Maurice Jarre: Another Legend Leaves Us

At a time when I've recently been ranting about the paucity of the film music Oscars and, coincidentally, been busy compiling some extended selections of some of my favourite composers for iPod listening, it's even more apt to to be writing a few (probably unoriginal) words in tribute to Maurice Jarre. I must admit that Jarre is one of those golden/silver age (think he crossed the two eras both chronologically and stylistically) composers who doesn't hit my radar as often as he should. With so many of his scores and themes so famous that even the average tone deaf cinema goer will know them unaided, he really ought to crop up more regularly.

This brings me onto the matter of compilations. Jarre has many in his name, both under his baton and otherwise. Being such a gifted tunesmith, it's not hard to put together a collection of his music. All very different, but unmistakably Jarre. Compare that to many of today's composers - sure, plenty can write superb music, but put together an hour of highlights and half of it starts to sound eerily similar. True, Jarre often had the luxury of penning an overture for many of his movies, a self made concert arrangement as part of the package. Even so, the variety and immediate impact of scores from throughout his career, from Lawrence to Ghost to Witness, all strikingly different, but brilliantly memorable.

When it comes to Oscars, Jarre won what would probably be considered a perfectly respectable trio and all for top scores. That seems to happen less frequently than one might think and almost never at all today. Of course, like all the greats, he could have won a dozen and they'd still be worthy winners. However, as many commentators have pointed out, his music so easily stands aside the great (and admittedly not so great) films he composed for. Given who he collaborated with, that's saying something: Lean, Hitchcock, Frankheimer, Visconti, Zeffirelli and so on.

Perhaps we can just be happy that his recorded legacy is substantial and he retired when he was ready and wasn't about to potentially compose another classic. HAving said that, teh quality of his writing never diminished and his 90's efforts are frequently outstanding (especially compared to his variable 80's synth era). If you don't own any Jarre, I should say it's about time you did. The Emotion and the Strength or Silva Screen's excellent Essential Collection, both of which are fine overviews would be the place to start. Time for Sunshine. A late classic. Matches the man, the mood and the weather. So long Maurice. 

Indiana Jones: The Soundtracks Collection (John Williams)

Expanded versions of Temple of Doom and Last Crusade have been (sorry, but it has to be said) holy grails for most film music collectors. Raiders had a more or less complete release with Silva's mid-90's edition, but episodes 2 and 3 were rather hard done by, particularly Temple of Doom which was ridiculously difficult to find. How a score by Hollywood's top composer for one of 1980's cinema's highest profile franchises ended up like that is anyone's guess. Mind you, Paramount aren't renowned for their care and attention to film music releases.

While it's great to have the three classic scores plus Crystal Skull (fun in its own right, but not a patch on the original three - like the film itself which seems positively arthritic second time round, the score having far more energy than the film can muster a lot of the time), it does seem strange that they have almost exactly replicated the original Star Wars Anthology boxed set approach of a single disc for each score then an additional disc of "bonus" tracks. At the time of the Star Wars Anthology, film music re-releases were a fair novelty, but in 2008, quite common and to not have every single note plus 97 alternate versions (just for kicks) of the Raider's March is quite a surprise. One only need look at FSM's epic Superman collection for an example of how this could have been done.

It's not that having every single note is always the best way to present most scores, but with Williams doing Indiana Jones there's little, if anything, that wouldn't be worth a listen. Plus I'm sure there are some interesting alternates lurking in the vaults too. It's also odd that Raiders ends up with one track that is actually shorter than the prior release, that being the shorter version of the Truck Chase. I must confess that it's a track for which I don't have as much affection as a lot of fans, thrilling though it is - at over 8 minutes, it's quite repetitive in parts and it doesn't have the dazzling invention of Williams' best action writing. However, to produce an expanded album with less music is supremely odd, especially when it could easily have been fitted in.

Raiders has one other minor oddity; as well as the end credits version, there is also a 2 and a bit minute version of the Raider's March, the latter omitting Marion's theme. The Silva version adds a brief, witty, woodwind coda to the short version and puts it as a charming overture to the album, the lighter coda an effective lead to the score proper. The Collection relegates the short version to the bonus tracks disc, but omit the coda and stick it on the end credits on the main disc for Raiders instead. Like this, the coda seems like an afterthought instead of a witty lead in. Why the producers decided to make the swap, I have no idea. Die hard fans will want to retain their Silva release and do a bit of editing to get a near definitive version of the score. The situation is much like the two expanded ET albums. Both mix film and alternate versions so the perfectionist collector needs to do their own edit to get the complete score as heard in the film.

The additional disc also has interviews with Williams, Spielberg and Lucas. Not much that the average fan won't already know, but nice to have none the less. I always find it surprising that what ultimately became the B section of the Raider's march was put forth as an option for the main theme. While easily as catchy as the A part of the tune, it's a lot more incidental and feels like a B theme, exactly as it ultimately became. One certainly can't imagine it taking the lead in the same way the main melody does.

Of course any Williams fan, or film music fan in general, really ought to be picking up the Indy Jones Soundtrack Collection. They may not be Williams' absolutely finest work and don't have the thematic storytelling of Star Wars, but they represent a great span of his career and if nothing else, it's fascinating hearing how his sound evolved, yet still remained inimitably John Williams scoring Indiana Jones and couldn't really be mistaken for anything else. Marvellous.

You can pick the set up here.

A Quick, Largely Ill-informed Oscar Bitch

Another year, another wholly predictable win for best score (and best song) for AR Rahman's score to Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire. I had intended to write on the back of having just seen the film, sadly the nano-plex was full so this failed. While total ignorance doesn't stop plenty of critics (and I mean that in a general sense, rather than just the reviewer sense) carping about something, I shan't do that apart from to say that Bollywood style music is not really to my cup of lapsang souchong and descriptions of Slumdog's score to do not entice me out to grab a copy. I'm also secretly glad to have missed the film. Even films that are somehow "genuinely" uplifting rather send me toward the vomit bucket.

I have, to be fair, rather given up on the Oscars and the music category in particular. If you look back 30/40/50 years, one could honestly say that the best Hollywood had to offer were winning and those scores are still remembered today. Much past 1980 and it starts to get a bit hit and miss (Round Midnight, The Milagro Beanfield War, Fame etc.) but past 2000, there's almost nothing that is likely to stand the test of time (save for the two Lord of the Rings scores). Even the films for which they are written aren't going to stick out as classics. Perhaps the worst to date could be Gustavo Santaolalla's woefully simplistic score for Brokeback Mountain and his subsequent win for Babel. Are either of them going to be remembered in 10 years, let alone 50? I doubt it somehow. Naturally, both scores support their respective films and are entirely suitable, but for me, that simply isn't enough. One could argue that most of Trevor Rabin's scores are absolutely 100% perfect for the films they are written for. Is he going to be nominated for an Oscar? Not a chance.

For my money, the music should actually be - shock, horror - exceptional in its own right, as well as exceptional in the film. Of course it's all subjective, but frankly anyone could have written Brokeback Mountain. A few guitar picks and you're done. It really is that lame a composition. I have no doubt that Santaolalla is a decent enough musical dramatist and for that, can't be faulted. However, musically he just isn't all that. Again. Is the music being good in the film enough? No bloody way. The best score just usually goes to the most worthy film, as with most of the nominees.

It must be pretty galling for today's finest Hollywood composers - Thomas Newman, Danny Elfman, Alexandre Desplat, James Newton Howard, Patrick Doyle, Alan Silvestri, Micahael Giacchino Christopher Young et al who have won nothing. On top of them, let us not forget, the great Ennio Morricone whose honorary Oscar strikes me as a "shit, we forget you are one of the most creative, inspiring and popular film composers and should have a dozen or so wins by now" move by the Academy. It's only fit to also mention the late Michael Kamen and Basil Poledouris, neither of whom got anything (not even sure they were ever nominated, but I could stand corrected on that), not to mention the golden age composers who only ended up with one; Herrmann, Bernstein, Goldsmith and, well, Alex North got nothing.

And another thing! Double nominations and splitting the vote. There really needs to be some rule change on multiple nominations for the same category. Almost never does a double nomination result in a win because the vote is almost always split and so someone else wins. James Horner's Braveheart is a far superior score to Titanic - indeed I would rate it as one of his finest - yet it was nominated with Apollo 13. Split vote. No win. True, sometimes a double nomination can get you a win; Close Encounters could so easily have been a winner were Star Wars not the 1977 soundtrack juggernaut. Having said that, I'd lay money on it costing him some more recent wins when he ended up with two nominations. Ok, he's won plenty so hardly a great crime, but then again, Williams is often so far ahead of the game in terms of the quality of his music, he could win a dozen and they'd all be more than worthy winners.

I have no real point other than to say that I shan't ever be updating the Oscars page at Soundtrack Express ever again, so low in my esteem have these tiresome awards become. Hopefully, one brief and perfectly timed rant will keep me happily ignoring them until something worthwhile comes along. Which it won't. Probably.

New Review - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Alexandre Desplat)

Alexandre Desplat's latest opus, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button has now been reviewed.

I forgot to mention previously that I've completed my updates on the original three Indiana Jones scores with my expanded and updated review of Last Crusade.

Kung Fu Panda (Hans Zimmer & John Powell)

It's rare these days that I see a film without having heard the score beforehand, mainly because I don't actually go to the cinema much. As regular readers will know, Guernsey's only cinema is a crappy little merde fest with tiny screens and poor selection. Frankly, I'd rather watch a film in the comfort of my own home on DVD. Or go somewhere with a decent cinema. Anyway, I did see Kung Fu Panda and I can say that I enjoyed it much. Silly as hell, but the lack of pop culture references ensure it's rewatchable (yes, I've seen it twice... foreshame Thomas, foreshame).

Hans Zimmer seems to be getting more generous with his collaborations these days. James Newton Howard and now John Powell actually get credit on the cover. Unsurprisingly Henry Jackman and James McKee Smith get a footnote on the inside page for their additional music. As befits its subject, there is nothing hugely subtle about Kung Fu Panda. Mulan this ain't. However, the mixture of banging orchestra, regional instrumentation and lots of percussion largely works a treat. It's tuneful; the main chop socky theme is decent and memorable, while the secondary melodies are equally effective. Faux Chinese music seems well suited to the various demands of the drama, notably the quieter moments such as Peach Tree of Wisdom where it fakes spirituality with considerable conviction. Equally true of the finale track (even if it's from the middle of the film) Oogway Ascends.

The action is a mixture of silly - Dragon Warrior is Among Us and Po vs Tai Lung (where the main theme is bounced all over the place) - and dark - Tai Lung escapes - both functioning equally well. John Powell's more sophisticated abilities are much in evidence throughout, as are hints of his bulging back catalogue of animation titles where he can flit between ideas with great confidence and avoid the bittiness that besets scores by less skilled composers. In truth, it's a rather more interesting than some of his recent animation scores which have started to get a teensy bit stale. It's also a nice change of pace from Zimmer in an otherwise rather heavy duty roster. Not taxing, but fun, tuneful and mostly memorable.

Buy from Amazon.

Journey to the Centre of the Earth & City of Ember (Andrew Lockington)

Andrew Lockington is another of those composers who seems to have appeared out of thin air but actually has a decent list of TV and under the radar movie releases to his name before breaking out with Journey to the Centre of the Earth and City of Ember. Both scores are family orientated sci-fi/fantasy fare, the former a kind of sequel cum update of the Jules Verne story and the latter a cross between Logan's Run (without the human recycling) and Labyrinth. Unsurprisingly or otherwise, both seem to have sprung from the same pool that produced Klaus Badelt's entertaining score to The Time Machine from a few years back. Yes, that time a few years back when we kinda thought he might not turn into a rather dull Remote Control type composer. Then he did. Foreshame indeed.

I'll start with the more consistently enjoyable of the two, Journey to the Centre of the Earth. Lockington starts with his amiable main theme. It's not going to go down alongside Gone with the Wind or Star Wars, but it has the appropriate epic sweep for the movie. The album then settles into a more low key mode, bits of which recall the lighter parts of James Newton Howard's music for Atlantis (in style anyway). However, with Rope Descent the action picks up rarely flags for any length of time.  If not top notch action, it's certainly above averagely well constructed, a mix of swirling strings and strident brass with harmonies that recall Stargate era David Arnold with more than a little Howard. Although largely resolutely old fashioned in approach, there are some modern touches, notably the effective electronic percussion of Water Drop. It's about a million miles from Bernard Herrmann's iconic effort for the Harryhausen version, but it's still done with enough flair and decent themes to be worth a listen.

City of Ember is another victim of an album being too long for the material. It has a good 45 minutes but the middle is very average. It opens well, a proper main title is a bit of a rarity these days, but Lockington presents his enjoyable and reasonably memorable main theme. It's surprisingly serious, which is actually quite refreshing. Indeed, the score as a whole maintains a fairly serious tone throughout and rarely goes for anything cute. It's a bit of a double edged sword as the lack of lighter material means the rather slower early and middle passages just happen without saying an awful low. It threatens to burst into life, but these moments seem short lived. Only with Clockworks and the final 25 minutes or so does it become the score it threatens to be throughout. Finally it's exciting, the action picks up and there's a proper sense of drama and movement. As befits the general tone, Escape to Sunrise still has darker undertones despite the overall optimism of the cue. One Last Message returns the edgier material as a coda.

Having enjoyed Journey to the Centre of the Earth, I really wanted to like City of Ember, but I fear it's one of those albums where the final few tracks leave such a great impression that it's easy to forget that for a long while not a lot happens. While the thematic material is reasonable, it's far from indelible and there's too much of other people; one could easily add John Debney to the influences noted above, odd given that Debney's style has never struck me much, but if someone said either was by him, I'd not be surprised. Definitely scores that are enjoyable rather than great art, but - Journey in particular - worth a punt.

Oddly only City of Ember is available at Amazon.