Do you prefer a song or score soundtrack?
What are some of your favorite soundtracks that emphasize score over songs. What about song soundtracks? They are quite different when you think about it? As I have said in the past, a lot of movie music goes right by me. But I very much enjoyed the music for 5x2, an Orzon film. It was a song soundtrack, but most of the songs were new to me (French and Italian) so it functioned as a score for me.
I am more likely to enjoy a score with songs familiar to me. But perhaps such a soundtrack takes me out of the movie more than one written to fit seamlessly. It I am spending my time thinking now where did I hear that song before, doesn't my attention get fractured by it?
13 comments:
I have yet to be disappointed by any movie soundtracks that Danny Elfman has done.
The soundtrack to TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD can still move me to tears...
Oh soundtracks for sure. Although LAURA was sort of a one song soundtrack and a mighty good one too. THE UNINVITED also had a one song soundtrack, the wonderful Stella By Starlight.
But my favorites are usually all encompassing soundtracks like John Williams' scores for STAR WARS and SUPERMAN and JURASSIC PARK and YOUNG SHERLOCK HOLMES which was an awful movie, but had a great soundtrack.
I can't hear the soundtrack of EAST OF EDEN without misting up even after all these years. Same thing for the exquisite soundtrack for the Granada Television production of BRIDESHEAD REVISITED with Jeremy Irons and Anthony Andrews. I consider that soundtrack almost as one of the characters.
I also love the rousing work of Elmer Bernstein for THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN and WALK ON THE WILD SIDE - another awful film with a great soundtrack and magnificent opening credits.
I could name many more, but I won't. Ha!
A great list, Yvette. As I said, most of it goes right over me because I am so focused on plot. It's not until I take the CD out of my library that I hear the music--except of course, for song soundtracks.
Elfman--I am looking his work up. His name is familiar, Bud.
Nice to see you here.
I'm a big fan of the LORD OF THE RINGS soundtracks. Wonderful music! I'm more on the fence with soundtracks like PIRATE RADIO that are compilations of rock & roll songs. Love the soundtrack to the remake of TRUE GRIT!
Definitely scores, and, as I grow older, the less obtrusive the better. The best scores are those I rarely notice, even though I was trained as a musician and listen for them without thinking about it.
THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY and THIEF are two favorites.
As often as I've watched CHINATOWN, sometimes I pop it in the DVR just for Jerry Goldsmith's music.
I like both score and song, whatever works best for the film. My favorite score is for the 1927 NAPOLEON, by Carmine Coppola. And my favorite song score is for BULL DURHAM.
Score.
that is, NOT a set of songs called a soundtrack, I want original music composed for the film: a Score.
Like most of you, I definitely go for the score over the songs, as a rule. Another favorite (part of why it's a favorite movie) other than some already mentioned is Henry Mancini's TWO FOR THE ROAD score.
But like George I also like a soundtrack of songs where appropriate, as in AMERICAN HOT WAX or THE COMMITMENTS.
Jeff M.
A song soundtrack makes most sense to me when a movie is capturing a time or music-like the Commitments, or Saturday Night Fever or American Graffiti. Or perhaps even a place we are not familiar with.
If you want to evoke a feeling, the score makes more sense. Or if you want the music to be unobtrusive.
I saw a movie last night and I cannot tell you whether there was any music or not-so I assume it had a score rather than a song soundtrack.
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