Favourite Film Scores

[Gibbie]

What are your favourite British (all inclusive) film scores? Why is the particular score the best (includes more than just theme)?



Categories:



1) Orchestral



2) Folk



3) Popular



4) Children's

[Gibbie]

1) Dr. Zhivago.



The music is as big as the story. I think this score stuck in people's minds in a way that converged the art of the film with the music in a bigger than life manner. The musical master Maurice Jarre wrote the score and was influenced under the direction of David Lean, who made many movies with him. Is Paris Burning, Ryan's Daughter and Lawrence of Arabia follow very close.





2) The Third Man.



Carol Reed's use of Anton Karas' zither music still haunts us when we think of movies walking down dark city streets.





3) A Hard Day's Night.



This still defines for many the use of pop music in film. In addition, in their other movie, Help, Richard Lester cleverly mixes in classical pieces.

Ron Grainer's score for to Sir With Love follows for me.





4) Mary Poppins.



Hands down the Sherman brothers win the gold. This is the perfect baby sitting movie for kids. Also, I think this was shot at the same studio and same time as A Hard Day's Night.



A few extra notes:



My favorite British composer is John Barry and his score for The Ipcress File would follow the Lean films.



While my favourite movie is Chariots of Fire and is emotively number one, I don't think it quite wove into the movie with the impact that Zhivago did. The story was bigger than the music. Nevertheless, Vangelis did an excellent job.



And, my definition of "all inclusive" for British film includes: location, characters, actors and directors and production company. While "Dr. Zhivago" was shot on the continent, I consider it British because of Lean and most of the cast, even though the story isn't and the money was put up by Carlo Ponti and MGM. Similar reason for "The Third Man." For "Mary Poppins" - British actors and shot in UK, eventhough it is a Disney film.

[deckard]

Mmmmm.. good question Gibbie!and a difficult one, leave it with me and I'll come back to you after I've given it some serious thought.

[Marky B]

Being a lover of most music (except jazz,garage,rap and brassbands) one of the subjects of music I do love are the themes from films. Some of them have been have become free standing classics. Here are some of mine:

DANCES WITH WOLVES (My number 1) anything else by (Sir) John Barry

LAWRENCE OF ARABIA

DOCTOR ZHIVAGO

EXODUS

GONE WITH THE WIND (hated the film,but for me Max Steiner's music is the anthem of Hollywood)

ANYTHING BY JOHN WILLIAMS (the US composer)

IS PARIS BURNING

THE ALAMO (1960)

THOSE MAGNIFICENT MEN...

WHERE EAGLES DARE

BATTLE OF BRITAIN (also a thumbs up for Sir William Walton's Battle In The Air)

HENRY V (Olivier's version)

PSYCHO (hated the film)

FRENZY

NORTH BY NORTH WEST

THE DEER HUNTER

SCOTT OF THE ANTARCTIC

THE FUGITIVE

BRAVEHEART

THE GODFATHER TRILOGY

THE GOOD,THE BAD AND THE UGLY

THE UNTOUCHABLES

THE KILLING FIELDS

GLADIATOR

THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN

THE BIG COUNTRY

DANGEROUS MOONLIGHT

THE GREAT ESCAPE

THE DAMBUSTERS

THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS (Trevor Jones)

CHARIOTS OF FIRE

ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST

ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA

MOST OF THE JAMES BOND FILMS

RAGING BULL (I know Cavalleria Rusticana wasn't written especially,but is beautiful music)

Ta Ta

Marky B

[Clinton Morgan]

I'm particularly fond of film scores that utilise a particular sound/instrument. For example the zither in 'The Third Man' and the flute in 'Hiroshima Mon Amour'.



For the past three decades or so there have been a substantial amount of movies where the soundtrack has consisted of existing recordings of popular music. Think of 'Easy Rider', 'Reservoir Dogs' and 'Mean Streets'. Martin Scorsese himself was influenced by Kenneth Anger's use of rock and roll in his soundtracks and has argued that the first use of a popular song in a movie was 'I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles' in the film 'Public Enemy'.



Can anyone tell me (aside from Beatles/Cliff Richard movies and those flicks starring 'the band itself!'-namely 'Blow Up') what was the earliest British film to use a soundtrack consisting of popular records that already existed in the shops? I also don't want any films that had songs 'especially written' or films where the character sings their hit record. Sorry Mr.Formby.



For example:



'THE TRESPASSED GATE' (An Imaginary British Film)

Directed by Gordon McGuffduff



Featuring the songs

'Eight Days A Week'

The Beatles

'London Calling'

The Clash

'White Rabbit'

Jefferson Airplane'

'When I'm Cleaning Windows'

George Formby

'Big Leg Emma'

The Mothers of Invention

[Steve Crook]

Originally posted by Marky B@Aug 9 2005, 01:00 PM

Being a lover of most music (except jazz,garage,rap and brassbands)

You mis-spelt one of those Marky. You left the C off the start of "rap"



Steve

[Marky B]

Originally posted by Steve Crook@Aug 9 2005, 01:56 PM

You mis-spelt one of those Marky. You left the C off the start of "rap"



Steve

Exactly

Ta Ta

Marky B

[Marky B]

Originally posted by Clinton Morgan@Aug 9 2005, 12:37 PM

I'm particularly fond of film scores that utilise a particular sound/instrument. For example the zither in 'The Third Man' and the flute in 'Hiroshima Mon Amour'.



For the past three decades or so there have been a substantial amount of movies where the soundtrack has consisted of existing recordings of popular music. Think of 'Easy Rider', 'Reservoir Dogs' and 'Mean Streets'. Martin Scorsese himself was influenced by Kenneth Anger's use of rock and roll in his soundtracks and has argued that the first use of a popular song in a movie was 'I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles' in the film 'Public Enemy'.



Can anyone tell me (aside from Beatles/Cliff Richard movies and those flicks starring 'the band itself!'-namely 'Blow Up') what was the earliest British film to use a soundtrack consisting of popular records that already existed in the shops? I also don't want any films that had songs 'especially written' or films where the character sings their hit record. Sorry Mr.Formby.



For example:



'THE TRESPASSED GATE' (An Imaginary British Film)

Directed by Gordon McGuffduff



Featuring the songs

'Eight Days A Week'

The Beatles

'London Calling'

The Clash

'White Rabbit'

Jefferson Airplane'

'When I'm Cleaning Windows'

George Formby

'Big Leg Emma'

The Mothers of Invention

Good question,don't know the answer so at a guess The Tommy Steele Story?

Ta Ta

Marky B

[daisyhall1]

Any Ennio Morricone esp. Once upon a time In the West and Fistful of Dynamite.

[Gibbie]

Marky B,



Lots of similarities.



Also, remember the old thread:

Movie Music



Gibbie

[Gibbie]

Originally posted by Clinton Morgan@Aug 9 2005, 12:37 PM

Can anyone tell me (aside from Beatles/Cliff Richard movies and those flicks starring 'the band itself!'-namely 'Blow Up') what was the earliest British film to use a soundtrack consisting of popular records that already existed in the shops? I also don't want any films that had songs 'especially written' or films where the character sings their hit record. Sorry Mr.Formby.

I think Sir Cliff was the starter.



Here is a book on Pop in Brit Film.



Gibbie

[samkydd]

Originally posted by Marky B@Aug 9 2005, 12:00 PM

Being a lover of most music (except jazz,garage,rap and brassbands) one of the subjects of music I do love are the themes from films. Some of them have been have become free standing classics. Here are some of mine:



Ta Ta

Marky B

Has to be The Dambusters March and the theme from The Great Escape, stirring evocative music that you rarely hear away from the films themselves in their original orchestral glory, and probably my earliest memories of film music as a young child.

[JamesM]

My favourite film composer has to be Yann Tiersen, fohis music for "Goodbye Lenin", the best film of this century that I have seen.



Of British composers I quite like Malcolm Arnold, Michael Nyman and the late Michael Kamen.

[Steve Crook]

Originally posted by Clinton Morgan@Aug 9 2005, 01:37 PM

Can anyone tell me (aside from Beatles/Cliff Richard movies and those flicks starring 'the band itself!'-namely 'Blow Up') what was the earliest British film to use a soundtrack consisting of popular records that already existed in the shops? I also don't want any films that had songs 'especially written' or films where the character sings their hit record. Sorry Mr.Formby.

Haven't they always done that ever since the start of the talkies?

Some used songs especially written for the film but if you look back at many films since the 1930s, I'm sure quite a few had songs that were already available and well known through the radio, record sales and sheet music being available so that you could play them at home on your faimily's piano.



Steve

[samkydd]

Originally posted by Steve Crook@Aug 13 2005, 04:52 PM

Haven't they always done that ever since the start of the talkies?

Some used songs especially written for the film but if you look back at many films since the 1930s, I'm sure quite a few had songs that were already available and well known through the radio, record sales and sheet music being available so that you could play them at home on your faimily's piano.



Steve

I think you're right because when The Jazz Singer came out I think the songs were already hits and were mimed to in the film. One notable exception many years later was The Blackboard Jungle where Rock Around the Clock featured by Bill Haley and His Comets (I've got the original 78) and although it charted it didn't become a number one hit in the UK until being re-released later.

[Marky B]

I thought I put in a similiar one,but couldn't remember - let's call this a remake:like some film makers,I am running out of ideas.

Ta Ta

Marky b

[Gibbie]

Originally posted by JamesM@Aug 13 2005, 04:11 PM

My favourite film composer has to be Yann Tiersen, fohis music for "Goodbye Lenin", the best film of this century that I have seen.

Also, he did the music to Amelie.

[Peter Stenning]

To numerous to mention, but I'd have to say my favourite composer is Jerry Goldsmith. He's writen some good film and TV music in his time.



See IMDB Entry

[Diane Blackwell]

Particularly like the music from the Wicker Man. And Rocky Horror Show. And Twin Peaks. And probably lots of others only I can't recall them at the moment ...

[mysteriesofedgarwallace]

There are many, but 'The Ipcress File' always comes out on top for me.

So very atmospheric.