Movie/TV/Game Scores Through The Ages - Alan's Personal Favourites

The Reivers is not a Williams favourite of mine, in fact, I never listen to it.

Well, then you probably won't like it. It's more down and dirty and jaunty, though, not the kind of open-ended interval-leap-style of Aaron Copland.

Indeed, Timmer. Haven't heard those two, so I shall check them out. Justine also reminds me of The wind and the lion, as it has that same Middle Eastern/North African sound. It's alot more cosy to listen to though.

Peter

1970 - Tora! Tora! Tora! - Jerry Goldsmith

Listening to this again now I can see how many people may find it difficult to have this as a choice of 1970 favourite - especially with more approachable scores such as Patton, The Last Valley, John William's Jane Eyre and The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes. There's a good number of atmospheric tracks where there doesn't seem to be much happening. But having seen the movie will aid in the appreciation of this score. And by the time we get to cues such as "Sunday Morning" and "The 14th Part" (where there's the appearance of driving rhythm, propelling the consequences of the series of events unfolding), having watched the film will draw you into the excitement of these cues.

There are several action-oriented cues that underscore the preparations of the Japanese attack (very little - if any - of the actual attack is scored and really only the decision-making pieces are scored on the American side), but it's Goldsmith's theme for this film that's, to me, such an outstanding piece of composition.

This theme's oriental colouring places the emotional perspective of the film squarely with Japan. And it's an indication of Goldsmith's clear understanding of technique that he can compose such a meaningful theme full of honour and inevitability with such light orchestrations. The final half of "The Final Message" sums up the consequences of what the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor will be for Japan.

One of Goldsmith's finest scores - and definitely up there with the likes of Star Trek: The Motion Picture.

Another wonderful theme that I just wanted to mention here - but poles apart from Tora! Tora! Tora! - is Barry Gray's groovy theme for U.F.O. I'm not sure if the score as a whole for this show will have stood the test of time (only hearing any forthcoming CD release of this will answer that) but the theme itself is one of the greatest for the small screen.

It's a very good score.

My choices would have been a coin toss on The Last Valley and Jane Eyre.

No quibbles about Barry Gray's excellent UFO though

Those end titles are amongst the creepiest ever written, for TV or film.

It is Alan's list. Don't agree

Of course. You all have the right to be wrong

I like the Private Life of Holmes. Rozsa wrote a wonderful concerto

Rozsa guys I'm sorry

No Tim ROZSA, sorry mate

nope

No question - JANE EYRE all the way, although the TV film is rather crappy. Honorable mentions to LA CALIFFA and LOVE STORY (yes, you heard that right!).

TORA!TORA!TORA! is alright (I have the Varese rerecording), but nothing remarkable.

And while PATTON is a classic, the score has never really done anything for me as a soundtrack - which is how I usually judge my picks in this thread. I'm guessing that's how Alan does it too?

Tora! Tora! Tora! is I think the best Japanese-themed Hollywood score. Yes, it's not really the best listening experience ever, but mind the career moment Goldsmith was in then (very experimental) and also mind the fact that while well-documented and all, this works more as a political thriller than a full-fledged war movie. It's about what led to the attack rather than the (insanely well-filmed, even at today's standards, one of proofs how great 1970s were for film!) December 7th event itself.

Also, good to see a Hollywood movie making a point of how and why the Americans deserved that loss (in a military sense). Amazing filmmaking.

Culturally, having a Japanese crew for the Japanese sequences (though Akira Kurosawa succeeded at getting himself fired after he learnt that the producers lied to him about David Lean directing the American sequences; it would be even better with his involvement, I am sure) was amazing and the way Goldsmith musically depicted Japanese culture (as I understand it) with its strict, rigid sense of honour gives the movie even bigger sense of factual objectivity and, I think, is one of the composer's biggest artistic successes.

Love it Tom

I'm hoping to get 1971 up sometime later today - now that I have the L'Iguana Dalla Lingua di Fuoco/Addio, Fratello Crudele/eMusic.com debacle sorted (see the Ennio Morricone thread for the embarrassing details.)