Composer for Part III's Score
Posted by apollo2112 10 years, 9 months ago to Entertainment
There has been a lot of questions asked of us recently (which is great, I'm glad that our feedback is constantly being asked for), but I just wanted to go over a topic that hasn't really been covered yet. I think Elia Cmiral should return as the composer of the score for Part III. There was nothing wrong with the score of Part II, but Cmiral's "John Galt Theme" from Part I is an incredible and emotional piece of music. I'd really love to hear him give a stab at writing Hally's Fifth Concerto as well.
Unlike Maurice Jarre's memorable use of leitmotifs in Doctor Zhivago (e.g., "Laura's Theme"), people didn't exactly leave the theater after watching AS-I humming "John Galt's Theme." And that silly interlude of the solo piano recital by Richard Halley in Part II, in which his music sounded like a composition student's medley of Prokofiev and Gershwin instead of a full-blooded romanticism as Rand had in mind, was not only pointless, but a missed opportunity: couldn't Halley's piano music have reprised some of the film's musical score, so as to lend a bit of structural unity to the musical element of the whole production?
I actually liked the sound tracks from both movies and play them all the time. Part 1 was powerful, full of energy and forward motion. Part II carried the feel of things halting, desperation and disrepair and trying hard to change it. It fits the feeling of today.
That's because it makes people think of something else when they hear it.
Anyway, it's not exactly up there with great film scores like "Exodus," "Lawrence of Arabia", "Laura", "Gone With The Wind", "A Man and a Woman", "Patton", not to mention good old "Star Wars."
And for all of the producers' efforts at hiring television people, one would think the composer could have done something a bit more in line with famous iconic scores for well known television series from the past: The A-Team, The Rockford Files, Kojak, Remington Steele, Airwolf, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Mission Impossible, Mannix, The Name of the Game, It Takes a Thief, etc.
These scores vary greatly in style, but they are sophisticated, immediately memorable, and bear a close emotional resemblance to their dramatic subject matters.
The Atlas scores were generic sounding "McMusic."
I liked the part that said "The End".
Spellbound (1945). There is a scene where Gregory Peck is looking at himself in a mirror. He has a razor. He may or may not be a crazy killer. All that you really see in the film is GP looking in the mirror. Watch this scene with the sound down. Not very effective. Now add Miklos Rozsa's music and his use of the Theremin. Feel a difference.
Check out the scene in Jaws (1975) where the guys on the boat 1st encounter the monster or shark. Your choice. After the shark makes his jump out of the water the boys get all excited moving about the boat. Turn down the sound and watch them when only their feet appear walking along the edges of the boat. Whoa. Will they fall in. Without the sound you get some feet. With John Williams haunting and exciting theme what a difference.
In Patton (1970) there is a scene where the American soldiers are moving to help rescue the guys trapped by the Germans during the Battle of the Bulge. George C. Scott is talking to a cocommander about the men marching 100 miles in the dead of winter to do their duty. Then he walks down and talks with the soldiers on the move. No dialogue just the rising triumph of Jerry Goldsmiths magnificent work.
In AS! Elia C. performs the same magic. Here is the quote from the review I have posted in the Movie section. "There is one scene near the end of the film which features a train ride and utilizing Elias Cmiral’s fine score and theme this one scene has an emotional impact and exhilaration that is worth the cost of admission alone." And here is what I wrote in the ASII review. " This film has a good score by Chris Bacon (who provided the great Bernard Herrmannesque score to Source Code). The real loss to ASII is the exclusion of Elia Cmiral’s beautiful score including his melodic John Galt Theme. His use of that theme in his scoring of “the opening of the John Galt Line” in part 1 was a true demonstration of how screen visuals and music can create pure movie magic. He should have been there for the entire series"
To further explain. The scene shows 2 people boarding a train. The train begins to move. We see the scenery. The train moving along. The two people viewing and enjoying the ride. Watch this scene silent. Then watch it with EC's incredible music present. The entire scene has an emotional impact only there with this particular music.
At this point I believe EC has at least a verbal OK to do ASIII. I, for one, hope the Producers include his work for the finale.
"Thinking Man's theme" is an argument from intimidation. ... and what if you are a woman?