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Batman Scores Discussion

Discussion in 'Star Wars And Film Music' started by DarthBoba, Aug 28, 2006.

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  1. DarthBoba

    DarthBoba Manager Emeritus star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Jun 29, 2000
    Also known as, because Strilo told me to. :p

    Well, I'd say the purpose of this thread is self-evident. Discuss the music (or lack thereof, for you grippy types) from Batman Begins. Other Batman film scores- the original, Batman Returns, and um, the other two*, can be discussed here to, because there really isn't a reason not to.

    * If you can actually remember the music from Batman Forever and Batman And Robin, I'm impressed. I'd forgotten those movies even had music. In fact, about the only thing I remember from those films is Nicole Kidman self-consciously covering herself up. Cursed movie standards.

    Anyway!

    Discuss.

    GK edit: Good idea, I'm just simplifying the title.
     
  2. TwiLekJedi

    TwiLekJedi Pretty Ex-Mod star 10 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Jun 14, 2001
    You should have copied one or two intelligent sentences from your Tavern post in here :p


    I'll agree with whoever says it works very well in the film, but not on CD/by itself. Begins, that is.
     
  3. Well_Of_Souls

    Well_Of_Souls Jedi Master star 5

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    Aug 26, 2001
    I remember and own both of these Goldenthal scores. I also enjoy them thoroughly, almost as much as Elfman's contributions. Go ahead, be impressed. ;)

    As for Begins, the music works wonders in the film but not as much on album. Although, I have a rip of the end credits suite from the DVD and it is a very enjoyable 8-minutes of music.
     
  4. DarthBoba

    DarthBoba Manager Emeritus star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Jun 29, 2000
    All right, I'm impressed. :p

    I'm probably one of the minority when it comes to the Begins score-I absolutely love it as an album. Granted, remembering the track names is tough, but I enjoy the main theme pretty thoroughly, as well as the music when Batman gets blasted by Scarecrow's poison gas-nice little female chorus there.

     
  5. MrUnderhiII

    MrUnderhiII Jedi Youngling star 1

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    May 1, 2006
    As a huge batman fan, I absolutly love the the scores.

    Danny Elfman's original batman theme was amazing. It was the first time anyone tried to capture the tone of Batman as well as gotham city. (besides the "da na na na BATMAN!")


    I love Goldenthal's scores more and more, each time i listen. The are many redeeming qualities to be found there. I dont know why people put them down all the time. The Batman and Robin score was a carbon copy of Forever's, and i dont enjoy it as much.

    I was sooo excited when i heard that JN howard and Hans zimmer were going to cowrite the Begins. I listend to the main theme over and over from the trailer. When the movie came out, i was highly disappointed. After buying the soundtrack and listening to it over and over, it has become one of my favorites.
    I, too, have the End Credits and it is the best song from the movie.

    Here is a score that is virtually unknown(except to Batman Fans): Batman: Mask of the Phantasm.
    It is a brilliant score that might be my most favorite of the Batmans. Shirley Walker's haunting Main Title, really brings a dark edge to the film. Even though this movie is a cartoon, it should not be treated as such. Otherwise you might overlook this great score.
    Check it out here from Walker.filmmusic.com
     
  6. Well_Of_Souls

    Well_Of_Souls Jedi Master star 5

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    Aug 26, 2001
    I've heard many good things about this score and I always enjoyed Walker's work on the animated Batman series.
     
  7. DarthBoba

    DarthBoba Manager Emeritus star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Jun 29, 2000
    The animated series rocks in all areas, imo. Beyond the 30s/late 22nd-century techonology mixing, anyhow. :p

    I actually prefer the Begins main theme over the Elfman version-it's much more evocative of how batman has (since The Dark Knight Returns, anyway) been portrayed in the comics. In the tavern thread I remarked that Batman is not a Knightish sort of figure; he's not someone tend to be all "yay it's Batman!" about seeing. He even scares his friends from time to time, and I think the Begins main theme gets this across.
     
  8. batvader

    batvader Jedi Youngling star 3

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    Dec 23, 2002
    I am also one of those that enjoy BB on album. Whereas Elfman's scores were great for a gargoyle Gothic Batguy living in a city looking like Prague on steroids, Zimmer's work for the "urban darkness" Batman had a lot of ambience in the more quiet parts with "wings" flapping, and a lot of concentrated rage in the action cues (listen to the aptly titled Molossus!) I can't use music terminology, but the beginning of Molossus, on album, acts like the sound of bats flying around in packs with the rubber Bat entering the picture when the theme kicks in for the first time :) I've always been a big fan of Zimmer's music, even for crap films like Peacemaker and King Arthur.
     
  9. MrUnderhiII

    MrUnderhiII Jedi Youngling star 1

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    May 1, 2006
    He does create some great action music
     
  10. Drac39

    Drac39 Force Ghost star 6

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    Jul 9, 2002
    Zimmer's Begins score works well on film but horribly on an album. Elfman's Batman score is his best and one of the most iconic pieces of film music. I actually really enjoyed Elliot Goldenthal's Forever score
     
  11. DarthBoba

    DarthBoba Manager Emeritus star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Jun 29, 2000
    about the wings-flapping noise..what instrument is that? is it even an instrument?
     
  12. MrUnderhiII

    MrUnderhiII Jedi Youngling star 1

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    May 1, 2006
    The whole soundtrack was created with a sythesizer.
     
  13. Well_Of_Souls

    Well_Of_Souls Jedi Master star 5

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    Aug 26, 2001
    A lot of it was, yes, but not all, especially not James Newton Howard's contributions. I don't think we should completely forget his part in it all.
     
  14. MrUnderhiII

    MrUnderhiII Jedi Youngling star 1

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    May 1, 2006
    I was under the impression that it was.
     
  15. Semi-DarkLord90

    Semi-DarkLord90 Jedi Padawan star 4

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    Aug 16, 2004
    How come no one has mentioned Shirley Walker's work on Mask of the Phantasm, and the animated series? Now that is some great music. I like her theme better than Elfman's and Zimmer's. But I really enjoy all of the Batman scores. I really want to get my hands on Batman Forever and Batman & Robin, though. I have random tracks from them, but I'd really dig owning the whole thing.

    -Semi
     
  16. DarthBoba

    DarthBoba Manager Emeritus star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Jun 29, 2000
    We haven't mentioned it because we're only on post 15. Bear with us turtle people :p

    MrUnderhill: Thanks.

    And no, you can tell there's parts of the soundtrack that aren't synthesizer.
     
  17. MrUnderhiII

    MrUnderhiII Jedi Youngling star 1

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    May 1, 2006

    I did.
     
  18. Emperor's Prize

    Emperor's Prize Jedi Padawan star 4

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    Jun 17, 1999
    :)

    I've never heard the Mask of the Phantasm score, but now I'm intruiged.
     
  19. MrUnderhiII

    MrUnderhiII Jedi Youngling star 1

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    May 1, 2006
    Its a hidden gem
     
  20. Eugene_Meltsner_AIO

    Eugene_Meltsner_AIO Jedi Padawan star 4

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    Sep 9, 2002
    I'm a bit torn on Batman Begins. I have yet to get the soundtrack, but I definitely plan to soon. It works fairly well in film, and I enjoy it, but I would have preferred a more melodic, thematic approach. I noticed Howard's love theme (which was really good), and there is Zimmer's two-chord "Batman Theme," but I think Batman deserves more than two chords.

    Now, yes, the movie does have a different feel and everything, and yes, Batman can be scary even to his friends BUT--he is still a hero, he's still a comic book superhero. Is it a more realistic take? Definitely. But that doesn't mean you have to make everything all gritty and uber-serious urban drama. On the note of Mask of the Phantasm, I think that theme right there (originally from the Animated Series) could have worked for Batman Begins. Or at least that approach. It's more in-between B89 and Begins in its approach. And I still don't think that Elfman's theme would be entirely inappropriate. The slower, more ominous statements of the theme at least would easily work. For instance, picture the very end of "Roof Fight" with Batman off with Falcone in tow. Pretty awesome! At the same time, I don't think that that theme in, say, Main Titles mode is entirely appropriate either. If some middle ground could have been found, I think that would've been the best.

    Another possibility in the middle ground, closer to Batman Begins, would be Howard's score for "Unbreakable." With that score in mind and the knowledge that Howard would be involved, I was pretty excited. An "Unbreakable" approach would also have been great. It has a little more of that modern, dramatic flavor, but still heroic and enjoyable. Zimmer's "theme" is okay, but is really more like a motif than anything, and definitely not outstanding.

    Anyway, what I'm saying is I just don't think it's necessary to go so extremely in the opposite direction from Elfman's score. I think it could've been done a little more in-between.

     
  21. Well_Of_Souls

    Well_Of_Souls Jedi Master star 5

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    Aug 26, 2001
    I would have loved to hear what Howard alone could have done with that score.
     
  22. Darth_Maestro

    Darth_Maestro Jedi Master star 4

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    Jan 27, 2005
    The only hitch I know have with elfmans theme for Batman is that after discovering the amazing Richard Strauss and listening to his Death And Transfiguration,Op 24 I can't help but think this is what Elfman was listening to at the time he wrote the score. If you can't catch my drift i meant that he borrowed the [face_skull] "Death Theme"[face_skull] as the basis for the Batman theme.[face_peace]And it just really annoys the hell out of me when i have the Batman theme playing in my head during this piece that im playing with my orchestra:_| .

    On a side note now i think that La Cucaracha is also a rip off of Strauss' Till Eulenspiegel.;)
     
  23. DarthBoba

    DarthBoba Manager Emeritus star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Jun 29, 2000
    Got a link available? I'm not doubting you, just curious :p
     
  24. MrUnderhiII

    MrUnderhiII Jedi Youngling star 1

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    May 1, 2006
    ^yeah, i would like to hear that piece.
     
  25. Antilles2001

    Antilles2001 Jedi Padawan star 4

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    Oct 20, 2001
    Very nice discussion going on here. Personally, out of the entire soundtrack of Begins 0:30 and onward of Antrozous is my favorite. It plays when Rachel asks Bruce who he is, and he simply replies with her previous line about how what he does is what definds him.

    However, I have the whole soundtrack, but I cannot find the piece that plays at the very end of the credits. It starts as soon as "Iceland Crew" reaches the top of the screen. Help?
     
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