36 replies to this topic

[When In Egypt]

I agree that there needs to be a lot more of the understated theme, but I don't think they should use Barry's approach to the action scenes as you described it, it's a bit dated now. I love those pieces of music, but I think in most cases they make the scenes a bit run of the mill... the same melody over and over gives the scene a bit of a production line feel and makes them a bit monotonous.

I think the Barry is only dated because no one uses it anymore!

 

I tell you what, though, something has to change with modern action film scoring.  The relentless and tuneless thundering of percussion and orchestra throughout action scenes (including the recent Bond movies) is extremely tired and boring.  There is actually an art to scoring action (it's all about raising tension) but no one seems to know how to do it anymore.  The contemporary approach to scoring action scenes is VOLUME!!! all the way through.

[The Shark]

I agree that there needs to be a lot more of the understated theme, but I don't think they should use Barry's approach to the action scenes as you described it, it's a bit dated now. I love those pieces of music, but I think in most cases they make the scenes a bit run of the mill... the same melody over and over gives the scene a bit of a production line feel and makes them a bit monotonous.

 Interesting - I completely disagree.

Agreed. I think Barry and Newman's more repetitive, deliberate and muscular approach works better with Bond, and dates far less than Arnold's, which he sent up to hilarious effect in HOT FUZZ.

[Revelator]

That said, I do miss John Barry's approach to the Bond scores...

I think the best example, to my musically untrained ear, is my favourite Bond score, Thunderball. It is based around four different themes - Thunderball, Mr Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, 007 and The James Bond Theme, but they seem to move seemlessly from the one to the other throughout, rather than a particular theme suddenly appearing out of the blue, unexpectedly.

 

 

Similarly, in TLD, Barry effortlessly moves between themes from "The Living Daylights", "Where Has Everybody Gone?" and "If There Was a Man," just as in OHMSS he created a bewitching tapestry from variations on the title instrumental, "We Have All the Time in the World," and even "Do You Know How Christmas Trees Are Grown?"

Most composers are lucky enough to come up with one good theme for a movie--John Barry would devise three. None of his successors have demonstrated comparable mastery of leitmotif, which is practically a structural element in a movie when done right.

[PeteNeon]

None of his successors have demonstrated comparable mastery of leitmotif, which is practically a structural element in a movie when done right.

Carefully worded there... What about the YKMN cues from Casino Royale and Inside Man from Quantum of Solace?

[Revelator]

 

Carefully worded there... What about the YKMN cues from Casino Royale and Inside Man from Quantum of Solace?

 

 

Steps in the right direction, but the tunes aren't as a memorable as the master's--Arnold doesn't have the ability to set an earworm loose in one's brain. I find his music bland in comparison.

[iBond]

What about the OTHER theme (the OO7 theme)? the one predominately featured in FRWL, TB, YOLT, DAF, LALD & MR?
I miss that one.

I don't recall that theme being used in LALD.

[Walecs]

Me neither.

 

I usually associate that with Connery, as it played only in Connery movies, except for Moore's Moonraker, but I'd love to hear it again, with suspense motif by David Arnold.