Musical scores and film composers

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charliechaplinfan
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Musical scores and film composers

Post by charliechaplinfan »

I think I'm developing an ear for film scores, perhaps it's as I watch more films from different eras, countries, studios etc I get more picky and appreciative of what I like and dislike. I've looked and can't find a similar thread. I know the subject sometimes pops up in relation to this or that film. I've started looking on the credits for the composer and this from the girl who never used to look past the stars, Max Steiner jumps out at me because of the score of GWTW the first score I bought although these days I don't think he's my favourite, he's a safe pair of hands. I've watched a couple of films recently with Korngold's scores and found them intrusive but other films with his scores I've found enjoyable.

Brief Encounter is one film that even though the music is loud and almost verging on the intrusive, it works and works well. For me it's the best example of a score from an existing piece of music. Fellini is a director who uses music really well. A huge subject there are plenty of other examples.

Does anyone have any guilty pleasures, any scores of films they like to listen to?
Failure is unimportant. It takes courage to make a fool of yourself - Charlie Chaplin
RedRiver
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Re: Musical scores and film composers

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A HARD DAY'S NIGHT and HELP!
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MichiganJ
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Re: Musical scores and film composers

Post by MichiganJ »

RedRiver wrote:A HARD DAY'S NIGHT and HELP!
What, are YELLOW SUBMARINE and LET IT BE chopped liver?
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knitwit45
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Re: Musical scores and film composers

Post by knitwit45 »

Alison, I agree about Korngold. When I hear the music to The Adventures of Robin Hood, I am immediately in a good mood, and anxious to sit down and enjoy for the gazillionth time, that movie. I just watched The Constant Nymph, a new favorite, and found the music to be just a tad intrusive, though the whole plot revolved around it.

Bette Davis said about the score to Dark Victory that either she or Max Steiner was going up that staircase at the climax of the movie, but not both.
turns out they both did. I like Max Steiner's music, I find it to be a true accompaniment to the films, Casablanca and GWTW as prime examples. I just looked him up on the Imdb, he is listed for a lot of movies as "stock music, uncredited". I associate his 'sound' with Warners movies of the 40's.
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MichiganJ
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Re: Musical scores and film composers

Post by MichiganJ »

Steiner's best score, and one of the best scores ever (he writes humbly) is for King Kong.

Of course there's John Williams, who has written too many memorable scores and themes to films, each of which, when hearing a few notes, instantly bring to mind the film and character.

The same thing could be said for Ennio Morricone.
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Re: Musical scores and film composers

Post by feaito »

I think that Ennio Morricone's score for The Mission (1986) has been one of the best in terms of enhancing the mood of a film....

Herrmann's score for "North by Northwest" is another good example.

As for Korngold (my favorite composer) "The Adventures of Robin Hood" (1938), "The Sea Hawk" (1940) and "Kings Row" (1942) are among his best.
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charliechaplinfan
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Re: Musical scores and film composers

Post by charliechaplinfan »

I do like the score to The Adventures of Robin Hood, it's fun, like the movie.

I can imagine Bette Davis saying that about Max Steiner, I'll remember it next time I watch Dark Victory. I like Steiner's score to Casablanca, a wonderful romantic movie helped by a great score.

I think Lean's 60's films have beautifully scored, I love Lara's theme and the Ryan's Daughter score. Lawrence of Arabia is pretty good too. Then there's his earlier movies, Brief Encounter, Hobson's Choice and Bridge on the River Kwai.
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RedRiver
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Re: Musical scores and film composers

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I can very much imagine John Williams, while composing the rousing scores to adventure films, listening to Korngold's ROBIN HOOD and others, and being more than a little influenced.
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Re: Musical scores and film composers

Post by MissGoddess »

Music is so important to me in movies, in fact, several of my very favorite films mean so much to me in great part due to their scoring. Bernard Herrmann and Henry Mancini are my two favorites, both very different, in fact, as different as can be imagined, but equal in my affection (though I confess Henry is a heck of a lot easier to listen to on a daily basis...he demands so little of my concentration :D ).

I also like Jarre's scores for the Lean films, and John Barry is right up there, too. I might even disregard Out of Africa altogether if it weren't for that glorious music (and the landscapes). Add to that his theme for Somewhere in Time (including the Rachmaninoff piece), The Tamarind Seed and, of course, the James Bond theme.
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movieman1957
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Re: Musical scores and film composers

Post by movieman1957 »

Barry's music is some of my favorite music. Sometimes the patterns are predictable but the chord sequences can be a rich surprise. I find it interesting the way his music changed over the years. There were times you could hear in his 60's music what would become his 90's music. Then some it gave no clue.

I have never seen "Playing By Heart" but it has a lovely soundtrack. If you like trumpets in your music this is a nice turn where Chris Botti supplies that sound.

Another interesting soundtrack is "The Living Daylights." That was when electronic music played a bigger part in the arrangements but it is still very much a Bond work.
Chris

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Re: Musical scores and film composers

Post by feaito »

Glad you brought him up April...How could I forget my 2nd favorite composer Mancini? "Pink Panther", "Breakfast at Tiffany's", "Charade" and "The Party" are my faves.
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Re: Musical scores and film composers

Post by CineMaven »

[b][u][color=#0040BF]charliechaplinfan[/color][/u][/b] wrote:I've noticed recently that I'm taking more notice of scores, I'm more conscious of them and how they add or detract to a film. Perhaps I should start a thread about composers and film scores, heaven knows I have enough scores on my ipod.
I remember you saying this in the Charles Boyer thread...and now here we are. Great! My friends and I drove up to Gloucester, MA a couple of months ago. It was a rainy dreary Father's Day weekend and we walked around this little artist community getting inspired and talking to artists. There weren't a lot of folks walking around b'cuz of the weather, so we had free rein every place we went. We were in a photographer's gallery and there was this song was wafting in the air. I had never heard this music before and I went to the photographer and said "That music is beautiful. Is it John Barry?" He said he didn't know and pulled out the CD case: John Barry: "Swept By the Sea." My friends looked at me like I was witch. Naaah, I am not a witch...I just like movies. (Nope, I've never seen the movie...but I sure as heck ordered the CD when I got back to NY). Sometimes when I walk around with my iPOD, I'm creating my own movie b'cuz all the sights I see are scored by what's playing. Or I'll pick a certain music 'cuz I'm know I'm going to a certain place.

You folks will think I'm being a copy cat...but I'm not. These are some of the composers I like for either their scores or the theme songs of these movies:

* BERNARD HERMANN (Hands down...many of his films especially "Vertigo.")
* JOHN BARRY (James Bond..."Dances With Wolves" "The Tamarind Seed" "Out of Africa" etc....)
* MAX STEINER ("GWTW" "Johnny Belinda" etc...)
* ELMER BERNSTEIN ("To Kill A Mockingbird" - I could cry right now if I start humming...)
* DAVID RAKSIN ("Laura" - the sweet melody in the scene where Clifton Webb falls to die)
* GEORGES DELERUE ("Contempt")
* MIKLOS ROSZA....

Nothing more rousing than the theme songs to these two movies (John Williams notwithstanding)...these two among my favorites:

* NEAL HEFTI ("Duel At Diablo")
* DUSAN RADIC ("The Long Ships")

But here is my favorite theme song of all-time:

[youtube][/youtube]

This has GOT to be the most eerie, foreboding sensuously hypnotic theme of all and sets the mood for what's to come.

Image

Photo gallery in Gloucester, Massachusetts.

Oh...and you might want to look at "DARK VICTORY" again. I think Bette starts up the steps with Steiner...we cut to the maid watching her come up the steps...and then we get to the top where Bette takes one or two steps with Steiner. If I'm wrong please correct me. I didn't have the movie on hand to check before I shot off my mouth.
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charliechaplinfan
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Re: Musical scores and film composers

Post by charliechaplinfan »

And there's more...

Une Homme et Une Femme
Jules Et Jim
Love Story (I know, corny)
La Dolce Vita
Otto E Mezzo
I Vitelloni
On the Waterfront
A Streetcar named Desire
Last Tango in Paris
The Godfather
The Kid
City Lights
Modern Times
The Gold Rush
The Circus

and special mention to Carl Davis who scored the Chaplin shorts and countless silents.
Failure is unimportant. It takes courage to make a fool of yourself - Charlie Chaplin
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movieman1957
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Re: Musical scores and film composers

Post by movieman1957 »

I found Carl Davis when he scored "The World At War." A 26 hour documentary from Thames Television on WWII. Since then there are many other films, among them Sunday night's broadcast of Keaton's "Our Hospitality." The man can write.
Chris

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RedRiver
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Re: Musical scores and film composers

Post by RedRiver »

I wouldn't be surprised to learn John Barry was key in modernizing film scoring. Taking it from symphonic toward rock and roll. From Robin Hood to Bond. I can't document this. Just a guess.
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