BOND, JAMES BOND...and J.B.....John Barry vis a vis O.H.M.S.S.

by Terry 16 Replies latest social entertainment

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  Terry

  I think "Moonraker" is a fine piece of music. Even better than "Goldfinger." For me John Barry's best movie music is "Dances with Wolves" and the haunting theme to "Body Heat."

  Moonraker (the song) was written for Frank Sinatra to sing, actually; but, Sinatra was still pissed off at John Barry's refusal to score a film of his (Von Ryan's Express) and Barry sought the Goldfinger girl, Shirley Bassey. It is a beautiful and highly unusual piece of music to say the least.

  I have an opinion about DANCES WITH WOLVES as pertains to Kevin Costner. Costner is musically ignorant. He doesn't even know the names of the instruments. John Barry spoke in an interview about working with Costner. Costner would tell Barry, "Could you use less of those big round shiny things."

  Costner meant FRENCH HORNS!!

  Have you noticed what an amazing film Dances with Wolves was with John Barry's music, AND YET, Costner chose a different composer for the rest of his films (James Newton Howard) and has not had another success since then!!

  Wyatt Earp would have been so much better with a Barry score. Why? James Newton Howard's music is wonderful AWAY FROM THE FILM. But, WITH the film only Barry can bring out the internal drama melodically in such a way that it works like dynamite.

  Just one man's opinion.

  Terry
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  Quentin

  What is your opinion of John Williams? His music seems to carry a movie well. At least to the untrained ear(that being me with the ear problem).
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  DanTheMan

  I just downloaded The Persuaders. Me likey! Cheezy synth tho.

  I grabbed the Peter Gunn theme too, yah!
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  purplesofa

  Of Course I could not read all you posted!!!!

  Out of Africa is my all time favorite movie and I always loved the music from it.

  Thanks to you, I know who John Barry is.

  And you are not so bad yourself!!!

  purps
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  Terry

  John Barry's music

  
  

  
  Confucious say: "If it is in the music; it is in the man."

  Have a rice day.

  T.
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  toweragent

  I always hated it when Monty Norman took credit for the Bond Theme in his interviews on the DVD's...we know who really did it!

  John Barry had such a unique talent for the Bond films, in my opinion. He could make every movie sound "different", but yet at the same time, they still sounded like Bond.

  For instance, the score for Goldfinger set the standard of Bond scores. Big brass and all those "Bond sounds" we're used to. But then You Only Live Twice comes along...and sounds completely different! But you know without a shadow of a doubt it's Bond's music. And you can't switch the scores around either! Goldfingers music would not work in YOLT, and YOLT's soundtrack does not work for Goldfinger. But they both work for "Bond".

  I think my favorite Barry Bond score would have to be A View To A Kill with Roger Moore. It's not my favorite film...but it definetly had and eerie, hauntingly beutiful, and powerful score. None of the scores before it, or after it, had that touch.

  David Arnold is pretty decent at mimicking Barry and infusing his own ideas into it. As long as he keeps that annoying percussion out of it. Thomas Newmans score for Skyfall didn't do much for me...I would welcome Arnold back.

  What is your favorite Bond score? If you could only pick one?

  And who would you choose to score future films if you could pick just one composer?
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  OnTheWayOut

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ye8KvYKn9-0