Progressive Movie Scores

Hi,

It's specially hard to compare some of these, with the really great ones like Maurice Jarre, and a couple of others who did some magnificent work all around. The better issue is that David Lean was not afraid of the music and in at least one film made sure that the music was one of the most important parts.

The other one I like, but it will hardly get a mention here, is Bernard Herrmann, whose soundtracks for some sci-fi films were super and really far out, despite some of them being really off kilter and strange in terms of the conducting and the instrument definition. And he did this even more on Hitchcock films, although Hitchcock was probably tone death since he never used the music properly at all, and I think it is one of his worst bits in directing. I imagine that someone that did the cutting was the one that found a way to use the music, or at least Mr. Herrmann adjusted a piece to fit the part in the film. In general, I find Mr. Herrmann not that great in Hitchcock, but maybe I need to listen to some more soundtracks from him. But I love his sci-fi soundtracks and it is a bunch of albums worth getting.

Saperlipopette! wrote: ... Chariots of Fire probably does what it's supposed to perfectly, but as I haven't seen the movie it sounds like music composed for the Olympic games opening ceremony or something like that (at least about 2/3ds of it). ...

I'm guessing that Vangelis found the shot about the chairs and that it was going to get cut up as not worth anything until he probably said ... wait ... save that until tomorrow! And he came up with the sound bits for it, that made it seem even better in the film. Regardless of the music, it is a good film with some very nice performances and worth the merits that it got. 

One strange note. Using music in film seems to be almost a standard thing for American and English film, although the French have tried (Tous Les Matins du Monde/Un Coeur en Hiver and many others about music), but I am not sure that the French did it as well. Italy is weird, specially as it is such a mecca of great music and an inspiration for so many bands that are very classically minded, but their film? Lucky to find one that has great stuff, although GOBLIN did well, but sadly, these are very good on the album, but not used as much in the films themselves. I would like to see a well done film with GOBLIN music ... but not sure it will be done in Italy where music in film seems to be incidental. Germany kinda starts and ends with Werner Herzog, and Popol Vuh, and the funny note that was given about Werner in his early days, when Florian had piled up many pieces of music in his closet and seems he told Werner to have at it ... and the following week, Werner comes running ... look ... I GOT A FILM! and he did a bunch of them in the early days with Popol Vuh's music! (There is nowhere any information about Florian ever putting together music for Werner at all! Which suggests that Werner used the visual ideas from the music to create a lot of his films, and the ending sequence in AGUIRRE, is the perfect example!).

Some Chinese films have used music well. Some Japanese films haven't at all, although a film or two always shows up with good music.

The only odd thing for me is considering these "progressive" ... since they really have nothing in common with the definition of the term, in my book, and in most cases the music was used simply to enhance the film, and I wonder how much of it is an actual part of the film, unless we are talking Ken Russell, and his use of music in so many films is out of this world and fantastic in many cases!

Herzog's film's full title is Nosferatu the Vampyre.

I love the Cat People remake and the soundtrack (probably my third to get, and fourth was The Hunger soundtrack by various -- that was a disappointing purchase as it didn't have the full soundtrack -- was my first CD to purchase -- the Blade Runner soundtrack was also an early acquisition of mine, but I don't like the soundtrack or the film as much as I did in the 80s). I saw Runaway when it came out in the cinema, unlike Paul, I don't think it's a great film, quite fun, but I do like the soundtrack.   Mind you, I have only seen it once since it came out. Goldsmith also scored what might have been my fist watch on the family's VCR, which is Outland (it was either that or Midnight Express, think I saw both on the same night).

Its a bit of a split album which might put a few off. You have the prog stuff like Mater Tenebrarum , Cigs, Ices etc and Tax Ride (through Rome) which is Emerson at his frenetic best. Then you have the traditional horror score approach (orchestration + piano) for the rest which, in my opinion, Emerson elevates. Love it all but like a lot of movie scores its disjointed and perhaps his next one Nighthawks was a bit more cohesive.