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Posted: |
Aug 13, 2014 - 9:44 AM
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By: |
Hurdy Gurdy
(Member)
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I'm starting to take for granted now the fact that when I put on a new score by John Scott, I will be rewarded with AT LEAST one new sumptuous and memorable theme, (though it can be two), together with some stirring action cues and well written and orchestrated suspense or mood music.
This little beauty opens with a cool little military-style march for the King's Hussars and has the trade-mark Scott 'beautiful/elegant love theme', which gets lots of plays and variations throughout and is probably heard best in the Day At The Coast cue.
There's another, classical sounding theme, given a grand rendition near the end in Christoff's Return.
I haven't seen the film (nor likely will) but that's okay, because the film I see in my head, when the characters discuss poetry or make love in the barn, is likely to be much better than the finished product (and meaning no disrespect to the finished film).
I am trying to keep my listening order intact (I'm up to The Deceivers at the mo' in his filmography order), but grabbed this one from the shelf just to shake things up a bit.
Please share your thoughts about this score (or the film).
I look forward to reading them.
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Posted: |
Jan 10, 2015 - 2:54 PM
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By: |
bobbengan
(Member)
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I love, love, LOVE John Scott but this one isn't among my favorites - Orchestrations are great as always but the themes feel pedantic and lacking real dramatic heft, like Scott knew what he was scoring to was very, erm, "light" material. It almost borders on feeling Rachel Portman-y to me at times.
Compare the love theme here to either of the two primary identities from MAN ON FIRE or his stunning BECOMING COLETTE - Just no comparison in terms of searing drama and emotional resonance.
That said, I still do enjoy it in places, and edited a 15 minute suite of highlights for myself. From his mid-to-late 90's output, it's pretty hard to top FAR FROM HOME, WALKING THUNDER, SHERGAR, THE NORTH STAR or 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA, all of which were composed within a year or two of Scarlet Tunic and are on a whole other level of drama and craftsmanship. Granted, very different films too, but regardless...
Either way, always happy to see people discussing this truly brilliant and gifted man's music.
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Posted: |
Jan 11, 2015 - 7:04 AM
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By: |
JohnnyG
(Member)
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I love, love, LOVE John Scott but this one isn't among my favorites - Orchestrations are great as always but the themes feel pedantic and lacking real dramatic heft, like Scott knew what he was scoring to was very, erm, "light" material. It almost borders on feeling Rachel Portman-y to me at times.
Compare the love theme here to either of the two primary identities from MAN ON FIRE or his stunning BECOMING COLETTE - Just no comparison in terms of searing drama and emotional resonance.
That said, I still do enjoy it in places, and edited a 15 minute suite of highlights for myself. From his mid-to-late 90's output, it's pretty hard to top FAR FROM HOME, WALKING THUNDER, SHERGAR, THE NORTH STAR or 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA, all of which were composed within a year or two of Scarlet Tunic and are on a whole other level of drama and craftsmanship. Granted, very different films too, but regardless...
Either way, always happy to see people discussing this truly brilliant and gifted man's music.
Those five scores would be my choices too from that period, bobbengan.
I agree about "The Scarlet Tunic". It's not on the level of those five - some good music in there but for JS's exceptional standards this is pretty much average.
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Posted: |
Jun 17, 2018 - 4:46 PM
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By: |
bobbengan
(Member)
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Been re-evaluating some of what I once considered "lesser-tier" Scott scores of late, this among them, and as always with this man's music, I've found oodles of new details to appreciate and admire in his incredible sense of craft, drama and musical storytelling.
Indeed the "Day at the Coast" cue as Kev pointed out is an especially enjoyable highlight of the score. That opening flourish, with its bustling dialogue between woodwinds and brass, is a creation that can only come from Scott's musical imagination:
http://picosong.com/wcWEN/
I stand by the main love theme here not being one of Scott's [i[dramatically finest, nor heaviest on the heart (that honor probably still goes overall to MAN ON FIRE for me) but it is nonetheless highly representative of his talent for melodic writing: Long-lined, harmonically satisfying and instantly memorable, with unpredictable progressions and an unerring sense that the love story its bespoke of is doomed not to work out. It's John unapologetically being John.
The numerous, achingly tender woodwind solos throughout the score, usually applicable to said love theme, further reaffirm his stature in my mind as the finest composer for this group of instruments. No one can get the incredibly expressive, tender, evocative sound from a flute, english horn or oboe as this man can. Magnificent.
Also love (and never before noticed) the way he takes that jaunty, very "English" opening march tune and cleverly deconstructs it throughout the score, so that it takes on a bitter, joyless and even outright dissonant visage at times. Clever musical storytelling there.
As this score isn't often discussed even within the corpus of Scott's output, I thought it deserved a shout-out.
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