| movie soundtracks
Posted: 2/8/2008 9:52:41 AM | To me, the soundtrack of a film is the original music scored for its effect on the film.
And Bernard Herrmann was an undisputed giant. Check the opera of his life-you'll find many Hitchcock films, TV standouts, Sci Fi classics like the Day the Earth Stood Still and Farenheit 451.
His quest to craft the sound to the film led to audacious choices in orchestrating-Only strings for Psycho; A theremin for TDTESS; A serpent for Journey to the Center of the Earth
John Williams has a nice tune sense but he basically wrote the same soundtrack 15 times. | |
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| movie soundtracks
Posted: 2/28/2008 11:31:16 AM | | I think the soundtrack can make a movie for sure, and if it is really bad, it can really hurt the film. But something I have been thinking about recently for those of you who have seen it, but in There Will Be Blood, I found the soundtrack extremely obnoxious and distracting! And it got an Oscar nomination for sound editing, not that it won, but still. I liked the style, but I felt that the music was heightened at the wrong moments, was way too overbearing much of the time, and was was way too obvious overall. I don't know, maybe it is just me? | |
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| movie soundtracks
Posted: 2/28/2008 10:50:15 PM | i believe for a movie to be truely succesful there has to be a good cohesion between the music and the actual movie... it's like averaging things out, a shitty movie can have an amazing soundtrack and only be taken half way up and likewise an amazing movie can be brought down some notches by inappropriate and just plain bad music and sound choices
my current example of a win/win is the movie Juno... one of the smartest and most entertaining movies i've seen in quite some time... and [in my personal opinion] the soundtrack/music choices are awesome... some things... well plenty of things used in it may be an aquired taste but i think the use of Sonic Youth's "superstar" is enough to merit an at least above average review  | |
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| movie soundtracks
Posted: 2/29/2008 7:00:32 AM | Loved your idea of Flight of the Bumblebee. :)
Yes, ordinary movies can be brought to greatness by music, the same as ordinary moments in life can be made more wonderful. The playing of What A Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong made a defining moment in The Outsiders for me as well as sending me toward his music @ a young age.
I loved the Dazed & Confused sountrack, but also  Singles. It had fantastic music on it. Crossroads was another one.
Forcing myself away from the keyboard on this one....I could go for miles on it. | |
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| movie soundtracks
Posted: 2/29/2008 12:36:47 PM | oh myyy, I loveeee soundtrack music
that is where I have been finding most of my musical treasures lately
and yes , I believe the music can and does take scenes and spice them up to greater levels
:) | |
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| movie soundtracks
Posted: 3/5/2008 6:50:42 PM | | Recently as the question was asked. I think Juno had a great soundtrack. Of past movies? Like mentioned Forest Gump, I think Remember The Titans, Anchorman The Legend of Ron Burgundy were also good. | |
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| movie soundtracks
Posted: 3/7/2008 7:45:50 PM | Where would Indiana Jones be without his musical warnings.
The soundtrack music made the movie.
Nothing is quite as awesome as a live theatre pipe organ playing to a silent movie.
If any of you ever get a chance to see a live peformance you will be amazed.
Back in the days of the silent movies all the music had to be played live. In most cases an orchestra was too expensive so piano players were hired to play music while the movies played.
Soon the piano players realized they had to play music appropriate for the films being shown. Especially the comedies which were very popular. The men and women improvised the music as they went. Drums, noisemakers and whistles soon became part of the show. One man could not play the piano and make all the sound effects himself so specialized pipe organs were added.
The theatre pipe organ had the advantage that all the noisemakers and sound effects could be remotely operated from the organ console electro-pnuematically by one person while they played. The one man theatre orchestra was born. Best known of these organs were those produced the WurliTzer Company. From these talented men came much of the music that filled theatres up until the mid 1930's. Many of these men went on to score the music for the talking pictures that followed.
I had the good fortune to meet some of those men years later and hear them play live once more. It was unbeliveable to watch them play and add in the sound effects of car crashes, cannons firing, birds singing, door bells, people falling and every sound you could imagine all produced by one man pushing the appropriate buttons at the right moment while he played the music as well. - no computers or pre-programmed sound machines. It was all done with the real drums, horns, bells and whistles in a giant movie theatre decked out like a palace worthy of a king.
Sadly almost all of the movie palaces are gone now. If you ever get a chance to see one of the fully restored ones and a live theatre organ show you will truly be impressed.
Our grand parents parents "dressed to the nines" when they went to the show. It was worth it back then. Too bad the movie makers don't seem to know how to to that today in the modern black boxes with deafening boom boxes installed.
George Wright, Jesse Crawford, Rex Koury, Leon Berry, Horace Lapp, Reginald Foote, Buddy Cole, Fats Waller, Frank Olsen Percy Faith and all the others. You guys were my hero's as a kid. You made movie music fun. | |
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| movie soundtracks
Posted: 3/8/2008 4:54:16 AM | OP: interesting question.
I posted this without reading what the other posters said (may go back later and see what some others have voiced).
It seems to me that to a large degree movies are following a formula with all the elements of the film geared towards a particular demographic and a return on the studio's investment in the project. As you noted, one component of the film is the soundtrack.
Can an ordinary movie be elevated? Sure, why not. Just as casting, editing, etc can add to the product. Still, It might also be that certain people focus on a particular aspect or two of the film. It might be the genre, it could be the actors, the cinematography.
On certain occastions there are times when it just all seems to click. Chariots of Fire comes to mind. Set in the early part of the last century, it used a soundtrack that was most certainly not from that time period. Yet for me it fits in a strange sort of way. A second example is American Grafitti. The songs were not quite period correct, yet they added a certain punch to the particular scene on hand and in the end made the movie all that more memorable.
On the other side of the spectrum are those times when the soundtrack seems like it was just mailed in along with the other parts of the movie. Making the experience all that more forgettable. I wish I had an example or two of these but I forgot them. Oh well.
I'm sure others have better instances where the soundtrack did elevate an average movie to a good movie as well as making a very good movie great (The Third Man, The Godfather).
In conclusion, I would tend to agree with your premise. | |
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| movie soundtracks
Posted: 3/8/2008 2:43:56 PM | O.k, The Shining. That was alot of the whole experience.
I think the Titanic would be great with Flight Of The Bumblebee!
I think it would be great to mix up all of the manipulative
soundtrack ploys. Or just some- to be subtle.
I don't like hearing soundtracks too much, I like subtlety in
a soundtrack.
Schindler's List was a beautiful mysterious sad soundtrack.
Grocery store music annoys me very much, even if I like the song.
Maybe a truly truly good movie wouldnt need one, or at least
pave the way for not needing one. Art experiment using other
virtual sound cues like a where a violin crescendo would feel
manipulative, maybe a woman thumbing through a rolodex-
a low to high sound with an image of extras doing something
in real life that gives you that exhilaration for a moment
that a violin crescendo would.
Humans I think are mistakenly led to believe we have soundtracks
and animals talk. Funny to just rip it up with Flight Of The Bumblebee
and Titanic sinking, that made me laugh! | |
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| movie soundtracks
Posted: 3/11/2008 5:36:18 AM | Just great J,
Ry Cooders swamp blues on Southern Comfort is a classic.
and Eddie Vedder,s score on Into The Wild is grand,Cooder was always there,though it just goes to show another side of Vedder playing around with music. | |
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| movie soundtracks
Posted: 3/11/2008 9:17:10 AM | brokeback mountain, love story, shaft, saw... the list would quite literally go on forever with me, absolutely love film soundtracks not so much those commercial tunes used within though when used properly they really do attribute well to the movie (the crow, the matrix)
But some of the most creativity ive heard in a long while comes from another medium.. the computer game soundtrack.
Michael giacchino's medal of honour score which is so incredibly emotive and drags you into that era, that world then suddenly crescendo's with an epic track like Arnhem full of choirs and the simplest of productions and yet i defy anyone not to well up with tears, truly amazing.
Ico and the shadow of the collosus (written by Michiru oshima/Steven Geraghty and Kow Otani respectively) the music there didnt just help to immerse you into the game it was a major part of it, a spriritual successor to lucasarts game loom which had no dialogue what so ever and relied entirely on sound to manipulate everything. again truly amazing.
There is very little difference between the production values of computer games and films now and its not uncommon (like with michael above) for hollywood darlings to be writing scores for computer games now and its there i think you'll find some of the best soundtracks. | |
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| movie soundtracks
Posted: 3/11/2008 11:12:29 AM | Taxi Driver had the best score of any film I've seen. Just a wonderful journey through one man's lonliness.
For soundtrack, I quite enjoyed Jackie Brown, great album. | |
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| movie soundtracks
Posted: 3/11/2008 11:38:29 AM |
asheel_heel
I hear his musical and soundtrack sense, in this thread. | |
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| movie soundtracks
Posted: 3/13/2008 12:58:35 PM | | I'm showing my age, but I thought "Harold and Maude," and "The Graduate" were great films. If not for the music in both, I don't believe either movie would make my list of favorites. | |
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| movie soundtracks
Posted: 3/13/2008 1:15:35 PM | I have to say that in The Graduate soundtrack
I really noticed that the music had absolutely
nothing to do with the movie. I like the music but
hell, it seemed like a Simon and Garfunkel vehicle
after awhile!
Same for Cat Stevens in Harold and Maude, but it
seemed to fit better- probably because it was a much
better movie (in my opinion)
By the way why isn't it Garfunkel and Simon? I like
Art. | |
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| movie soundtracks
Posted: 3/15/2008 11:41:55 AM | I absolutely adore the Juno soundtrack!
Way back in the day I actually saw the Moldy Peaches live, and they totally rocked. Kimya Dawson was amazing. When I saw Juno and checked out the soundtrack (which is like half Kimya) I was thrilled.
Soundtracks can be pretty cool. You can find some really cool compilations of artists... but one thing I hate is when they use cheesy cover versions of songs on soundtracks.
I'm also a big fan of musical movies... like Neil Young's "Greendale" | |
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| movie soundtracks
Posted: 3/20/2008 12:26:02 PM | [ The use of music to enhance mood in movies is pretty much taken as a given. ]
Absolutely! And I think the musical scoring of a movie can enhance the mediocre. I watched Atonement last night and loved the music.
One of the best ever, in my opinion, is the music of Dances With Wolves, by Stephen Graziano. It made the movie (which was already very good, even without the music.) He's done many other musical creations from TV shows, History Channel venues, movies, etc. Well rounded in range and scope.  | |
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| movie soundtracks
Posted: 3/21/2008 3:56:57 AM | Requiem for a dream and The Fountain, I think Clint Mansell does interesting work.
Eddie Vedder did a great job for Into the Wild
Some others:
Kill Bill 1 &2
Lost Highway
Gladiator
Sweeny Todd .... Even though it is a musical haha | |
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| movie soundtracks
Posted: 3/22/2008 11:32:11 AM | Movie soundtracks are a thing of the past. All you have to do is look and see that 3/4 of the oscar nominated songs were from Enchanted, and they all sucked.
I'd kill for something the calibur of a Top Gun, Breakfast Club soundtrack. Such a waste. | |
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| movie soundtracks
Posted: 3/22/2008 1:52:10 PM | | I loved the Rocky 3 and 4 Soundtracks as well as Kill Bill #1-2. | |
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| movie soundtracks
Posted: 3/23/2008 3:41:26 PM | | 2001: A Space Odyssey has the best ever sound track for a film in my opinion | |
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| movie soundtracks
Posted: 4/2/2008 7:28:27 PM | | I started my movie soundtrack collection with The Crow when the movie came out, which became one of my favs. Some other greats that go with the epic size of the movie are Braveheart, The Last of the Mohicans, and Conan The Barbarian. Some random ones would be Playing God, John Carpenter's Halloween, Mortal Kombat, Fight Club, Spawn, and The Ghost & The Darkness. I've come to appreciate composers such as Jerry Goldsmith, Elliot Goldenthal, John Williams, and Danny Elfman that add more life to the movies they score. The ones that appeal to me are for chilling out or pumping up for a workout. | |
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| movie soundtracks
Posted: 4/7/2008 3:27:42 PM | I'm a movie sountrack collector since I got my first LP at 7 yrs. old.
It was a musical - so, I think SOUNDTRACK - more refers to the "mood" the music creates - whether it be instrumental or a song. Sometimes a hit song will be appropriate(they used the song in the film after it was written) let's say - e.g.: City of Angels -or-
or a song is specifically written for a Movie - eg "My Heart Goes ON" from the Titanic -which Cameron decided NOT to use in the body of the movie - but over the end credits.
But, I think when the Academy gives its awards out it usually goes to the music that creates the mood, feeling, theme for the movie and - it's already been said : the big greats are John Williams & Jerry Goldsmith. Ennio Morricone Soundtracks REALLY attract me : my favourite being : THE Mission. Also John Barry's "Out of Africa".
But - I also like MUSICALS:
The latest one being SWEENY TODD. Yes - I know there are others out - amongst them the one with Angela Lansbury. But I HAVE to get the Johnny Depp - Alan Rickman one - I thought they did pretty good for not being big singers. Ta. | |
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| movie soundtracks
Posted: 4/7/2008 4:32:51 PM | | I love movies. I love music. A match made in heaven. Hitchcock did some great work with soundtrack who can forget the jarring Psycho theme? As for today I have always been a big fan of Danny Elfman from his roots with OingoBoingo, showing my age. To his current sound tracks he remains one of the great composers of our day. The Simpsons,Tales from the crypt, Beetlejuice, Batman, The nightmare before christmas.etc.etc.etc. It seems every other movie I watch nowadays He has written the sound track to. | |
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| movie soundtracks
Posted: 4/7/2008 6:52:07 PM | the soundtracks that I personally love the most: Queen of the Damned soundtrack. 14 tracks and almost all of them were featured in that movie; The Punisher soundtrack was great; The Mask soundtrack was pretty cool IMO; and if your a metalhead go buy the Freddy Vs Jason Soundtrack, 20 tracks that will pound your face in! | |
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