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I kind of understand why Hidalgo got so overlooked at the time (*cough*The Village*cough*), but it was a crime I didn't listen to it more.

Same with my other most recent JNH rediscovery - Atlantis: The Lost Empire. I wish an expanded release came out, because, well, I do know the promo, so to speak.

Hidalgo is a great fun and quite underrated score. A continuation of the sort of bright adventure writing he did in his Disney scores (and not much since then, sadly).

NP: ROMEO & JULIET (James Horner)

A 'what's what' of Hornerisms, and surprisingly heavy on action material, but I like it. Not on Korzeniowski's level, but pretty good.

There are a few bits in there that make me think Korzeniowski did in fact listen to Horner's version before (or while) writing his. Perhaps a bit of subconscious carryover.

I prefer Horner's. It feels a bit more dynamic and anyway I've never been 100% sold on AK's romantic minimalism shtick (it wore out its welcome after just a couple scores whereas apparently my tolerance for warmed-over Horner tropes will endure until the end of time ).

Wow, I didn't even know about this rejected Horner score!

Ennio Morricone - Fateless

Today this score is somewhat overlooked, but it's one of his prettier ones and the score that made me really notice his music. I knew some of the classics at the time, but I think that Sorstalansag was the one when I really started to feel his music, if it makes any sense. Then, Ennio was there to stay.

I think that one of the reason why Fateless was the one is that it was the first Morricone score I reviewed, I think.

This is actually a fairly recent discovery of mine. I've heard about the title forever, but only got it some 2 years ago. It has quickly risen to be one of my top 10 Morricone scores.

I listened to Cinema Paradiso yesterday too. It's one of my favorites (along with Malena, and others) - and I was thinking about how I don't know of any other composer that used the saxophone in such a classical way. I usually hear it to add jazzy color, and it can sometimes sound dated to me depending on the score, but not with Morricone. I've never heard the saxophone featured as a solo instrument in such a melodic, classical and beautiful way as in Morricone's works. And while the saxophone is not normally my favorite sound, if anyone could persuade me to change my tune, it would be Ennio. Truly he was a master of his craft.

Yesterday:

Ennio Morricone - La Califfa

I actually didn't know it before. Turns out that of my selection for this day (The Untouchables, Faccia e Faccia, Questa Specie d'Amore and this), I knew only Untouchables (the de Palma score, of course, as there seems to be an Italian film of that title, too, also scored by Morricone).

Beautiful scores, all of them. Definitely I could pick a cue or two for a playlist from all of them. I'm perusing Spotify for that.

NP: LOLITA (Ennio Morricone)

My 10th favourite EM score. Not really lyrical and melodic, more broad, impressionistic textures, but he does it so well here. I've programmed out all the source cues, though. They are disruptive.

Sure! I never know when it's supposed to change to a new thread.

NP: SNEAKERS by James Horner - a score that's been sort of under-the-radar for me - but listening to it today, it's like ALL the best parts of James Horner rolled into one score! It's almost like a medley of his film music career, even though it was from 1992, it includes subtle sounds, styles, and theme snippets from films way into the 2000s. It's almost like a time machine - and I'm enjoying it immensely!

Yeah that's so cool, it’s like his earlier sound and later ideas are all hidden in it. And fully realized in future scores. It's fun to hear all those styles and ideas together!

It's a fun song, but I'm not that enamoured with the rest of the score.

It is, pretty damn catchy!