Film Composers and Composing: AFI's Master Class The Art of Collaboration Spielberg/Williams

Where Have All the Film Composers Gone?

 

I'd say the mere existence of Soundtracks as a significant section in stores like Best Buy, Borders, and B&N kinda destroys the claim that movie soundtracks take a back seat nowadays. They wouldn't sell them if they weren't popular.

 

From the article:

Take the fine work of James Newton Howard on "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight" - both are fantastic scores, pulsating rhythms which help control the pace of the film. But does it lift itself off the screen, like, say, James Horner's pulsating work on James Cameron's "Aliens"? or even Brad Fiedel work on the "Terminator" films?

I love the themes for the new Batman movies, bought both soudntracks. I honestly don't agree with the writer when he compains about this kind of soundtrack. BTW, the Bat movies also have Hans Zimmer, who always gives his best work when paired with another composer (eg. Gladiator with whatshername).

The ones that are really killing movie themes are movies that cut and paste crappy pop songs onto scenes. The writer should be taking aim at movies like 'Daredevil', not Nolan's Bat movies IMO.

*shrug*

 

I don't know if you've noticed those sections consistently shrinking. . .

No, what's killing movie themes and musical development is the movies: abbreviated or nonexistent opening credits sequences for a decent overture of statement of theme. Sound effects mixed so loud (and occurring so frequently) that the music necessarily takes a backseat. Directors specifically requesting a certain "sound" -- loud, simplistic, manipulative scoring. Brian Tyler, David Arnold -- there's a whole bunch of guys who have written fine music, but are now mostly reduced to nonstop aggressive action with very little structure (sound and fury, signifying nothing) because that's what the director wants. The whole Bruckheimer movie phenomenon, for which they want big dumb "power anthem" scores to accompany the big dumb films.

There's no shortage of composers in and out of Hollywood doing, and more importantly, capable of doing when given the chance, exciting things with film music. Don Davis, Howard Shore, Ed Shearmur, Adrian Johnston, Alexandre Azaria, Frederic Talgorn, Javier Navarette, John Powell, James Newton Howard, Harry Gregson-Williams, Alexandre Desplat, David Arnold, Aaron Zigman, Bruno Coulais, Philippe Rombi, Mark McKenzie, Cliff Eidelman not to mention all the new guys, Scott Glasgow, Ryan Shore, Guy Farley, etc etc. It's not that the good composers have gone anywhere. It's that films welcoming what can be recognized as good music are rarely being made anymore, at least in the most commercial and visible venues.

 

It is true that there seems to be less iconic music these days, though, for some of the reasons you enumerate.

 

Interesting article. I have to agree that Alexandre Desplat, Michael Giacchino, Dario Marianelli, Clint Mansell and Cliff Martinez are ones to watch - they're all fantastic.

 

It seems like that guy's complaint is that film scores are not as hummable. While interesting to note that films don't have blaring anthems as much any more, that hardly means film composers are gone.

Take, for example, John Williams. Our author asks us to provide composers who replaced him, but John Williams is still scoring movies His last major hummable/anthem score was Jurassic Park. Harry Potter came close, but for the most part, Williams has preferred to do more subtle and complex work than continue developing major anthems. Even with the Star Wars Prequels, the hummable bombastic music was variations on the original themes while the new music was much more complex and subtle.

I simply don't accept the author's premise.

The reason why there are less bombastic soundtracks is because there are less bombastic movies being made.

Furthermore, its kind of like asking where are all the great painters have gone because nobody does baroque or romantic pieces anymore.

 

I can only speak locally, but the soundtracks section of my Borders is still about the same size it was 5 years ago, and the Best Buy section is actually about twice as large. They still sell.

 

Has anyone else even heard "The Long Ships" (1964) soundtrack? The composer was Dusan Radic (it was made in Yugoslavia). Not famous, and the movie is a jokey Viking action movie, but when I saw it on TV when I was a kid, I loved it, including the score, and how often do I remember the music of movies I see? Not too often. It particularly works well in the Viking village scene...

 

Heard of it. Haven't heard it.

 

See if you can get it somewhere. I think there is a CD of it with Kaper's score for "Lord Jim" included. Since I'm not musical, I don't know whether I like it because it's cheesy or because it's good.

 

I see you mention al ot of composers but what a bout James Horner
His sound Track are just fantastic !

 

I deliberately skipped the composers that people who complain like to forget exist -- the ones who are post Golden/Silver Age, post Williams and Goldsmith, but before the new crop. Horner, Elfman, Silvestri, the Newmans, etc. I did forget Giacchino, though. Silly me. And still-composing old-timers like Morricone and Kilar.

 

Scores seem more organic...like "There Will Be Blood"

 

This is something that I've been thinking about lately and, sadly, I agree completely with the blogger linked to in the OP

 

Basil Poledouris is dead now, too...a lot of them are. I loved his score for "Lonesome Dove"

 

What's Your Favorite Danny Elfman Score?

 

John Barry: the Man Who Knew the Score

 

Terrific article! Barry is probably my favorite film composer; between the Bond movies, Out of Africa, and my guilty faves King Kong (1976) and Starcrash (1979), I find his work rich and varied and exciting. His signature cue for me is a brief string melody in a minor key -- four notes on violin going da-na-na-nahhhhh! -- at the moment something surprising, or thrilling, or unexpected occurs on-screen. I love that cue, and it appears in probably 95% of his films. Awesome.

 

Next: 10 Great Movie Composers by Ken Nail

"Music is as important a part of the movie experience as the popcorn. The right music will complement and comment on the visual story and dialogue, taking the film to higher levels of emotion and excitement. Sometimes movie music is familiar ? well-known pop, jazz, or classical melodies. More often the music is composed specifically for the film. While modern audiences take a musical background for granted, it was once a novelty. Watch classic early sound movies like the original Dracula (1931) or Frankenstein (1933), and you'll be struck by the lack of music behind the on-screen action.

King Kong (1933) changed that. Max Steiner's music was an integral part of the film, supporting the action and lending suspense. The success of the film and his score ensured that the sound of movies would never be the same. Since that time many fine composers have contributed some great music to the movies. Film composers don't have an easy job ? they must meld their ideas to fit the action and flow of the movie, often rearranging and cutting material as the film is edited. Usually the composer is working under a strict deadline, and there is little time for rewrites or revisions. While the best movie composers are in great demand, they're not "ivory-tower" artists ? they're hard-working musical craftsmen who know how to make the music complement the film without overshadowing it.

Let's look at 10 composers whose work represents some of the best in movie music. For each composer I've picked a soundtrack album or a compilation album to introduce their work. If you've never explored the music of the movies, I hope this list gives you a good starting point. Give them a listen!

John Barry
Thunderball
Original motion picture soundtrack (remastered)
(Capitol 72435-80589-2-5)
John Barry's long and prolific career as a film composer now spans five decades, highlighted by three Academy Awards. He's best known to most moviegoers as the man who defined the musical style for the many James Bond films. Thunderball (1965) is one of his best scores, combining the bold, brassy, and percussive action themes you expect in a Bond film with haunting motifs that complement the movie's many underwater scenes. The 2003 remastering of the original soundtrack album includes almost 45 minutes of excellent music left off of the original release. The recording sounds great ? crisp stereo separation, with a nice warm tones in the low, undulating flute and string melodies, contrasted by brilliant brass that is powerful, precise, but never "tinny." The score's many sudden changes in volume provide an excellent test of your system's amplifier.

To experience the excitement of Barry's action scoring, check out the 11th track, "007," a taut reworking of a percussive theme Barry originally composed for 1963's From Russia with Love. Then listen to "Bond Below Disco Volante," for an interesting development of several of the themes employed in the movie. While Thunderball isn't my favorite Bond movie (I'll stick with Goldfinger), this installment has some of the most memorable music.

Barry trivia: John Barry has been nominated for an Academy Award nomination in four different decades ? the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s."

 

Bernard Herrmann
The Film Scores
Los Angeles Philharmonic, Esa-Pekka Salonen
(Sony Classical SK 62700)

"Bernard Hermann's film scoring runs the gamut, beginning with Orson Welles' 1941 masterpiece Citizen Kane to his final film score, for Martin Scorsese's dark and disturbing Taxi Driver (1976). Perhaps Herrmann's best work came in his collaborations with director Alfred Hitchcock. Herrmann composed the music for some of Hitch's greatest works, notably Psycho (1960), Vertigo (1958), and North by Northwest (1959). It's fitting that this 1996 recording includes music from six of his collaborations with Hitchcock, as well as selections from Francois Truffaut's Fahrenheit 451 (1966) and Taxi Driver.

Hermann departed from the lush melodic style of most of his contemporaries, emphasizing short rhythmic motifs to propel the action forward. The resulting musical tension is palpable in "The Rainstorm," from Psycho, where the tense music emphasizes the nervousness of Janet Leigh's character. In the energetic "North by Northwest: Overture" note how Herrmann utilizes repeated rhythms to create a bright, sharp-edged tension. This recording is a real treat for Herrmann fans ? the L.A. Philharmonic sounds robust and bold, and conductor Salonen isn't afraid to let the orchestra run at full stride. The stereo CD disc is encoded with Dolby Pro Logic for a more enveloping experience if you've got a surround sound system, and is also available as a 2-channel SACD disc. If you want a good test of your system's low-frequency performance, go to "The Man Who Knew Too Much: Prelude" and see how well your speakers handle the explosive opening bars.

Herrmann trivia: Herrmann appeared in front of the cameras, playing a conductor, in Hitchcock's 1956 film The Man Who Knew Too Much."


Brilliant scores, all of them.

 

Yes, his Vertigo is one of my very favorites scores, all lush, perverted romanticism with a heaping helping of tragedy thrown in. Taxi Driver and Psycho are both brilliant as well and his unjustly forgotten Ghost and Mrs. Muir. And he's still the best thing about The Day the Earth Stood Still.

 

Erich Wolfgang Korngold
The Adventures of Robin Hood
Moscow Symphony Orchestra, William Stromberg
(Marco Polo 8.225268)

"Among the great film composers of Hollywood's "Golden Era" ? Max Steiner, Franz Waxman, and Alfred Newman, to name a few ? the composer with perhaps the greatest long-term impact was Erich Wolfgang Korngold. Korngold set new standards for compositional and scoring excellence during his career, thanks to his memorable use of melodic themes and bold orchestrations. Listening to a Korngold score is more akin to listening to a complete symphonic tone poem than a simple collection of musical cues.

Korngold's Oscar-winning film score for 1938's The Adventures of Robin Hood is a masterpiece of film composition. Korngold introduces distinct themes for all of the major characters, and then continually intertwines and develops these themes as the story develops. The strong musical narrative flows to match the story we're seeing on screen, one moment lush and romantic, the next suddenly bursting with energy, projecting a muscular vitality that matches the swashbuckling style of the movie. This excellent 2003 recording, on Marco Polo (a small label with a strong dedication to recreating classic film scores), benefits from William Stromberg's energetic conducting and the solid musicianship of the Moscow Symphony Orchestra. The recording has a lively palate of orchestral colors, with a lush, full sound that presents the mid to low frequencies particularly well. If your surround sound system has a DVD-Audio player, Marco Polo has released a multi-channel version of this album on DVD-Audio as well. To listen to an excellent example of the verve and energy Korngold invested in the music, go straight to "The Battle ? The Duel ? The Victory," an exhilarating set piece with a strong, emotionally satisfying climax. My advice though, is to get out the excellent liner notes and listen to the disc straight through. You'll be glad you did!

Korngold trivia: In 1936, while an Austrian citizen, Korngold had his music banned by the Nazis as "decadent."

 

Related trivia: Along with many Jews in Hollywood, he sponsored the immigration of numerous Jewish refugees leading up to and during WWII. Korngold helped so many Jews escape to America that the State Department said "too many" and stopped letting him do it.

 

Typical.

Next:

Henry Mancini

"Touch of Evil"

Original soundtrack

(Varese Sarabande VS 5414)

"Henry Mancini could only be described as "astoundingly prolific" based on his lifetime of work. After beginning his career as a big-band arranger, he broke into film writing with a stint at Universal Studios in the 1950s. As a staff arranger, Mancini learned the ropes of film writing by taking on many small and uncredited assignments, including musical cues for newsreels.

Mancini's jazz background served him well when he took on the assignment for Orson Welles' Touch of Evil in 1958. The score complements the corrupt Mexican border town setting of the movie, incorporating latin-jazz, Afro-Cuban percussion, and instrumental blues, all with a definite rock and roll influence. It's an excellent complement to the dark film noir feel of this classic film. One interesting note is that all of the tracks were used as "source music" in the film ? meaning that the music comes from a visible source such as a jukebox, radio, dance band, or piano player. Varese Sarabande's 1993 reissue of the original soundtrack will provide your system a good test with the numerous jazzy instrumentals. If you only know Henry Mancini from the "Pink Panther" tune, give this album a try!

Henry Mancini trivia: Henry Mancini was honored with a postage stamp, issued in April, 2004."