Film (movie) Music

[Roasted Swan]

I see (per Wiki) that he's actually received an EGOT!  Impressive!  Must admit that I am a sucker for the music from Beauty and the Beast.

PD

I think Alan Menken is a nailed on genius - but I do think of him as more of a song composer than a film score composer.  He has a real gift for ear-worm melodies and interesting harmonies.  Of course he is now so strongly associated with his Disney work that it is easy to forget his earlier work in Musical Theatre - "Little Shop of Horrors" is one of the all-time fun musicals - witty, entertaining and warm.  It is also one of very few film musicals that is pretty much as successful on film as in the theatre.  Steve Martin as the sadist dentist is one of the all-time best cameos in a movie ("I'm leader of the plaque"] and "Suddenly Seymour" one of the great MT duets;

 

[W.A. Mozart]

I see (per Wiki) that he's actually received an EGOT!  Impressive!  Must admit that I am a sucker for the music from Beauty and the Beast.

PD

I agree, Beauty and the Beast has a great score.

The video, which contains a selection of the best parts of the suite, is structured as follows:
00:00 The Beast Lets Belle Go [main theme]
02:22 Prologo
04:54 Death of the Beast
07:58 Transformation [final reprise of the main theme with climax]

[W.A. Mozart]

but I do think of him as more of a song composer than a film score composer

If Alan Menken is not the first person people think about when it comes to composers of film scores if for a matter of quantity, not of quality.
Furthermore, I guess, the fact that he hasn't composed film scores of films for adults and therefore is easily forgot by adults.

If the paramether is "quantity", then we must conclude that Haydn was a better symphonist than Beethoven because he composed more than 100 symphonies while Beethoven only composed 9 symphonies.

For me, composing only a few works of high quality is better than composing an industrial quantity of works of mediocre quality.
So, this is why I see Alan Menken as THE COMPOSER of film scores of the last decades.


He has composed only a small number of film scores, but all of them are seen by me and by many other people (including, apparently, the musicians of the juries of different awards) as a virtuosistic example of movie scoring.

Did Beethoven have to compose 100 symphonies to be considered a relevant symphonist? No, he composed only nine symphonies of high quality.
Basically, what Alan Menken did with movie scoring.


I think that working with Spielberg has contributed a lot to the popularity of John Williams. Try to imagine an alternative reality in which Spielberg created a collaboration with Alan Menken and not with John Williams.
Do you think that Alan Menken wouldn't be seen as the number 1 of film scoring?

[Roasted Swan]

If Alan Menken is not the first person people think about when it comes to composers of film scores if for a matter of quantity, not of quality.
Furthermore, I guess, the fact that he hasn't composed film scores of films for adults and therefore is easily forgot by adults.

If the paramether is "quantity", then we must conclude that Haydn was a better symphonist than Beethoven because he composed more than 100 symphonies while Beethoven only composed 9 symphonies.

For me, composing only a few works of high quality is better than composing an industrial quantity of works of mediocre quality.
So, this is why I see Alan Menken as THE COMPOSER of film scores of the last decades.


He has composed only a small number of film scores, but all of them are seen by me and by many other people (including, apparently, the musicians of the juries of different awards) as a virtuosistic example of movie scoring.

Did Beethoven have to compose 100 symphonies to be considered a relevant symphonist? No, he composed only nine symphonies of high quality.
Basically, what Alan Menken did with movie scoring.


I think that working with Spielberg has contributed a lot to the popularity of John Williams. Try to imagine an alternative reality in which Spielberg created a collaboration with Alan Menken and not with John Williams.
Do you think that Alan Menken wouldn't be seen as the number 1 of film scoring?

No comment - can't be bothered to reply really.

[DavidW]

I think Alan Menken is a nailed on genius - but I do think of him as more of a song composer than a film score composer.  He has a real gift for ear-worm melodies and interesting harmonies.  Of course he is now so strongly associated with his Disney work that it is easy to forget his earlier work in Musical Theatre - "Little Shop of Horrors" is one of the all-time fun musicals - witty, entertaining and warm.  It is also one of very few film musicals that is pretty much as successful on film as in the theatre.  Steve Martin as the sadist dentist is one of the all-time best cameos in a movie ("I'm leader of the plaque"] and "Suddenly Seymour" one of the great MT duets;

 

I rewatched that movie last summer haven't watched it since I was a child... and wow the songs are just great.  Like all of them.  The movie is just a tour de force with great writing, great singing and never a dull moment. 

[Roasted Swan]

I rewatched that movie last summer haven't watched it since I was a child... and wow the songs are just great.  Like all of them.  The movie is just a tour de force with great writing, great singing and never a dull moment. 

Agree with every word.......

[Pohjolas Daughter]

I think Alan Menken is a nailed on genius - but I do think of him as more of a song composer than a film score composer.  He has a real gift for ear-worm melodies and interesting harmonies.  Of course he is now so strongly associated with his Disney work that it is easy to forget his earlier work in Musical Theatre - "Little Shop of Horrors" is one of the all-time fun musicals - witty, entertaining and warm.  It is also one of very few film musicals that is pretty much as successful on film as in the theatre.  Steve Martin as the sadist dentist is one of the all-time best cameos in a movie ("I'm leader of the plaque"] and "Suddenly Seymour" one of the great MT duets;

 

I was this close to mentioning Little Shop of Horrors!  "Little shop...little shop of horrors" has stuck in my head since I first saw the movie [that and "Feed me!"].  I'd forgotten about "Suddenly Seymour".  I need to revisit that one.

PD

[W.A. Mozart]

The film "Field of Dreams" (1989) was nominated in 1989 for the Oscar "Best Original Score". The soundtrack has been composed by James Horner.

The video, which contains a selection of the best parts of the suite, is structured as follows:
00:00 Night Mists [main theme]
04:20 The Cornfield
09:54 The Place Where Dreams Come True [development of the main theme and final climax]

If James Horner was still alive and I met him in the street, I'd ask him: "Were you crying while composing The Place Where Dreams Come True?".

"The Place Where Dreams Come True" has also been performed in a live concert.

[Roy Bland]

Carlo Innocenzi was main composer for peplum movies as you can see after 1964 emerging of Morricone style totally changed

http://www.carloinnocenzi.it/category/carlo-innocenzi/video

[LKB]

There's an upcoming documentary on John Williams from Steven Spielberg:

https://www.classical-music.com/news/john-williams-stars-in-a-new-feature-documentary

[relm1]

There's an upcoming documentary on John Williams from Steven Spielberg:

https://www.classical-music.com/news/john-williams-stars-in-a-new-feature-documentary

Very well deserved.  John Williams is an institution. 

[Roasted Swan]

Very well deserved.  John Williams is an institution. 

His range and consistent level of truly memorable invention is genuinely extraordinary.

[LKB]

His range and consistent level of truly memorable invention is genuinely extraordinary.

I think Spielberg's production is timely, Williams is in his 90's and has had to cancel some major engagements due to health issues. Now is probably the right time for an official accolade from his longtime partner and friend. 

[André]

Godzilla Minus One (2023) is a freakin' good monster movie (not to be confused with the idiotic Godzilla x Kong released about the same time). Naoki Satō's score is one of its main attractions. Thoroughly enjoyable, with one rather memorable tune.

[relm1]

Godzilla Minus One (2023) is a freakin' good monster movie (not to be confused with the idiotic Godzilla x Kong released about the same time). Naoki Satō's score is one of its main attractions. Thoroughly enjoyable, with one rather memorable tune.

Agreed.  I'd also add the Japanese version is better (better acting) than the English overdub version with mediocre voice acting, but a deep film that happens to have a monster.

[relm1]

John Williams music was performed in outer space yesterday!  During the Polaris mission, the first commercial space walk took place earlier this week.  Every spacewalk before was nationally sponsored, this was the first time a company designed, built, flew, and tested a modern spacesuit.  Additionally, they flew higher than any human has been since Apollo 17 back in 1972.  I think this music performance from orbit is really cool because I love the composer and it's for a very good program, the El Systema music system for low income/inner city youths to perform and very high performance levels and I think the astronaut performing does a very fine job playing in zero gravity of all things.

EDIT: oh cool, just noticed a friend or two are in the video playing in that LA orchestra...sooo cool!  They also played on the SW soundtracks.  Looks like the man himself, Johnny, was at a rehearsal and met the astronauts too.   

[Pohjolas Daughter]

John Williams music was performed in outer space yesterday!  During the Polaris mission, the first commercial space walk took place earlier this week.  Every spacewalk before was nationally sponsored, this was the first time a company designed, built, flew, and tested a modern spacesuit.  Additionally, they flew higher than any human has been since Apollo 17 back in 1972.  I think this music performance from orbit is really cool because I love the composer and it's for a very good program, the El Systema music system for low income/inner city youths to perform and very high performance levels and I think the astronaut performing does a very fine job playing in zero gravity of all things.

EDIT: oh cool, just noticed a friend or two are in the video playing in that LA orchestra...sooo cool!  They also played on the SW soundtracks.  Looks like the man himself, Johnny, was at a rehearsal and met the astronauts too. 

Oh, neat!  What is her background history by the way?

PD

[relm1]

Oh, neat!  What is her background history by the way?

PD

First, she's adorable.  Aside from that she's 30 years old and a SpaceX engineer, not an astronaut in the NASA sense.  She's a very good violinist too and was one of the one's doing the space walk which was basically just stepping outside their Polaris capsule shown here.  It was very high, 1,000 miles above the earth!

[71 dB]

I think Alan Menken is a nailed on genius

That name didn't ring any bell for me. I checked which movies he has scored and I think Home Alone 2 is the only one I have seen (long long time ago and I don't remember the music at all).

[NumberSix]

*Rey's Theme from space*

That was a lot more emotional than I expected it to be.