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JeffTHX
Cadet 4
Joined: Jun 22, 2003
Member#: 2165
Posts: 17
Location: Gainesville, FL
   
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 Posted:
Tue Sep 27, 2005 12:14 am Post subject: AFI announces 25 Greatest Film Scores |
 
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Here's the complete list of AFI's 25 Greatest Film Scores:
Star Wars (1977); John Williams
Gone with the Wind (1939); Max Steiner
Lawrence of Arabia (1962); Maurice Jarre
Psycho (1960); Bernard Herrmann
The Godfather (1972); Nino Rota
Jaws (1975); John Williams
Laura (1944); David Raskin
The Magnificent Seven (1960); Elmer Bernstein
Chinatown (1975); Jerry Goldsmith
High Noon (1952); Dimitri Tiomkin
The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938); Erich Wolfgang Korngold
Vertigo (1958); Bernard Herrmann
King Kong (1933); Max Steiner
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982); John Williams
Out of Africa (1985); John Barry
Sunset Boulevard (1950); Franz Waxman
To Kill a Mockingbird (1962); Elmer Bernstein
Planet of the Apes (1968); Jerry Goldsmith
A Streetcar Named Desire (1951); Alex North
The Pink Panther (1964); Henry Mancini
Ben-Hur (1959); Miklos Rozsa
On the Waterfront (1954); Leonard Bernstein
The Mission (1986); Ennio Morricone
On Golden Pond (1981); David Grusin
How the West Was Won (1962); Alfred Newman |
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 Pixie
Lieutenant Commander
Joined: May 14, 2002
Member#: 90
Posts: 372
Location: Los Angeles, CA
 
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Posted:
Tue Sep 27, 2005 9:15 am Post subject: |
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Cocles and I were at the concert where they revealed these. The orchestra was wonderful, but I must say I really don't agree with many of the choices they made.
They also played an encore of the best song which was "Somewhere Over The Rainbow." They had the scene from the movie with Judy Garland up on the screen, her vocals and the orchestra in the background. |
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Rogue
Lieutenant Junior Grade
Joined: Feb 01, 2005
Member#: 9061
Posts: 57
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Posted:
Wed Sep 28, 2005 9:18 am Post subject: |
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It's par for the course for the AFI and their lists, meaning it's not a bad list, per se, since most of the selections are, objectively, worth while and even great.
But it's not a particularly good list either because there are tons of better scores than some of those selections.
The two most egregious errors that immediately leapt out at me?
1. Vertigo is, in fact, about five times better than Psycho.
and
2. The Mission should be in the top five, not the top twenty-five. |
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Francel
Ensign
Joined: Sep 02, 2004
Member#: 7814
Posts: 40
Location: Mexico City, MX / Wellington, NZ
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Posted:
Wed Sep 28, 2005 2:26 pm Post subject: |
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Well, this list has sure raised many eyebrows around the industry. Firstly, I must say that I agree with it only partially.
I think many people have been misguided about it. It's not a "this is better than this other" list. They're just noting scores that are, quite simply, memorable, of course hand in hand with the film it was created for. This is important in the sense that it's music that has created a set of values where you just hear a theme an you go "Oh, it's the music from THAT movie!", so they're not really giving merit to the composition itself, it's movie music.
If it were just a BEST OF list well, then it would become exactly the same thing as two kids fighting over a vanilla ice-cream vs. a chocolate ice cream. Which one is better? Beats me, but I have a special affinity for the vanilla ice cream, does this mean I'm wrong? Is the other kid wrong?
AFI's Alison Deknatel noted this list was created to raise a bigger awareness of film music, and believe it or not, there are thousands of people who have not heard a single of these scores (with the possible exception of Star Wars). So the indication and the purposes are of course, to be acknowledged as an educational tool, which quite frankly never hurts. This part above I agree, as a listening guideline if I have no idea about these scores. However there are some other variables here that are confusing.
So, what was the criteria used? Here it comes.
1. An original music composition written to serve as the dramatic underscore to an American film
released in the sound era.
2. CREATIVE IMPACT
Film Scores that enrich the moviegoing experience by bringing the emotional elements of a film's story to life.
3. HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE
Film Scores that create a new sound and, therefore, present the film in a distinct fashion while
advancing the art forms.
4. LEGACY
Film Scores that are also enjoyed apart from the movie and evoking the memory of its film
source, thus ensuring and enlivening both the music and the movie's historical legacy.
Okee, so the thing is, I can look at that list and say, "Naaaah, this shouldn't be here, THIS should be here, blah blah blah". No one is going to agree.
What I do know is wrong with this list, IMHO, is calling it "25 GREATEST FILM SCORES OF ALL TIME" and this is where I go "Oh really, where's Sarde, where's Delerue, where's Bacalov, where's Nieto, where's Kilar, where's Wiseman" so on and so on and surely you don't think The Mission is Morricone's magnum opus or most influential score when this guy has written over 400 scores in his lifetime. Again, it's not a BEST OF list, so yeah, bear with me a little more.
So this is the part where some funky character comes to me and whispers: "Pssst, but they're only focusing on American films". Ooooooooooh, gotcha. Well then can someone explain to me what are titles like Lawrence of Arabia and The Mission doing here? Because the last time I looked, these were British films. Don't believe me? Check the copyright office.
So what is this? Surely the AFI is not trying to create a microcosmos that presumes the US is the center of film music (although it may well be from a business point of view). That is quite clear. So what good can I obtain from this list? Well, again, if you haven't heard a single of these, oh lord, do so because you are missing a lot. But if you're a seasoned listener, well, no surprises here, all very standard. So, eh.
Perhaps the real point in all this nutty rambling of mine is just to say that, even if there are goods things and bad things to point out, lists are as worthwile, useful and wonderful as a one-eyed camel drinking pineapple juice while staring at the sunset.
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The good people sleep much better at night than the bad people. Of course, the bad people enjoy the waking hours much more. |
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