Finnegan Posted 25 February 2009 Share Posted 25 February 2009 Specifically NOT "good songs that you heard in a film" which may make this thread a little too specific to be popular - but looking at the music written for film. The Hans Zimmers, Tan Dun, Klaus Badelts, Gregson-Williams' and Lisa Gerrards of the world. It doesn't have to be classical, though a lot is. Some of the best, in my opinion, has come from Japan's Studio Ghibli who produce some stunning scores for their films. Though I've just been digging through old CDs and found this beaut'. I'd argue that this is quite possibly the best musically directed action scene of all time but that might be something of a complain! So. Any of you music / film nerds nerdy enough to contribute or am I pissing in the wind? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Libertine Posted 25 February 2009 Share Posted 25 February 2009 The original music in Donnie Darko is great. Regardless of what you may think of the movie, it's great. Michael Andrews is brilliant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Head Honcho Posted 25 February 2009 Share Posted 25 February 2009 I know it's not an original score but this Carl Orff Classic really is perfect for this film. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted 25 February 2009 Share Posted 25 February 2009 Big fan of Lisa Gerrard and Hans Zimmer's work too. I was a Dead Can Dance fan anyway so I'd enjoyed Gerrard's work for a while. Black Hawk Down is one of my particular favourites of Zimmer's. I did my undergrad thesis on Hermann's scores for Hitchcock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samilktray Posted 25 February 2009 Share Posted 25 February 2009 That bit of Gladiator got me properly pumped. Aboslutely quality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finnegan Posted 25 February 2009 Author Share Posted 25 February 2009 The original music in Donnie Darko is great. Regardless of what you may think of the movie, it's great. Michael Andrews is brilliant. Classic film too, though. That's the thing though. Most of the great films of the last decade wouldn't have been even half as good if not for the scores - even if it's something people often overlook. Another fooking brilliant example, in my eyes, would be: Amazing film. And some of the music written for it (and used in it, to be fair) was absolutely inspired. That's Gortoz a Ran - J'Attends, Emilio? I love her to bits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Libertine Posted 25 February 2009 Share Posted 25 February 2009 Classic film too, though. About to be raped of it's dignity though. Have you seen the 'trailer'? Eeeeuuuuugggh. Srsly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted 25 February 2009 Share Posted 25 February 2009 That's the thing though. Most of the great films of the last decade wouldn't have been even half as good if not for the scores - even if it's something people often overlook. The thing with scores is that they kind of almost should be secondary to the visual element (by this I mean they should add something to the action on screen and not be so intrusive that it distracts your attention from the action), but when done well they can exist on their own without the visual accompaniment Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lillehamring Posted 25 February 2009 Share Posted 25 February 2009 cool. i'm into this.... one excellent, old time score writer who i like a lot is franz waxman... highly recommended, although as with any film music, some of his films didn't require particularly appealing music, so you have to pic and choose - but some hella-atmospheric music from the 40's and 50's another album that i am really into at the moment is the score to 'the sandpiper' by johnny mandel (of m*a*s*h theme fame), really beautiful and very 60s, based around the song, 'the shadow of your smile'.... The thing i like about ghibli and anime movies is the invariably brilliant 'end-credit-song' which has nothing to do with the score, but is usually very poppy excellence, in fact two of my favorite artists (maaya sakamoto and tsuji ayano) i discovered through anime (escaflowne and the cat returns, respectively) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finnegan Posted 25 February 2009 Author Share Posted 25 February 2009 About to be raped of it's dignity though. Have you seen the 'trailer'?Eeeeuuuuugggh. Srsly. Straight to DVD. Can be ignored. The thing with scores is that they kind of almost should be secondary to the visual element (by this I mean they should add something to the action on screen and not be so intrusive that it distracts your attention from the action), but when done well they can exist on their own without the visual accompaniment I'm not entirely sure I agree that they should be secondary as such but I think I'm arguing semantics there and not against your point. I agree that it shouldn't be overbearing and distracting, but I don't think one can really exist without the other. You look at the great, great films over the last few years and they've all had either immense scores, soundtracks or such good dialogue that it didn't matter, haha. Certainly this is true of all epics. Can you imagine Lord of the Rings, Gladiator, Braveheart etc without the score? It just wouldn't have worked. In everyone's determination to mock the nerds - the music to Lord of the Rings is actually another hugely unsung masterpiece. That bit of Gladiator got me properly pumped.Aboslutely quality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted 25 February 2009 Share Posted 25 February 2009 A bit of an aside, but a while back I saw Will Gregory from Goldfrapp and Adrian Utley from Portishead, together with the BBC Concert Orchestra performing a new live score for the 1924 silent film 'He Who Gets Slapped'. It's quite a common thing to do these days, live scoring for old films, but it's well worth going to see one if you get the chance (particularly if you know the film) because when they're done well it can give you a complete re-interpretation of a film you thought you knew well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lillehamring Posted 25 February 2009 Share Posted 25 February 2009 The thing with scores is that they kind of almost should be secondary to the visual element (by this I mean they should add something to the action on screen and not be so intrusive that it distracts your attention from the action), but when done well they can exist on their own without the visual accompaniment i wrote an excellent (first) essay on a similar theme, looking at the different scores to three different versions of 'dangerous liaisons' (the roger vadim one, the sexy uma thurman/michelle pfeiffer one and cruel intentions)... personally, i think that the vadim one is what it is because of the score (by (mainly) thelonious monk).... a very very awesome film! if anyone wants to read it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lillehamring Posted 25 February 2009 Share Posted 25 February 2009 Certainly this is true of all epics. Can you imagine Lord of the Rings, Gladiator, Braveheart etc without the score? It just wouldn't have worked. In everyone's determination to mock the nerds - the music to Lord of the Rings is actually another hugely unsung masterpiece. oddly enough, my cousin was playing this to me in the car the other day and i thought it was shocking, i found it rather derivative and the orchestration a bit dated... maybe not having seen the film didn't help, i suppose this supports the argument re: whether a score should be intrusive or not - perhaps it can also be the case that, whilst music can really make a film, a film can also really make a piece of music... no doubt when you heard the LOTR music, in the back of your mind you had the images that it accompanies, which would no doubt enhance the experience. one of the reasons i like waxman's stuff is because i don't know the films, so i just listen to it as a piece of music... oh, and the LOTR score also very nearly plagiarises the theme in the 'back to the future score' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted 25 February 2009 Share Posted 25 February 2009 I'm not entirely sure I agree that they should be secondary as such but I think I'm arguing semantics there and not against your point. I agree that it shouldn't be overbearing and distracting, but I don't think one can really exist without the other.You look at the great, great films over the last few years and they've all had either immense scores, soundtracks or such good dialogue that it didn't matter, haha. Yeah I think we're on the same wavelength, I just didn't word my argument particularly well As for one existing without each other observation, it's an interesting one because in some ways I think it can, but in other ways I think maybe it can't. I mean this in so much as that I can enjoy a particular piece of film score without necessarily watching the film, but it's hard mentally to completely disassociate your interpretation and memory from the visual element of the film. Then we get into, does the music stand up as a piece of music in it's own right if it has been written, to some extent, to be a functional element of the film? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Head Honcho Posted 25 February 2009 Share Posted 25 February 2009 I know it's not an original score but this Carl Orff Classic really is perfect for this film. After listening to the True Romance theme again I'm not sure whether Hans Zimmer is paying Homage to Orff or just ripping him off Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted 25 February 2009 Share Posted 25 February 2009 i wrote an excellent (first) essay on a similar theme, looking at the different scores to three different versions of 'dangerous liaisons' (the roger vadim one, the sexy uma thurman/michelle pfeiffer one and cruel intentions)... personally, i think that the vadim one is what it is because of the score (by (mainly) thelonious monk).... a very very awesome film!if anyone wants to read it... Yeah I'd be interested in reading that mate Post a link or PM me if you want Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lillehamring Posted 25 February 2009 Share Posted 25 February 2009 Yeah I'd be interested in reading that mate Post a link or PM me if you want Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finnegan Posted 25 February 2009 Author Share Posted 25 February 2009 oddly enough, my cousin was playing this to me in the car the other day and i thought it was shocking, i found it rather derivative and the orchestration a bit dated...maybe not having seen the film didn't help, i suppose this supports the argument re: whether a score should be intrusive or not - perhaps it can also be the case that, whilst music can really make a film, a film can also really make a piece of music... no doubt when you heard the LOTR music, in the back of your mind you had the images that it accompanies, which would no doubt enhance the experience. one of the reasons i like waxman's stuff is because i don't know the films, so i just listen to it as a piece of music... oh, and the LOTR score also very nearly plagiarises the theme in the 'back to the future score' That's sort of my point, really. I love, for example, the Braveheart score - but it won't go down for centuries as a piece of unbeatable music. I don't think, as a piece of classical music, the LotR score is something I'd sit and listen to or rave about for hours but in the context of the film I thought it was staggering. It just NEEDS the film to accompany it. I sat through about nine hours of that series and I'd never have done so if it weren't for the power of the music, I don't think. It certainly wasn't the acting that kept me engrossed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Posted 25 February 2009 Share Posted 25 February 2009 phone call Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finnegan Posted 25 February 2009 Author Share Posted 25 February 2009 Did you know, Mark, that GSY!BE refused Oliver Stone permission to use their music in Any Given Sunday? True story. He ended up using this instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Libertine Posted 25 February 2009 Share Posted 25 February 2009 phone call Jon Brion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trav Le Bleu Posted 25 February 2009 Share Posted 25 February 2009 28 Days Later And on to John Williams - scores for some of the biggest films ever and ALL ripped from Gustav Holsts Planet Suite! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lillehamring Posted 25 February 2009 Share Posted 25 February 2009 28 Days LaterAnd on to John Williams - scores for some of the biggest films ever and ALL ripped from Gustav Holsts Planet Suite! And also plagiarised stravinsky's 'rites of spring' for the jaws theme.... although wikipedia says: Antonín Dvořák's Ninth Symphony. either way - theiving gypsy bastard.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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