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When you think about memorable film music, you often may think of films that come in threes.
The first of which would come into most minds, would be that of Star Wars. Certainly, John Williams does have a certain style to the way he composes music, and perhaps some of his music does all sound very much the same, but you can't deny that the Star Wars soundtrack has to be one of the greatest film scores ever written.
The use of the music in the film is quite astounding too... you don't need to be told that Darth Vader is a bad guy, and Luke Skywalker is a good guy... the music does it for you. It's used quite powerfully at times too, such as the final scenes of Return of the Jedi, or the twin suns scene at the start of A New Hope.
The second trilogy I can think of with great music, is the Indiana Jones trilogy. John Williams, once again.
The themes of this film are so well known now, it's amazing. Once again, John uses music to stir up emotions during the films... in Raiders of the Lost Ark, in the desert chase scene, the music is used quite powerfully to portrey a number of different feelings. When Indy finally gets control of the truck, you get this wonderful feeling from the music... which is what makes it such an enjoyable series of films.
I don't think, however, than John really did a good job of the music in the second film, the Temple of Doom... it was supposed to be a dark, mysterious theme... but really didn't convey the emotions that it was supposed to. It certainly wasn't powerful enough.
But, without a doubt, my favourite trilogy music has to be that of the Sergio Leone, the spaghetti western trilogy...
For those of you unfamilar with it, it's also refered to as the dollars trilogy, with Clint Eastwood staring as the "man with no name"... or at least, no last name. Although they were made in the order: "Fistful of Dollars", "For a Few Dollars More", and "The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly", The last film, TG,TB,ATU, is actually a prequel to "Fistful of Dollars".
Anyway, the use of music in the films is great. Ennio Morricone actually writes the music for certain scenes better than the actual theme music. The Good, The Bad and The Ugly theme tune is quite simple, compared to the "Ecstacy of Gold" theme, or "The Trio", both used in the same film. The "Ecstacy of Gold" is used, as a maddening cowboy runs desperatly around a graveyard, looking for a grave which holds a hell of a lot of gold. The scene without the music would seem dull and boring... but the tenseness created by the running music, added to the imagary, makes the scene very watchable. The last scene, the showdown, features "The Trio". A very powerful piece of music, which, again, added to the beautifully filmed imagary of three men, all facing their deaths... the unique use of the paranoia shown in the men's eyes is also excellent... and even though you already know what the ending is going to be, it still entraps you in a kind of tense world, envolved in the music and style of three men facing their doom.
The second, or last film, depends which way you look at it, "For A Few Dollars More", features a small musical pocket watch. This simple tune is used by Morricone to symbolise death... as when the tune finishes, one person must die. When used for the more powerful scenes, such as the church, or the final duel, the backing to the simple tune is utterly amazing. A church organ is used at one point... and although it could almost be too much, it just manages to stay within it's bounds, and never makes the scene more powerful than it should.
Ok then. Now your turn. What other trilogies have had great music... or just films on their own? I'm a great fan of film music, and it would be interesting to hear everyones views on it.
The first of which would come into most minds, would be that of Star Wars. Certainly, John Williams does have a certain style to the way he composes music, and perhaps some of his music does all sound very much the same, but you can't deny that the Star Wars soundtrack has to be one of the greatest film scores ever written.
The use of the music in the film is quite astounding too... you don't need to be told that Darth Vader is a bad guy, and Luke Skywalker is a good guy... the music does it for you. It's used quite powerfully at times too, such as the final scenes of Return of the Jedi, or the twin suns scene at the start of A New Hope.
The second trilogy I can think of with great music, is the Indiana Jones trilogy. John Williams, once again.
The themes of this film are so well known now, it's amazing. Once again, John uses music to stir up emotions during the films... in Raiders of the Lost Ark, in the desert chase scene, the music is used quite powerfully to portrey a number of different feelings. When Indy finally gets control of the truck, you get this wonderful feeling from the music... which is what makes it such an enjoyable series of films.
I don't think, however, than John really did a good job of the music in the second film, the Temple of Doom... it was supposed to be a dark, mysterious theme... but really didn't convey the emotions that it was supposed to. It certainly wasn't powerful enough.
But, without a doubt, my favourite trilogy music has to be that of the Sergio Leone, the spaghetti western trilogy...
For those of you unfamilar with it, it's also refered to as the dollars trilogy, with Clint Eastwood staring as the "man with no name"... or at least, no last name. Although they were made in the order: "Fistful of Dollars", "For a Few Dollars More", and "The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly", The last film, TG,TB,ATU, is actually a prequel to "Fistful of Dollars".
Anyway, the use of music in the films is great. Ennio Morricone actually writes the music for certain scenes better than the actual theme music. The Good, The Bad and The Ugly theme tune is quite simple, compared to the "Ecstacy of Gold" theme, or "The Trio", both used in the same film. The "Ecstacy of Gold" is used, as a maddening cowboy runs desperatly around a graveyard, looking for a grave which holds a hell of a lot of gold. The scene without the music would seem dull and boring... but the tenseness created by the running music, added to the imagary, makes the scene very watchable. The last scene, the showdown, features "The Trio". A very powerful piece of music, which, again, added to the beautifully filmed imagary of three men, all facing their deaths... the unique use of the paranoia shown in the men's eyes is also excellent... and even though you already know what the ending is going to be, it still entraps you in a kind of tense world, envolved in the music and style of three men facing their doom.
The second, or last film, depends which way you look at it, "For A Few Dollars More", features a small musical pocket watch. This simple tune is used by Morricone to symbolise death... as when the tune finishes, one person must die. When used for the more powerful scenes, such as the church, or the final duel, the backing to the simple tune is utterly amazing. A church organ is used at one point... and although it could almost be too much, it just manages to stay within it's bounds, and never makes the scene more powerful than it should.
Ok then. Now your turn. What other trilogies have had great music... or just films on their own? I'm a great fan of film music, and it would be interesting to hear everyones views on it.
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Blackhole wrote:
"so that it feels more organic and less like it's been 'bolted on' later."
Ennio Morricone, for the Dollars trilogy, actually wrote the music to the film first, and then the imagary was added on after, to match the music. It works so well... utter genius.
"so that it feels more organic and less like it's been 'bolted on' later."
Ennio Morricone, for the Dollars trilogy, actually wrote the music to the film first, and then the imagary was added on after, to match the music. It works so well... utter genius.
What gets to me are all of these pop songs which hammer straight in at Number 1, like my heart will go on, and Faith Hill's new song for Pearl Harbour (not that the video isn't bad!!). I think that good film songs should be used to set the tone of the film, not be exploited to make some extra money!!
Goatboy wrote:
"Danny Elfman is another master, his scores are always different but instantly recognisable as Elfman tunes (to a film geek like me anyhoo)."
I CANNOT believe I forgot to mention him! I love the themes he uses... the dark edge to every little detail... fading away to some real messed up world... small children chanting obsessively in the background...
Great. :D
"Danny Elfman is another master, his scores are always different but instantly recognisable as Elfman tunes (to a film geek like me anyhoo)."
I CANNOT believe I forgot to mention him! I love the themes he uses... the dark edge to every little detail... fading away to some real messed up world... small children chanting obsessively in the background...
Great. :D
It's the music that were on about here though!!
Bonus wrote:
> I don't just think of films which come in threes. I think of
> Braveheart, Romeo Must Die, Exit Wounds, Top Gun, Days of Thunder,
> Ghostbusters, Armageddon, just that the trilogies you mentioned re
> some of the biggest in the business and are extremely successful.
> For series of films, Rocky is up there with the best, but some films
> don't stand out so much, i.e. the Scream Trilogy. Oh and I almost
> forgot, what about Jaws??
Jaws was fantastic and Jaws 2 was great too. But the series was completely ruined by the awful 3 and 4.
> I don't just think of films which come in threes. I think of
> Braveheart, Romeo Must Die, Exit Wounds, Top Gun, Days of Thunder,
> Ghostbusters, Armageddon, just that the trilogies you mentioned re
> some of the biggest in the business and are extremely successful.
> For series of films, Rocky is up there with the best, but some films
> don't stand out so much, i.e. the Scream Trilogy. Oh and I almost
> forgot, what about Jaws??
Jaws was fantastic and Jaws 2 was great too. But the series was completely ruined by the awful 3 and 4.
The Fistfull of Dollars, Ennio Morricone music is fantastic.
However, I have a huge problem with John Williams music, as I find it cloying and overly emotional.
His work with Spielberg, especially, blares out in Dolby Digital the emotions you should be feeling.
It's not enough that we are seeing the action, I dont like Williams telling me, through the score:
FEEL HAPPY NOW!
FEEL SAD NOW!
FEEL EXCITED NOW!
I'm not knocking the tunes, Star Wars, Superman etc are instantly recognisable piece of music that take me waaay back to being a kid, but I just find it....a tad manipulative.
The composers for film that I think get the balance right are people like Howard Shore (who works with Cronenburg a lot) and, especially, Angelo Badalamenti.
Badalamenti works mostly with David Lynch, and his scores sit in the background, adding subtle layers to a scene as opposed to barging the actors out of the way, going down on one knee and singing "Mammy"
I have quite a few movie scores (as opposed to sountracks), and it's mostly the laid back and atmospheric music that I find I lean to.
But this is just personal opinion.
Nobody can deny the rousing nostalgia of hearing The March of The Empire, even now, the tunes are just as well known as the movies I think.
You hear the "Durrrr-dur...Durrrr-dur" of Jaws and you link it straight away, same with most of Williams scores.
I also like it when incidental music is used, as opposed to a specific score designed for that movie.
"Stuck in the Middle" is, and always will be, Reservoir Dogs. You cant see anything else and that movies owns that song now.
Same with "Miserlou", that IS Pulp Fiction.
"Duelling Banjos" is Deliverance, that tune makes me think of Hillbillies and piggy squeals...(but that might just be me).
Danny Elfman is another master, his scores are always different but instantly recognisable as Elfman tunes (to a film geek like me anyhoo).
Be it The Simpsons, Batman, Beetlejuice...they all mean "class" to me.
Cool topic, this is why I love the DVD and movies section.
However, I have a huge problem with John Williams music, as I find it cloying and overly emotional.
His work with Spielberg, especially, blares out in Dolby Digital the emotions you should be feeling.
It's not enough that we are seeing the action, I dont like Williams telling me, through the score:
FEEL HAPPY NOW!
FEEL SAD NOW!
FEEL EXCITED NOW!
I'm not knocking the tunes, Star Wars, Superman etc are instantly recognisable piece of music that take me waaay back to being a kid, but I just find it....a tad manipulative.
The composers for film that I think get the balance right are people like Howard Shore (who works with Cronenburg a lot) and, especially, Angelo Badalamenti.
Badalamenti works mostly with David Lynch, and his scores sit in the background, adding subtle layers to a scene as opposed to barging the actors out of the way, going down on one knee and singing "Mammy"
I have quite a few movie scores (as opposed to sountracks), and it's mostly the laid back and atmospheric music that I find I lean to.
But this is just personal opinion.
Nobody can deny the rousing nostalgia of hearing The March of The Empire, even now, the tunes are just as well known as the movies I think.
You hear the "Durrrr-dur...Durrrr-dur" of Jaws and you link it straight away, same with most of Williams scores.
I also like it when incidental music is used, as opposed to a specific score designed for that movie.
"Stuck in the Middle" is, and always will be, Reservoir Dogs. You cant see anything else and that movies owns that song now.
Same with "Miserlou", that IS Pulp Fiction.
"Duelling Banjos" is Deliverance, that tune makes me think of Hillbillies and piggy squeals...(but that might just be me).
Danny Elfman is another master, his scores are always different but instantly recognisable as Elfman tunes (to a film geek like me anyhoo).
Be it The Simpsons, Batman, Beetlejuice...they all mean "class" to me.
Cool topic, this is why I love the DVD and movies section.
Bonus wrote:
"what about Jaws??"
Yeah, the music was used to good effect in that, and is memorable because of it... but it's not the sort of music that can stand on it's own, without the movie.
"what about Jaws??"
Yeah, the music was used to good effect in that, and is memorable because of it... but it's not the sort of music that can stand on it's own, without the movie.
Cant think of any more trilogies but the music in the Exorcist and Halloween were awesome!! John Carpenter actually write and composed most music in his films such as The Fog remake, Escape from NY/LA...
I don't just think of films which come in threes. I think of Braveheart, Romeo Must Die, Exit Wounds, Top Gun, Days of Thunder, Ghostbusters, Armageddon, just that the trilogies you mentioned re some of the biggest in the business and are extremely successful. For series of films, Rocky is up there with the best, but some films don't stand out so much, i.e. the Scream Trilogy. Oh and I almost forgot, what about Jaws??
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