Path: ...!local-1.nntp.ord.giganews.com!Xl.tags.giganews.com!local-2.nntp.ord.giganews.com!news.giganews.com.POSTED!not-for-mail NNTP-Posting-Date: Sun, 30 Jun 2024 03:08:35 +0000 Date: Sat, 29 Jun 2024 20:08:35 -0700 From: Pluted Pup Mime-Version: 1.0 User-Agent: Hogwasher/5.24 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Message-ID: <0001HW.2C3103B3004A11EE305AA638F@news.giganews.com> Subject: Re: Superman (1978) John Williams' score Newsgroups: rec.arts.tv References: <0001HW.2C2E243900109E3D30D7BA38F@news.giganews.com> Lines: 84 X-Usenet-Provider: http://www.giganews.com X-Trace: sv3-uqPA50vFx/W21KyC2IoisNkhaKU1NUimRFlWxDKjS1EOTvF/uPrU0So+LsfRyH+6/wlCB1n7QLyui2h!p/4+iodzXiogY30TK1MYV1rjXRzFYzSHMiTYsvdD9O0Je2mAEnsIq5wcntdrghRfkRMFIdM1z4e2!yo1E X-Complaints-To: abuse@giganews.com X-DMCA-Notifications: http://www.giganews.com/info/dmca.html X-Abuse-and-DMCA-Info: Please be sure to forward a copy of ALL headers X-Abuse-and-DMCA-Info: Otherwise we will be unable to process your complaint properly X-Postfilter: 1.3.40 Bytes: 5315 On Thu, 27 Jun 2024 15:50:33 -0700, Pluted Pup wrote: > On Wed, 26 Jun 2024 12:23:16 -0700, BTR1701 wrote: > > > In article, > > "Adam H. Kerman" wrote: > > > > > Throughout June, TCM was playing various movies to celebrate the scores > > > of Hollywood's best-known composers. To honor John Williams, they chose > > > to play Superman. In the host's comments, it was new information to me > > > that Jerry Goldsmith had turned the movie down as he was scoring > > > something else, although you'd think the guy who scored Chinatown over a > > > weekend after the earlier composer was fired would been able to do it, > > > just by never sleeping for two months. > > > > > > It's a great score, but it's always always always annoyed me that you > > > cannot hear the score properly over the opening titles because of all > > > the whooshing noises as each title flies by. I've always hated that. > > > Salkind hired the guy who had just received an Oscar for Jaws, so I > > > think the audience really wants to hear the music. > > > > > > Yes, I know the main theme is derivative (of previous works of his own, > > > plus the usual romantic composers that movie music is supposed to sound > > > like), but the first four notes of that one major theme in the music > > > conveys such a sense of joy and optimism, it's just perfect. > > > > So much of the criticism many film composers have of "being derivative" > > is wholly undeserved. Almost every time it's done specifically and > > intentionally by the composer on orders from the director. > > The ultimate derivative soundtrack is the "composer" > Tom Jonson in The Braineaters (1958). It's his only film > credit on imdb.com, listed as "music by" but on the > screen itself it says he's the composer. No, I just rewatched it and the credits say Music By. > He managed to > compose his soundtrack to include lots of Russian > classical music, like Prokofiev's Nevsky Cantata, and others > I forget, but it's one of my favorite soundtracks! > I like tried and true classical music much better than the > freshly composed stuff that imitates classical music. > > May as well mention Robot Monster (1953), one of my favorite > soundtracks, this is unique, so far as I know, by Elmer > Bernstein, and it's too bad the idea to issue a separate > soundtrack wasn't pursued so the recorded parts were thrown > in the trash. (Robot Monster was produced by a rogue's > gallery). > > > > > For example, the opening scene of STAR WARS, with the huge Imperial Star > > Destroyer rumbling in overhead, almost endlessly. People say Williams > > just lifted that part of the score from Holst's "Mars" from "The > > Planets", but the reality is that Lucas actually temp-tracked that scene > > with Mars and when Williams came in to score it, Lucas kept sending him > > notes saying, "Make it sound more like Mars. I really like the sound of > > Mars there." So Williams basically mimicked Holst's piece as close as he > > could without risking a copyright violation. > > > > So now all these years later, we have lackbrains like Hutt claiming > > Williams all but plagiarized Mars in STAR WARS. > > > > The same is true for so many composers whose creativity is leashed by > > whatever the director wants, not what they can actually produce. > > > > > One of the pieces I really like is "Welcome to Krypton" (I really have > > > no idea what it's called), slightly reminiscent of Aaron Copland and > > > early Charles Ives. > > > > 1M1 Prelude / 1M1A The Planet Krypton > > > > > Gene Hackman's Lex Luthor isn't the way I ever pictured Lex Luthor but > > > he made it work. Of course it would have been better to create an all-new > > > character for the movie. Why was Valerie Perrine a henchwoman? Yes, she > > > got to distract Major Nelson in that one scene > > > > Which doesn't age well, as a bunch of soldiers surround a pretty girl > > passed out on the side of the road and instead of summoning medical > > help, they all giggle and start planning on how they're going to > > sexually assault her.