38 replies to this topic

[Kingdom Come]

Whatever anyone connected with the film says - there is one overriding fact and that fact is this - if the back to Bonds roots approach does not beat Die Another Day's fantastic box office then we will get more Die Another Day's - simple as that. NO film company gives a rats *** about anything but their film making huge box office and breaking the previous box office. CR is sure to perform less than Die Another Day - this isn't the first time they have tried to give audiences something audiences do not want and failed. Wether Arnold, Craig or even these two producers stay after CR, is down to 16 to 30 year olds who go to the cinema.

[FLEMINGFAN]

Seeing as the soundtrack usually comes out before the movie, this is one of the first things we'll find out.

but usually not much before/...

...Considering that the soundtrack is one of the very last aspects pf post-production to be set in place.

True. OHMSS, LIVE AND LET DIE, GOLDEN GUN and MOONRAKER all were soundtracks released after the films had opened.

[FLEMINGFAN]

I'm sure there were a great many very talented people working on the last two Bond films...yet they were nobody's finest hour.

Arnold has shown sufficient talent to come up with a good to very good Bond soundtrack, all he needs is a good to very good Bond film to start with...

I really have not seen any evidence of that (for Bond or any other film he has scored). In re-reviewing his TND, it is sort of a "best of' that borrows from every composer before him, nothing original; and when he is on his own, it is the usual tuneless ramblings that are so popular these days (Kamen, etc.). It as a one-shot deal that he probably thought of for decades and, once he got the gig, he shot his load and that was that. If he left after that, as he had promised, he would have been quite revered in the Bondworld.

In addtion, John Barry, to use an example, did not have the best of the Bond films to work with, but he did put some kind of effort into each project and the scores show much more talent that anything Arnold has even done. Barry always talked about getting into the emtion of the film he is scoring, whereas Arnold will make a statement about the direction he will go before he has seen a frame of the film. That sounds like someone trying to sell an album and not score a film.

I do not think that, 30 years from now, Royal Albert Hall will sell out for two days for a David Arnold concert.

[Orion]

I didnt know they scored screentests, fascinating things one learns.

from what i've read on David arnold's webstie (www.davidarnold.com) the screen tests were also used as tests for music as well

I just wish the Proudcers would stop thinking about the small pay-check, get rid of Arnold, and finally hire a talented composer that is more concerned with what is going on, emotionally, on the screen and write music for that, rather then catering to the sound the kids might buy (which they never have).

From everything I've heard, Arnold commands fairly high fees, courtesy of his skyrocketing career in the mid 90's when he scored Independence Day and Godzilla, etc. and established himself. He is considered by many to be very talented. I'm not sure what you mean by him not being concerned with emotional scenes. In my view, his scoring for emotional scenes (the Paris and Elektra love themes, for instance) is very good. He is not a perfect composer, and sometimes reaches for cliches, but I don't discount his talent.

The use of electronics reflects the films he scored and the time in which they were made. Having said this, I do believe he overdid it with the techno elements with DAD (but so did the film in many respects).

he sais that in the interview, Die Another day went over the top so he did as well

[blueman]

I'm sure there were a great many very talented people working on the last two Bond films...yet they were nobody's finest hour.

Arnold has shown sufficient talent to come up with a good to very good Bond soundtrack, all he needs is a good to very good Bond film to start with...

I really have not seen any evidence of that (for Bond or any other film he has scored). In re-reviewing his TND, it is sort of a "best of' that borrows from every composer before him, nothing original; and when he is on his own, it is the usual tuneless ramblings that are so popular these days (Kamen, etc.). It as a one-shot deal that he probably thought of for decades and, once he got the gig, he shot his load and that was that. If he left after that, as he had promised, he would have been quite revered in the Bondworld.

In addtion, John Barry, to use an example, did not have the best of the Bond films to work with, but he did put some kind of effort into each project and the scores show much more talent that anything Arnold has even done. Barry always talked about getting into the emtion of the film he is scoring, whereas Arnold will make a statement about the direction he will go before he has seen a frame of the film. That sounds like someone trying to sell an album and not score a film.

I do not think that, 30 years from now, Royal Albert Hall will sell out for two days for a David Arnold concert.

I dunno, I think Barry wrote some pretty bloated and derivative stuff for the later Bond films he did...sorta matched the films, IMO. Still, even bad Barry is better than most composers, and certainly even Arnold at his best (to date ).

I think your description on the Bond scores Arnold has done matches the actual films quite well, so not a bad pair-up, eh? Give Arnold a halfway decent Bond film, I bet he does okay, not Barry, but okay. Might even surprise a few people...

[DaveBond21]

I have enjoyed Arnold's scores so far, although there was too much music in Die Another Day. Did anyone else notice this? I think there was music almost througout the PTS, which is surely overkill!!!

However, I've always liked him, ever since he appeared on Kids TV in England in the early 90s and told us how we wrote the theme tune for Live & Kicking on BBC.

[JimmyBond]

think there was music almost througout the PTS, which is surely overkill!!!

To be fair, the LTK PTS also had music almost practically throughout. Though I think Kamen was a much better composer than Arnold.

[medrecess]

I am happy there is a change in the way they are making the Bond films.
But one thing i feel strongly about.The music composition in GEYE IMO was the best in a very long time.I t was different, radically.

All the other 3 films of the Pierce era had very boring and average compositions.People want something new and radical.I really feel Serra was a talented composer.
David Arnold IMO is an average composer given a difficult task to compose for CR.

[Jackanaples]

CR is sure to perform less than Die Another Day - this isn't the first time they have tried to give audiences something audiences do not want and failed. Wether Arnold, Craig or even these two producers stay after CR, is down to 16 to 30 year olds who go to the cinema.

Why is Casino Royale sure to perform less than Die Another Day? Do you have information the rest of us don't?

Two of the biggest tv shows of the past few years have been 24 and Alias. Both series deal with espionage and secret agents and get huge amounts of buzz and attention. But compared to Jack Bauer and Sydney Bristow, James Bond looks more than a little passed his sell-by date.

It's safe to say that whatever the public wants, it isn't the overblown, underwritten, totally by the numbers Bond movies they've been getting for it seems like forever. Luckily EON has seen this, and have worked hard to give the audience what it does want.

What will you do if Casino Royale turns out to be the biggest Bond movie in decades (as I think it will)? If it doesn't do well at the box office it will only be due to them not going far enough.