Movie Soundtracks that should be on every shelf.

[vandermolen]

I do like film music but don't know it well enough to make a list of my own. I was wondering however, if this thread wasn't a bit English-language-film-composers-biased? There was barely a couple of Russian and French names mentioned, and nothing more than that (unless I missed something). Without going very far (and I could, of course, go on about Polish film music composers for quite a while ): where is Nino Rota??

Anyway, carry on. Enjoyable thread that'll keep my notebook nicely filled...

Maciek

OK, Nino Rota : Romeo and Juliet, great score

Ovchinnikov: War and Peace (Russian version) terrific score, never on CD as far as I know.

Michel Legrand: Umbrellas of Cherbourg

Georges Auric: The Lavender Hill Mob

Prokofiev: Ivan the Terrible (better than Alexander Nevsky)

There are some French and Russian ones for you!

Jeffrey

[Daverz]

Some of these have already been mentioned:

Duke Ellington, Anatomy of a Murder
Morricone, Once Upon a Time in the West, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, and The Misson.
Ry Cooder, Paris, Texas (I find Wim Wenders a very tedious director, though.)

Lots of Korngold, of course.

I love the Skinner/Salter series on Naxos/Marco Polo.

[Bogey]

I love the Skinner/Salter series on Naxos/Marco Polo.

Would not mind those on my shelf.

[Robert]

I usually enjoy Newman....I may have to check into this.

A MUST

[Michel]

Gadfly
Gadfly
Gadfly
Gadfly
Gadfly

[val]

Ivan the Terrible

Alexander Nevsky

The Hunger

Il Vangello secondo Matteo

The Corpse Bride

[Grazioso]

Beautiful, richly evocative music (but only adequately played), plus it plays a huge role in the film, largely taking the place of dialogue and helping creating a sort of music drama.



Herrmann in lushly Romantic mode.



Sadly OOP

[Mametesque]

I initially posted five desert island soundtracks that I thought everyone should own. Here's a list of 5 that I personally would not be without.

Close Encounters of the Third Kind, John Williams (Arista)
Angels in America, Thomas Newman (Nonesuch)
The Final Conflict, Jerry Goldsmith (Varese)
Guns for San Sebastian, Ennio Morricone (Film Score Monthly)
The Taking of Pelham 1,2,3, David Shire (Retrograde/Film Score Monthly)

[Robert]

Would not mind those on my shelf.

Bill
I am sure at one time Berkshire had them all....

[Bogey]

Bill
I am sure at one time Berkshire had them all....

Thanks.  That's alright...with this genre of film music, it will be fine to piece them together over a long period.

[Bogey]

By the way, I have an extra copy of John Williams' Jaws soundtrack...it's an earlier pressing, but works as a starter.  I would be happy to send it to any GMG'r that would like it.  Just send me a PM and I will take the first to respond.

If you are worried about giving out your address, please see George, Gurn, Karl, Mad Hatter or Drasko for references.

[Grazioso]

interesting ...an annoying occurance in many films for this movie goer, long scenes with lots of music and not much happening, ive always perceived this as a sign that the director has sort of run out of ideas, filler in otherwords...bleh

just my perspective.

If the director has any skill, every scene has something important happening, and the music and visuals are of course key components of that, even if the characters aren't saying anything at the moment. Movies aren't plays, after all. It's like with a big symphony: if the composer is skilled, the seemingly slow parts between big climaxes, where not much is apparently happening on your first listen, are actually vital to the overall musical argument and pacing and emotional set-ups.

An example that springs to mind: Kurosawa's legendary Ran, a retelling of King Lear set in feudal Japan. There are lots of scenes with no dialogue or action in the coarse sense, but it all adds up to an exquisite whole. You need to have patience and understanding with fine-art films, just as with classical music. You need to dig into it and consider why the director makes the choices he or she does, and not just impatiently drum your fingers as you wait for more talking or car chases

As for Conan the Barbarian, plenty is happening while all the music is playing. It's just that the the film relies primarily on intertwined visuals and music to tell the story, with relatively few words--probably a good thing when a young Arnold Schwarzenneger is your lead

[Kullervo]

Ive probably seen and know more about films than you ever will!

Since when did a thread about movie soundtracks become a penis-measuring contest?

[Grazioso]

plenty of happening in Conan? pfffffffffffffffffffffff 

The music tells us jack shit. Ive probably seen and know more about films than you ever will!

ps - you couldnt pay me to watch that pile of crap again...

I'm afraid you've made your ignorance of film all too apparent in the other thread about movie soundtracks, as just about everyone pointed out there

I should add for posterity that I don't think Conan the Barbarian is a great film, but it does provide a useful example of a foregrounded soundtrack. The music there obviously tells us a lot emotionally, not intellectually. You seem hung up on the idea that films are just expensive ways of telling a story, that they're fundamentally about plot and ideas. That neglects so much: for instance, the fact that film is a form of visual art akin to photography and painting, and that even in scenes where "nothing is happening", a good film will have something beautiful or artistic to "say" in the composition, lighting, etc. of each shot.

[Daverz]

Since when did a thread about movie soundtracks become a penis-measuring contest?

GMG has always had more than its share of insecure penis owners.

[Gurn Blanston]

Gentlemen, please!

There is a discussion, there are differing points of view. All well and good. There is absolutely no reason whatsoever for this to degenerate into petty name calling.  So, you don't agree. We are all intelligent adults here, or at the least we should be. Let's move on, please.

[Bogey]

Seems we have been moved to the Diner folks.  I have always respected the moderators here and all they do to keep things in order and flowing so we can all enjoy this forum at a high level.....and these feelings of respect are still in tact.

Like to throw out a new question:

Are there any soundtracks that you enjoy (do not need to be top-5) that do not rely on a "symphonic" sound?  A few have been mentioned I believe, but are there others?

[uffeviking]

Thank you, Mr. Bogey for your compliment and your trust in the moderator's judgement. Don't get pats on the back too often!  0:)

To continue with the thread: Would you believe it was the music to the TV series - was it ever a movie? - to Reilly, Ace of Spies which started my interest in Shostakovich? Gadfly and the enthusiasm has not stopped or even slowed down! 

[Scriptavolant]

A certain number of soundtracks I've listened to, had the limit to be little more than a single theme taken, arranged and played over and over.
Nevertheless, I'd include in my favourites:

"Il postino" by Luis Bacalov
"Milano calibro 9" Luis Bacalov
"Profondo Rosso" Goblin
"Inferno" Keith Emerson
"Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo", "Once upon a time in America" Ennio Morricone
"Amarcord" Nino Rota
"The shining" (Wendy Carlos arrangements)

(I've got the feeling I'm missing a lot of titles, but couldn't remember now.. )

[Grazioso]

Seems we have been moved to the Diner folks.  I have always respected the moderators here and all they do to keep things in order and flowing so we can all enjoy this forum at a high level.....and these feelings of respect are still in tact.

Like to throw out a new question:

Are there any soundtracks that you enjoy (do not need to be top-5) that do not rely on a "symphonic" sound?  A few have been mentioned I believe, but are there others?

Blade Runner by Vangelis, a score which has excited quite a range of opinion. For my part, this electronic work, which moves to near abstraction at some points, serves the visuals and themes admirably, and some of the music is simply beautiful in its own right.