Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site wjvax.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!ihnp4!crsp!pesnta!wjvax!ron
From: ron@wjvax.UUCP (Ron Christian)
Newsgroups: net.movies
Subject: Re: Music in films set in history
Message-ID: <465@wjvax.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 20-May-85 23:40:50 EDT
Article-I.D.: wjvax.465
Posted: Mon May 20 23:40:50 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 23-May-85 03:18:35 EDT
References: <759@mtgzz.UUCP>
Organization: Watkins Johnson, San Jose, Calif.
Lines: 65

****
A while back when I was writing by review of LADYHAWKE I made a
statement that bothered me at the time and I was surprised nobody took
me to task on it.  I said:

 >And speaking of things out of place, Andrew Powell's rock
 >score is totally inappropriate.  He takes scenes that
 >otherwise have a beautiful period and wreaks real havoc with
 >the spirit and texture of the film.

[deleted...]

The music of the age
that LADYHAWKE is set in did not have music much like anything that we
currently hear in films, -- why does certain music in films sound
appropriate to the period and other music does not?  There seems to be
something in the scores of some films that make them seem to fit into a
period of history, but for the life of me I am not sure what there is
in the music that makes it seem that way.

[deleted...]


				Mark Leeper
				...ihnp4!mtgzz!leeper
***

Mark, I didn't see either of the other two movies you mentioned, so
didn't feel qualified to comment on them and therefor deleted those
parts from your text.  I did not like much of the music of Ladyhawke,
and will try to convey my feelings on why.

I think you are really close.  Correct me if I'm wrong, but you
are trying to say that although the music seemed anacronistic,
a different score (say, a orchestral arrangement) would seem more
appropriate, even though it's just as anacronistic.  Why?

One could argue that orchestral music, for instance, is 'timeless', equally
appropriate for 'A long time ago in a galaxy far far away', the middle ages,
or the present.  But, I have a feeling that a synthesized score without the
rock-and-roll drums would have been wonderful for Ladyhawke.  Some of the
quieter music fit the scenes so well I hardly noticed it.  Part of the problem,
then, is the rock (or pop) feel of the main theme.  It included a lot of pop
music cliches that are inextricably tied to a particular era.  And it's the
wrong era.

Here's the other part:  Some music mediums are more 'transparent' than others.
For instance, orchestral music can set a mood without making a statement.
You can watch, oh, Quest for Fire without thinking 'Gee, they didn't have
violins in the stone age'.  I think the same is true for synthesized music.
It's not strongly typed.  But throw in the drum kit and electric gituar
and suddenly your *instruments* themselves are making a musical statement.
Tied to an era.  And sound funny in other settings.

So the question of how appropriate a score is boils down to two parts:
1)  Does the compositional style fit, and 2) do the instruments lend
themselves to establishing the correct mood.  The score to Ladyhawke blew
it on both counts.

That's all I've got.  This is as hard as defining the concept of 'quality'.
-- 
__
	Ron Christian  (Watkins-Johnson Co.  San Jose, Calif.)
	{pesnta,twg,ios,qubix,turtlevax,tymix,vecpyr,certes}!wjvax!ron
	"What do you mean you backed it up the wrong direction???"