Score Review Thread (Discussing Danny Elfman)

Joe Versus the Volcano
Composed and conducted by Georges Delerue, 1990
48:19, 21 tracks

The line you'll read over and over again in reviews of Delerue's scores is that "He could compose more gorgeous themes in one movie than most composers do in their entire careers." Well, I can't say whether that's the case, as this is the only Delerue score I've heard (though I'm definitely going to check out more as soon as my bank account permits!), but I can and will say that this is an excellent score. The movie, the first collaboration between Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, tanked, so this score was never released until 2002, as part of Varèse's Masters Film Music collection, and thank goodness it was. The score is an uplifting delight to listen to. It's book ended by "music box" music, but its backbone is one of the finest love theme's I've ever heard, and it's put through the motions in this score: in its permutations you'll feel joy and heartbreak and triumph and even though it plays a lot, you'll never get sick of it. In addition, there's a more noble theme that first pops up in "I'll Do It" and gets its finest iteration in the lengthy cue "The Storm and The Rescue." Delerue's orchestration is unique and masterful, his incorporation of a saxophone into a couple tracks works, his arrangements of "Have Nagila" and "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" are not annoying as they could have been. This is just very nice, hummable, uplifting music. Plus it's got several cues that didn't make it into the film, as they were replaced by pop songs. I'm torn between giving this four and four-and-a-half stars, but I'm enjoying it enough that I'll give it the benefit of the doubt and rate it:

****½

Other reviews:
Movie Wave - *****
Soundtrack-Express - *****
Tracksounds - *****
Filmtracks - *****
Film Score Monthly - ****½
Music from the Movies - ****
SoundtrackNet - ****

 

Any suggestions on what Delerue to check out next? My plan is to get the Masters Film Music compilation, then Agnes of God, then Rich in Love, then Jules et Jim. . . Seriously, though, they guy's composed music for 200+ films, so it's hard to know where to start. . .

 

Henry V
Patrick Doyle, 1989
59:16, 15 tracks
Orchestrations by Lawrence Ashmore
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra conducted by Simon Rattle

". . .I first approached Ken about writing the score for Henry V. I had never written a feature film score, and Ken had never directed a film: understandably, he was very worried about taking an inexperienced composer on board." -- Patrick Doyle

"From my very first conversations with Pat Doyle I encouraged him to be as bold as possible . . . the score needed to be of our time, clasically rich in tone but instantle accessible . . . always, always I encouraged size: the epic approach, thunderous, full-blooded, heroic size. . . . Great beauty, bravery and variety were required of the score . . . What he produced surpassed my wildest expectations. A score of immense variation, power and melodic beauty. . ." -- Kenneth Branagh

In 1989 Patrick Doyle burst onto the scene with this fantastic score, and also started a working relationship with director Kenneth Branagh (with whom he'd acted on stage previously) -- one of the best director/composer relationships out there. Doyle, at the time of this score, wasn't even sure he wanted to be a composer, but I'm glad he made that choice. The man's got a gift for melody, and his stringwork is nonpareil in Hollywood. He's one of my favorite composers, and it never ceases to surprise me how little popular acclaim he's gotten. Usually, when a director comments like Brannagh did above in the liner notes, it's mostly hyperbole. Not so here. This is a simply stunning score that works not only as a great film score but also as the kind of score you could hand to "classical purists" to prove to them that film scores can hold their own musically.

I was first introduced to Patrick Doyle through the selections of the Warriors of the Silver Screen compilation. I loved that music, so rushed out and got the score, and now I have a great deal of Doyle's scores. This album has just under an hour of the 90 minutes or so of music written for the movie, and what an hour. It opens with a solo something (I don't know most of my instruments ) before the strings tear in and the ride is on. After the "Opening title--'O! for a Muse of Fire'", we move into "Henry V theme--The Boar's Head," another stupendous, memorable bit of string work, and it continues on, track after track, fine themes, terrific stringwork. "'Once more unto the breach'" is predictably a fine action track, but there's not a track on here that's not very good. It's only a question of which are the best.

Track 9, "'Upon the King'" is brilliant, but the highlight of the score is the 14-minute "St Crispin's Day--The Battle of Agincourt" which starts with some slow percussion building suspense, then the strings come back in in some of the most noble, uplifting, heroic and tragic music I've heard for the Saint Crispin Day speech, then onto some action music for the battle. This is followed by 'The day is yours," and then another highlight, "'Non nobis, Domine'", which shows another of Doyle's gifts: incorporating songs into his scores. I think I want this song sung at my funeral. It starts off with a single baritone -- Doyle's father -- before the whole choir joins in, and it's simply wonderful. Then there's a couple of tracks for the dénouement before the End Title kicks in with a reprise of Non Nobis Domine (which is one of the few songs I'm not shy about singing in public!).

Seriously a stupendous score, especially for a debut effort. Glorious, majestic, with great melody and great heart. If you don't own this one, you should.

*****

Other reviews:
Soundtrack-Express - *****
Music from the Movies - *****
Film Music on the Web - *****
SoundtrackNet - *

 

Wonderful score, doubly impressive for it being his first score.


Very glad he's getting to do HP4, it's absurd that someone with his chops doesn't get more big assignments....




ttbk

 

Don't worry, I haven't forgotten this thread. Just been busy. Soon I'll be back, catch up with a few earlier scores -- Last of the Dogmen, a few new Beltramis, a couple Dannas -- and then continue with Mr. Doyle.

 

This probably remains my favorite Doyle score, though I listen to Much Ado About Nothing more. A great score. I had thought it was Doyle himself that started singing Non Nobis Domine. The song itself in the movie is incredibly powerful with the images.

 

Much Ado and Henry V are two very different score. Night and day. I couldn't pick one as better than the other. They're both fantastic.

 

Since you have added Beethoven at one point for what was a marvelous score ( imagine: he had no clue1 ) and since his genius is not in question, but I throw out the idea that Mozart was our greatest *Natural* genius, and the score to Amadeus is just as amazing ( and frankly the movie far better than immortal beloved-sorry I just couldn't buy the "sister in law" thing) You might want to throw in a review of that one.
Just to interest the few that have no idea of the wonder of Mozart's mind that was more than capable of organizing several theme's all at one time, into one amazing creation.

 

I listened to Henry V yesterday. First Doyle score. It's very good. My problem was that there wasn't really a resolution to the various themes; for example, the brooding string-run motif (Henry's? Having not seen the film, I'm guessing) from "Henry V Theme" is reprised several times throughout the score, but not in the finale in any way. Nor is the melancholy battle motif (the first one quoted in "Henry V Theme"). Or... anything else really.

I also listened to Hamlet. I didn't care for most of it, but I fell asleep listening, and an hour later, "Now I could drink hot blood" woke me up. Holy @$#@($)#*%, that was scary!

 

Actually, I remember thinking much the same thing the first few times I listened to the score. Now I guess I've listened to it so many times I've stopped thinking about it. But you're definitely right.

Hamlet's not one of my favorite Doyle scores. Too brooding, not as energetic as most, and a tad too long to my ears. If I'm going to listen to a Hamlet film score, usually my choice is Shostakovich's.

 

I love this thread. Just some comments about "The Truman Show" score. I find it amazing how good it is considering that the film has two composers (Philip Glass and Burkhard Dallwitz), uses classic music, rock and even music from other films (Mishima, Powaqatsi and Animamundi from Philip Glass). Peter Weir has said that when he was deciding which tracks to use he didn't know if the decision was his or "Christoff's" (the TV Director inside the film).

I love this score. The high point for me is the Living Waters/Reunion part of the score (and the film). Living Waters is by Philip Glass and was "chosen" by Christoff to score the moment Truman's "friend" is talking to him. Then comes the beautiful "Reunion", an original score by Burkhard Dallwitz (playing "live" in the film) to score the moment Truman's father "returns from the dead" after 20 years. It's an incredible moment. Other Dallwitz cues are great too, like "It's a Life" and "Trutalk".

Philip Glass is an enigma to me. I have most of his records and LOVE his music (koyaa....nisqatsi....koyaa...nisqatsi....), but I really don't know how he does it. I mean, it sounds as if he is composing the same tune all the time, but there's something hypnotic, magnetic and new to it every time. It's great how his tracks mix well with Dallwitz's on this film.

 

I would like to discuss Elfman a bit. Specifically I would like to discuss Good Will Hunting, an Oscar nominated score that I think is both excellent and a departure from Elfman's normal style. Do any of you have this score? I know the soundtrack release was poor. I would really love a score CD released from this one...

 

What? No Forbidden Zone?

 

I was happy to see Elfman get two nominations in 1998 (for Good Will Hunting and MiB) but I still think it's disgraceful he wasn't even nominated for Batman or Edward Scissorhands, two of the greatest scores of all time. I spit on the musical Academy members for that.

 

Good Will Hunting is a very good score, although I've only heard it in the film itself considering there's no proper score release. A bootleg exists out there, I think. It really does point towards where his style would go later on in his career and you can still hear the remnants/results of it in his most recent scores.

Elfman's the man, that's all I can say.