Film Score Friday 1/4/02

Not much news as people in the biz are just coming back from the holiday break. However, I am proud to present:

2002's First Anti-Zimmer Letter

From: "Bob Brydens" <thebrydens@sympatico.ca>

You may remember me from some comments awhile back concerning Zimmer ('The Hack is Back', etc.) You know - I hated his scores for years, then he began to redeem himself with 'Thin Red Line' and 'Gladiator'. Yesterday - I found an old Morricone soundtrack from 1987 in a 'cheapie' bin for $3.99 (Canadian!!! - that's about 3 cents in your dollars.) Title: 'Secret of the Sahara'. Please, someone!!! I need a hand to hold. Listen to track 5, somebody!!! It's called, 'Kerim' - and, and, it is, is - Zimmer's much heralded 'Earth Theme' from 'Gladiator' VERBATIM. I am sitting here astonished. Astonished that I may be the only one who has picked up on this. Astonised that Morricone hasn't taken legal action. (Too much integrity I guess.) In any case - can ANY other soundtrack nut out there confirm this atrocity for me? Anybody got 'Secret of the Sahara'? Listen to 'Kerim'. Now, if one of you 'classical' experts tells me that it's some obscure piece by Scriabin or Dimitri Von Constantinopolovich and that both Morricone and Zimmer 'borrowed' it - I'll rest a bit easier. If not - then please inform all of those Zimmerheads that their hero's lack of integrity knows no bounds. (Remember him waxing poetic on the Gladiator DVD about all that 'work' he put into it?) Total bovine residue.

Zimmer has admitted to being a huge Morricone fan so it is quite possible he borrowed from the Maestro without realizing it. I have not heard both themes back to back so I can't comment on the similarities.

See yesterday's letter by John Fitzpatrick and my tortured response:

From: Stephane Michaud <s.michaud@videotron.ca>

John Barry has a knack (The Knack indeed), to quote dear old Douglass Fake, to "nail the moment" in movies, like nobody else. For one thing, 25 years of such fine Bond writing alone, can attest to this.

From: Preston Jones <pjones@fulpat.com>

Being at the office, I can't check my home library of Tony Thomas books, but I've a hunch that the prank in question was played on Max Steiner by fellow cigar-chomper Victor Young.

As for the rest of the debate, I'll steer clear, and be thankful that the cinema gods have made room enough for both Rozsa apples and Barry oranges. (Although admittedly, John, you know which one of the two I'd take for sustenance to a desert island...)

From: Brad Taylor, JBT9955@aol.com

Enjoyed reading your article today on John Barry's style.

Since you haven't seen Lion in Winter, I want to highly recommend doing so. It's a pretty good script and the acting is wonderful. Peter O'Toole was at the height of his powers then (and he still cared about giving non-phoned in, take the money and run performances, which he was prone to do soon afterwards), Katherine Hepburn matches him scene for scene, and there are a few newcomers hanging around (an impossibly young Anthony Hopkins and Nigel Terry, who some years laters starred in a John Boorman epic you may have heard of -- Excalibur).

In any case, I think it's a wonderful movie. Rent it!
 

Your editorial about Lion in Winter was pretty good, even if you could not prove anything. There are objective standards by which we can compare composers or their music, and I do believe that some music is better than other music (by most any standard), but the real value of a piece music remains in the ear of the listener. I do think North is demonstratively a better composer than Barry, and it is probably easy to argue that Cleopatra is better music than The Lion in Winter, particularly by "classical" standards. Nevertheless, I enjoy them both very much. I probably spend more time listening to Barry than North, but I would not give up either composer. Beethoven was surely a greater composer than North, so why bother with North or Barry, if "greatness" is the only criterion.

From: Jeremy Moniz, DeviantMan@aol.com

You didn't fail in explanation, you just took a Rozsa (complex) approach instead of a Barry (simplified) manner of explaining yourself and the film music world once again. One point you didn't mention though, was that not every film needs a super-sized orchestra to perform it. "Lion In winter" is hardly an epic, in fact it's more like an episode of Jerry Springer! King and Queen bicker and fight and still love each other, yet he keeps a mistress. Oldest son is gay and is sleeping with the Prince of France and his youngest son is a whiney brat. You get the idea? Scoring it with a large orchestra would have been just too much, Barry's approach was brilliant. Barry's only problem is that he never proved his abilities beyond the small and simple. Even with "big" films like "Dances With Wolves" or "The Black Hole." His style is always simple... and correct.

Howard Shore really proved his worth last year with "Lord Of The Rings" with a truly vast and melodic epic score. Barry has never really done that, he has always relied on his simple, romantic approach and received four Oscars. And Goldsmith only got one, life is NOT fair!

I, for one, never criticized a composer for not relying on utilizing a full orchestra. Film music's origin is from the old classical style, but because it is a different genre of music than classical it can be "made" in different forms to suit the film. Orchestral, electronic, ethnic, pop-rock... it's all valid as long as the composer (and performers) do a competent job of creating the music to match the films needs, director-composer collaboration. Does John Carpenter have any chance of comparing to John Williams? Certainly not, but "Halloween" clearly has a great score inspired by the styles of Herrmann and Morricone. A film score does not have to be performed by an orchestra to get a point across. Perfect examples are Footloose, Flashdance and Dirty Dancing which don't require an epic score or a complex orchestral score... or even a score at all (The Chin Syndrome). Now these are extreme examples, true, but nobody would hire Giorgio Moroder or Harold Faltermeyer to score "Gone With the Wind" either.

As an example, one of the few times I've spoken to a fellow collector about film music, he started going off on a tangent about how Elfman stole ideas from Herrmann's "Journey To The Center Of The Earth" for his "Batman" score. And then proceeded to slam John Scott for his large epic score for "Shogun Mayeda" aka "Journey Of Honor" as being a pathetic joke. At the time, Herrmann's "Journey" was unavailable on CD, so I couldn't compare (and later upon hearing the Varese CD found no real similarities) but I enjoyed "Batman" and other early Elfman scores and on John Scott's score I found it enjoyable and a little campy.

What it all boils down to is personal preference vs. film requirement and in this case you can't please everybody, just the film makers. As another example, take Ennio Morricone, I love his music but I'm not going to like or listen to repeatedly ALL of his scores, but quite a few. And because a score doesn't vibe with me, it's not a piece of shit, I just don't care for it... like most of Randy Edelman's scores. His style doesn't appeal to me. Same with Randy Newman, his music is great. It's very happy, melodic and thoughtful, but not something I would listen to repeatedly.

Alex North, I also like, but his complex style is very hard to listen to. And I mean hard to listen to because there is so much going on in his unpredictable composing style, that when just casually listening (while doing something) I tend to miss some of the colors and tones, which works great because each listen is like a new experience. And, similar to Barry, North usually composes for small orchestras, but in a very complex and atonal way, almost mimicking the brief thought processes of the human mind. An approach North usually took when scoring small plays adapted for the big screen. "Lion In Winter" was just such a project, being on Broadway before becoming a film.
 
Thomas Newman is another wizard with the small ensemble and I prefer his work (to listen to) over all the other "Newmans", though you cannot ignore Alfred Newman. Without his talent and judgment, film music would not have evolved into what it is today... and that's the point, film music will always evolve and flow in cycles... and I'm not complaining. :)
 

Nice try in your response to John Fitzpatrick, but I think you're right--you failed! But then could anyone succeed in such a mission impossible: to convince us that Barry somehow "matches" Rozsa and North in giving us the musical essence of the epic? In fact I think Lion in Winter (along with Last Valley) is Barry's best score, so you've picked a good "vehicle", but the wheels still come off after a couple of paragraphs. The fact is, Rozsa and North were artists, whereas Barry is an artisan--a skilled and frequently effective one admittedly, but an artisan nonetheless. If you enjoy him, fine; I often do to. But I would never compare his music to art, or indeed to Rozsa and North. Rather than making odious comparisons, how about putting your love of Barry down to a not-so- guilty pleasure, and leave we North and Rozsa-philes to revel in our smug superiority.

From: "Randy Derchan" <rderchan@captioneering.com>

My one response to that is, "You haven't seen The Lion In WInter???.

Actually, Lukas, you may have explained to me why I love Barry so much. As a composer myself, I sometimes feel a tad bit of guilt that I am attracted to his style so intensely.

He is also one of my top 5 favorite film composers. He does say "so much" with "so little." See The Lion In Winter. It's a great film and a great play even, and Barry's music works so well in the film.

From: Bill Williams <bwilliam@etv.state.ms.us>

I agree with you, Lukas. John Barry's music is of a brand that is simple yet eloquent in its own right. Whereas John Williams' or Jerry Goldsmith's musical styles bend toward the epic style, John Barry evokes more passionate imagery in every sense of the word. While I have only three of his scores on CD, there's no doubt in my mind that he is one of the best.

The first time I heard John Barry's music was his romantic, classical-themed score for "Somewhere in Time". Over the last 20 years his themes of eloquence and love have come to be associated not just with the film but with timeless romance as well. When we see Richard and Elise meet, fall in love, lose each other through time, we hope, long, weep for them, and Barry's music evokes each of those emotions precisely. (I have both the original score album and the Varese re-recording by John Debney, and it's really hard to distinguish between the two in terms of quality.)

His score for the Kevin Costner epic "Dances With Wolves" represents more of the same kinds of passions we feel inside - loneliness, adventure, wishful friendships, loss, love, spirituality. Alone from the film, the music is also timeless in its quality. (My only nitpick about the score is this: when will we get to hear the complete score as heard in the film, complete with the long unreleased cues? So far the most "complete" version available is the gold CD with the "Indian Dance" cue and the pop-sounding single versions of the Dunbar theme and the Buffalo Hunt, two cues which are not among my favorites and could have been omitted from the second release.)

The other John Barry CD I own is the complete release of his score to the James Bond film "The Living Daylights", and there's not much to say except that it's standard James Bond stuff. Why, though, they never decided to restore the music into chronological sequence beats me.

While I've never heard "The Lion in Winter", I will admit that John Barry is worth his salt in film composing.

From: "Mark Trachtman" <mtrachtm@ngs.org>

To follow up on your art analogy (regarding John Barry vs. the Rozsa's and North's of the film music world), I think you could compare Barry to Grandma Moses and other "primative" painters who are admired by some, looked down on by others. Although not formally trained, Moses' work is still studied, respected and shown in galleries around the world. And that's because there is something intrinsically "there" - a clear perception, a unique personal vision that transcends technique. I don't mean to imply that John Barry is a "primative" musician, but even without the Julliard credentials, John Barry has found ways to make his music work emotionally for his films, and that is why directors and producers have continued to employ him for the past 4 decades. If John Fitzpatrick finds Barry's music less interesting than North's, for example, then he will listen to more Alex North for pleasure. I personally have a problem with the simplicity of most rock music, but it sure is popular with a awful lot of other people.

John Barry just simply connects with me - he's not my "favorite" film composer, but like you, I would rate him as ONE of my favorites. I know several other soundtrack fans who are less enthusiastic about scores like "The Black Hole" or "King Kong." But I find a beauty and serenety in "Across the Sea of Time" that I don't find in many other pieces. Whatever his technical skill level or musical sophistication, I'll keep listening to John Barry's music when I'm in the mood, and I will enjoy it, and I will appreciate the personal artistry and style he has brought to the world of film music.
 

From: "Robert E. Bowd" <bbowd@interlog.com>

The story about poker-playing Rozsa, et al, parallels a story about Max Steiner and Victor Young which I have read more than once in different sources. I can see it with stogie-puffing Maxie and chain smoking Victor, who died far too young. [I know, that was two-thirds of a pun.] It somehow doesn't fit the conservative image of Rozsa that I have - very upper crust, "old world." But, oh, the music! Who knows, maybe in Hollywood the poker playing anecdotes are similar to stories about alligators in the sewers of New York.

From: "John Takis" <takisjoh@msu.edu>

In response to the Rozsa story, it was related to me by Harlene Stein, who repeated it as she remembered it being told by her husband, the late film composer Ronald Stein. Like many "telephone-style" stories, it may have been altered slightly as it passed from person to person. Neither Rozsa, Waxman or Stein are around to confirm/deny, so perhaps this tale is best categorized as film music mythology. Thanks for the heads-up.

From: Shannon Jowett <SpinShannon@nyc.rr.com>

I just received the Planet of the Apes DVD for Christmas, and all I have to say is how f**king amazing is this DVD!?! 14 hours! 14 hours of goodies galore. It's like a room full of cotton candy. I've only seen seven hours since going back to work and am jonesing for more. Why haven't you guys reviewed this? (or did I just miss it?) especially with 9 minute featurette about the making of the score, Elfman's 2 hour commentary, and Burton's slams on DVD culture.

14 hours!

I can't wait for the extended interview with Helena Bonham Carter.

From: Alan James Black <shadow@ssc.net.au>

Normally I am not moved to reply to the comments published. However I have had quite enough of the 'so called..." experts on Williams and Goldsmith and comments regarding their recent works.

Concentrating on Mr. Williams..Mr.Goldsmith needs no defence I had the privilige of taking my nine year old son to see Harry Potter. He saw it as it was meant to be seen - through a childs eye. He loved the movie and the music. He now has the soundtrack in his collection. So did Williams do well, Did he maintain the magic in the movie, Yes on both counts. Was it a rehash of an earlier work............who cares........it was perfect for the movie.

My credentials, I have collected film music for over half a century. I hope to enjoy and collect for at least another twenty five. Did I enjoy the music. Yes. Certain sequences were magical. Do I have all the other Williams scores in my collection to perform subjective analysis on Harry Potter. Yes ....and I would never stoop to that level. The older you get the wiser,,mm. So stop all this belly aching. It really is of little consequence to the producer and director. Enjoy film scoring for the art form it is matching music to sound and image.

Enough. Incidentally for those of you in your late twenties or early thirties what a joy you have to look forward to in the future if you have already lost the reason behind film scoring.

Try and enjoy the magic in all scoring!

Happy New Year to you all.

I received many emails last year asking what the trailer music to Lord of the Rings was. It was "Gothic Power" composed by Christopher Field.

Visit Chelsea Rialtos Studios' website for information Ray Faiola's upcoming restorations for Screen Archives and Brigham Young: http://www.chelsearialto.com/crstudio/crstudio.htm

Yahoo recently had an article polling common folk about their favorite soundtracks: http://uk.news.yahoo.com/011231/80/cmv2z.html

Finally, Soundtrack.net wrote a nice review of our Illustrated Man CD: http://www.soundtrack.net/soundtracks/database/?id=3034

Happy new year!

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