tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580771530471531574.post8963444387081897428..comments2023-07-12T09:16:45.437-04:00Comments on The Cinema: The Altman / Williams connectionTed Pigeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04789041055263853568noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580771530471531574.post-25418220055940124822008-02-19T16:45:00.000-05:002008-02-19T16:45:00.000-05:00Another terrific director/composer team that I don...Another terrific director/composer team that I don't think anyone has mentioned yet is David Cronenberg and Howard Shore. I can't imagine films like <I>eXistenZ</I>, <I>Dead Ringers</I>, or <I>A History of Violence</I> without Shore's haunting themes.<BR/><BR/>By the way, nice blog you have here. I've just recently begun reading it.Jeremy Nyhuishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17653775779381302557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580771530471531574.post-61899578080584332662008-02-12T09:41:00.000-05:002008-02-12T09:41:00.000-05:00Nice to see you again, Damian. Yes, the Zemeckis/S...Nice to see you again, Damian. Yes, the Zemeckis/Silvestri collaboration is definitely one of my favorites, especially as a kid growing up in the 80's. With <I>Back to the Future</I> and <I>Who Framed Roger Rabbit</I> (some of my favorite movies at the time), I thought of their collaboration very much like Spielberg/Williams. I was a bit disappointed with <I>Beowulf</I>, though, especially considering that it would have been a wonderful opportunity for operatic adventure music. <BR/><BR/>And good point about Coens/Burwell. I often forget about that one, which has resulted in a number of really great film/scores.Ted Pigeonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04789041055263853568noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580771530471531574.post-40980840532505283722008-02-11T22:43:00.000-05:002008-02-11T22:43:00.000-05:00Excellent post, Ted. I saw Long Goodbye for the fi...Excellent post, Ted. I saw <EM>Long Goodbye</EM> for the first time recently and was surprised to discover that Williams wrote the score. As you know I've long been interested in filmmusic and director/composer relationships in particular have fascinated me. You'ev mentioned some of the more famous ones (Williams and Spielberg, Elfman and Burton, Hermann and Hitchcock, etc) and benjamin has highlighted another one I've always enjoyed (Goldsmith/Dante).<BR/><BR/>A few more director/composer associations that I have also thought wroked rather well have been Robert Zemeckis/Alan Silvestri, Brian DePalma/Pino Donaggio, Kenneth Branagh/Patrick Doyle and the Coen brothers/Carter Burwell.Damian Arlynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07937513879456460221noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580771530471531574.post-91106717780201040792008-02-11T10:41:00.000-05:002008-02-11T10:41:00.000-05:00Totally agree about the 'missed opportunity' here,...Totally agree about the 'missed opportunity' here, and I agree with Benjamin about Oliver Stone as well. Both of these brief collaborations are among the most interesting collaborations ever. It allowed Williams to compose some of his most interesting and (in the case of Stone) heartfelt music, they are totally unique in their place in Williams's filmography.<BR/><BR/> re: Goldsmith/Verhoven. The superb scores presented cannot be denied, but I am somewhat more hesitant about this one, as I think Verhoven has has a rather unimpressive career in Hollywood. I love The Long Goodbye and JFK, and also find a lot of good in Nixon and Born on the Fourth of July.<BR/><BR/> And, I would just like to add, about the nature of the Altman/Williams relationship- on the DVD of M.A.S.H, Altman stated that Williams was a good friend of his, and that, in fact, he was invited to an early screening of M.A.S.H, and was one ofhte first people who indicated to Altman that he had a great movie on his hands.SRPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12678496946529612968noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580771530471531574.post-30685922327835527112008-02-11T10:35:00.000-05:002008-02-11T10:35:00.000-05:00Thanks, Benjamin!Williams had a nice stint with St...Thanks, Benjamin!<BR/><BR/>Williams had a nice stint with Stone, though it would have been interesting if Stone had employed him to score <I>Natural Born Killers</I> or one of his more edgy titles. Still, though, their three-film collaboration resulted in some nice scores, particularly <I>JFK</I>. <BR/><BR/>Re: Jerry Goldsmith, he is easily one of the great film composers of all time. It's funny, actually, that I posted this article on Williams' birthday, and now I'm writing a small blurb on Goldsmith on his birthday.<BR/><BR/>Goldsmith's collaboration with Joe Dante was really fun, indeed, as was his relationship with Paul Verhoeven. But my favorite collaboration he's had would be his long-standing one with Franklin J. Schaffner on films like <I>Patton, Planet of the Apes, The Wind and the Lion</I> and, my personal favorite, <I>Lionheart</I>. Although <I>Lionheart</I> is on some kind of moratorium, the score is worth purchasing on its own merit. It's one of Goldsmith's very finest works.Ted Pigeonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04789041055263853568noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580771530471531574.post-72428438300618281022008-02-09T12:54:00.000-05:002008-02-09T12:54:00.000-05:00Very timely post, since Williams turns 76 this wee...Very timely post, since Williams turns 76 this week!<BR/><BR/>You are absolutely right about the Williams/Altman relationship. Images remains one of my favorite Williams scores.<BR/><BR/>Williams' work with Oliver Stone has always impressed me (Born on the Fourth of July, JFK, Nixon), even though Stone has not utilized the composer in his more intimate or frenzied films. He very much drew on Williams' ability to create sweeping orchestral colors to bolster the presidential narratives.<BR/><BR/>I have always admired Jerry Goldsmith's short collaboration with Paul Verhoeven. Goldsmith added a sense of urgency and drive to a film like Total Recall, and provided the missing eroticism in Basic Instinct through his silky music.<BR/><BR/>They only collaborated on three films together (Hollow Man being the third), but these are three fine examples of how images and music can be deftly blended.<BR/><BR/>You also can't ignore Goldsmith's fun and eclectic relationship with Joe Dante. The 'burbs being my favorite. <BR/><BR/>Another great post.<BR/><BR/>Ben<BR/>www.aspectratio.wordpress.comBenjamin Wrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07813068328694837011noreply@blogger.com