JAMES HORNER

Michael Nyman just posted on Facebook that he was offered Titanic, but it didn't work out for some reason. I remember from past interviews that both John Williams and John Barry were asked about it as well. I wonder exactly how far down the pecking order James Horner actually was. (It turned out OK for all concerned - I guess it's a bit like Lord of the Rings.)

Hard to imagine the Nyman version! And I have to say, if Cameron got that far before going to Horner, I guess Horner must have been a very long way down the pecking order. I remember before it came out, Titanic was treated like poison, such was the expectation of failure.

Indeed! Someone told me Cameron had Horner pinned to the wall at one point and had to be pulled away as he was about to punch him. Must have been quite the phone call when Titanic was first mooted!

I lol'd. I did, I lol'd

I really like Nyman. it's a pity he doesn't score a new film anymore, or at least not that it is available.

Not this song again!!!!!

^
Hammer hitting nail methinks.

I guess it's on iPlayer. I'm not sure I could stomach listening to her though, that's the problem.

OK, so I did listen. Long interview (25 minutes). It starts 1:25 into this:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0 … 8_04_2012/

He doesn't say much that's new, but it's nice to hear someone talk so passionately about film music. Most great film composers (Goldsmith, Williams) seem almost embarrassed that they are famous for film music and not concert music, so it's refreshing to hear one say how proud he is to do it.

About Spiderman, he says he hasn't decided whether to do it or not, because while he doesn't like comic book films, he does like the director. Also says there are two smaller "English films" (whatever they are) that he is hoping to do.

Thanks! He's always sounded quasi-British, but nowhere near as much as here.

I'd like to see him translate some of that passion into a new score that does have/use:

-- Doesn't lift a single theme or motif from any previous score.
-- Doesn't include the infamous four note Danger Motif (even though, technically that's covered under the first listed entry)
-- Doesn't borrow from any classic piece.
-- Absolutely no Benjamin Britten.
-- No working on it for over a year and then come out sounding like previous efforts and Zimmer.

;-)

Drive-by argument:
-one does not simply criticize the score of the most successful film of all time.
-it sounded like good previous efforts and good Zimmer, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. And the choir usage was quite unique for Horner. The year-plus effort shows, IMO.

In fact, you have inspired me to go listen to it

If a film composer worked on a score for a year and came out of it writing something that didn't sound like himself then I'd call his integrity very much into question.

The issue isn't Horner sounding like himself it's the fact that (and this is only one example) over the course of 18 months he couldn't come up with an original bad guy motif/theme. That's the type of shit that irritates me (and a lot of film music fans) the most about the man.

-Erik-