 4 of these 9 comas are used for
notation on sheet paper. Because of this it is impossible for western instruments
like the guitar (it has frets on the neck of the instrument) to perform
Turkish music. Another thing that's missing: Local music theory. What I
mean is real music from the middle east. There are endless harmonies, rhythms,
melodies involved in Turkish music, for example. All we get to hear is
that same minor harmonic scale.
Ofcourse, a great composer like Mr. Goldsmith or Mr. Jarre is aware
of all this. They're just doing public service. The audience needs to understand
the music. The director and composer wants the audience to understand the
music. But I still am a supporter of a little more research if the goal
is to imitate music from a particular culture. Miklos Rozsa had instruments
reconstructed from greek art to score films like Quo Vadis. But, ofcourse,
today's film composer won't have time for that!
People; just bare in mind that middle eastern music is not just
minor harmonics with exotic instruments. Film composers; try to learn a
little bit more about music that is particular to an area that you are
a stranger to. If you don't have the time, create it.
Movie Viewing This Weekend
From: Randall Derchan <DSPY007@aol.com>
Please print this short statement for all to see.
Please Everyone go see"THE IRON GIANT". SUPPORT THIS MASTERPIECE.
In My Opinion, THE BEST FILM THIS YEAR SO FAR AND THE BEST SCORE AS WELL.
Even if you don't like animated films of fantasy, I think most everyone
will enjoy this one.
MailBag@filmscoremonthly.com
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