It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
^ Back to Top
The MI6 Community is unofficial and in no way associated or linked with EON Productions, MGM, Sony Pictures, Activision or Ian Fleming Publications. Any views expressed on this website are of the individual members and do not necessarily reflect those of the Community owners. Any video or images displayed in topics on MI6 Community are embedded by users from third party sites and as such MI6 Community and its owners take no responsibility for this material.
James Bond News • James Bond Articles • James Bond Magazine
Comments
I already created that. In a thread here. Sure, it is all in your imagination so far, but you know what they say about quantum physics.
Absolutely, @DaltonCraig007. Newman cannot be defended. I get the feeling that he had a lot of other film compositions he was balancing when he worked with Mendes on these films, especially during SP, and so to fill in corners he just reused uninspired music from SF over again. The music does its job, but never makes you feel anything like Barry's music always did. You could feel the notes going through you every time, like auditory ecstasy. I like Tennyson's Ulysses track, but outside of that nothing he's done has come within a country mile of Barry's lesser scores, which are still better than many people's best efforts besides.
It's a shame Barry was never given the accolades he deserved, but he had the respect of his colleagues and helped bring the longest running franchise of all time to iconic levels, so stuff the rest of it. He'll be talked about by us and cinema lovers beyond forever, while Newman will have to do his best to avoid being a footnote in some respects, despite his cute little golden men.
Apparently EON weren't a big fan of Newman either, if the reports of tensions during production were to be believed.
I still have the opinion that there was tension among all involved.
I do hope so. Arnold's return would keep me optimistic with the music department, that's for sure.
Arnold has always been a supporter of the series and has always voiced his interest in doing more films. Unless we have another instance of a director insisting they bring their own composer in, I am confident (and relieved) Arnold will be writing the music for Bond 25.
Imagine Arnold had done the score for SF and SP.
SF especially could have been elevated to a whole different level.
Newman is the biggest mistake that EON ever made.
Especially if Chris Cornell comes back to the theme song.
What's even better about that pairing is the inevitability that Deakins would return, as well, since he typically works with Villeneuve. I'm excited to see just how beautiful 'Blade Runner 2' is going to look with both of them on board.
Agreed 100%.
@royale65, I would actually love for "You Know My Name" to play during the credit's of Craig's last Bond film. It'd be the perfect tribute to the era his song kicked off, and to say quite simply of Dan that, "you know this man's name now, he's made history with this character."
@BondJasonBond006, one of the things I actually like most about SP is that it doesn't focus on score in moments of character drama where some composers would try to fit in dramatic music. I really appreciate how quiet a movie SP is at times, and how the score fades away at key moments to really let the atmosphere and ambient sounds of the scenes to take precedence. The Rome SPECTRE meeting is beautiful in this way, as is the Hinx fight, where you hear all the crunches, smashes, and sweeps of wind as Bond and the baddie brawl in the carriage, sans score. Pure, intense atmosphere.
In many ways, I thank Newman for being so creatively barren with his score for this film, as it paved the way for what I feel is an interesting approach to using sound in a blockbuster that relies more on the absence of sound than a booming score and walls of sound that kick up at each moment of tension.
But that's just me. ;)
That's an interesting take on the music of Spectre there, @0BradyM0Bondfanatic7. Now, one might say praising the "invisibility" of the music is just a way to excuse its blandness and sheer dearth of creativity (particularly when you take into account the droning action music and lifted Skyfall sections) ;), but as I'm on the verge of rewatching Spectre for the first time since seeing it in theaters, I'll take into account what you suggest here and see if I can agree.
Actually the score in SP doesn't bother me much. The reason is what you described. So you are spot on as always.
The problem only is, that "doesn't bother me much" is just not the same as "is freaking spectacular" what always applies to Arnold or of course the one and only John Barry.
Me too. I'm not prepared for another Bond reboot! For once, I'd like to see a Blofeld story with the Garden of Death conclusion.
My wishful thinking is that they expand the franchise into a Cinematic Universe, with stand-alone films about Felix Leiter and some of the villains (a Blofeld centred movie or a Goldfinger one, building momentum to next Bond film). It would fill the void between Bond films.
And a film about other 00's with Bond making a cameo. Then we could have a gay 00, a female agent and a black one, as well.
This site reported he had 2 more AFTER Skyfall (so Bond 25 is his last). WILL STAR IN AT LEAST 5
https://www.mi6-hq.com/sections/articles/craig_five_bond_movies_deal.php3
Also, multiple reports of Michael Wilson wanting him to do 8...
http://www.nme.com/filmandtv/news/daniel-craig-to-become-longest-serving-james-bond/255888 [/quote]
That's why you should be careful evaluating what Michael G. Wilson says. Longer pauses between Bond movies (which MGW wants) work against Craig doing eight Bond films.
I don't think you can really give credit for him not putting scoring certain scenes can you? Surely that is a directorial decision? Mendes says 'I want the Hinx fight to have no music so we hear and feel every punch' and so there's no music.
'Creatively barren'. That's an eloquent turn of phrase. I'd have said 'lazy rehash of SF' myself but then I'm no poet.
The Rome meeting allows you to hear all the coughing and anxious ticks of all the SPECTRE members, the shuffling of their chairs as they jump up to meet Blofeld's command, the sound of the villain's own footsteps booming as he is escorted to his seat, and then the sound of Blofeld's own ominous whispers to his agents that feel unsettling to me in the purest way. There's something so beautifully "off" with that scene and how easily it makes me feel like Bond, out of sorts, uncomfortable and discombobulated while stumbling upon a cult like conspiracy with immense worldwide control.
And of course in the Hinx fight example, using a score in this instance wouldn't have been effective for me, personally. I'd have hated for a score to boom in as each punch was thrown, as it would've felt too overblown, as if the movie was making too much of an effort to make me artificially feel tension. In the film as we have it, Mendes and his team cut out the score and as a result, we get nothing but the pure, unbridled tension of Bond, Hinx and the atmosphere they maneuver inside. The walls of the carriage creak and snap as Bond is tossed into and through those barriers, the glass of mirrors shatter and dance with crunchy sound as the pair tussle in that claustrophobic space, and the dinner plates and pans clang and ping as they are thrown around in disarray and used as weapons. The small compartment of the carriage set allows all of this great sound to take over and reach directly to your eardrums unfettered by a score, and it's so thrilling to hear just those noises as Bond and Hinx fight, making it feel all the more real to the eye. The first time I watched it I was in awe of how intense it felt, and the movie almost tricked me into thinking Bond was a goner near the end.
I know many here want every Bond film to use the theme frequently and really pack in the score with lots of musical energy, and I get that, but this film proves to me the value of letting sound outside the score to take precedence at salient times. There's an artfulness to the way sound is used in SP that makes it feel a part of the cinematic tradition of inventiveness. It's a blockbuster, but one that is crafted with hands that really know how to innovate with visuals and audio to make each scene feel like a completely new experience through just the scenes atmosphere, and I love that. SP feels like a 70s influenced film to me at times because of these aspects of its scenes and how these elements of its production were used.
@Some_Kind_Of_Hero, I'm very interested to see if you agree with me on the use of sound in SP once you watch it, so be sure to share your thoughts with me when you've revisited it. I think you'll gain a lot of mileage looking at SP as a film with moments of surprising quiet to it, where character and character interaction drive the heart of the movie, where a big focus is on family and specifically fatherhood. I've done a few posts on the themes I see in SP, if you'd be interested to read those. I love talking about this film, and I like to see different impressions on just what its core themes may be.
The score is not the worst part of this film for me. I thought it fit in nicely with what was on the screen, but I admit that SF seemed much fresher.
I have to agree regarding Newman. I enjoyed his SP considerably more than his SF effort although I liked both. Newman gets an unfair rap in my opinion for SP for being just a rehash of his SP score. He did reuse some themes especially in the PTS and his detractors tuned out pretty much after that.
Now I like Arnold too.. and appreciate his fandom of the series so don't attack me for liking both.
I don't like the electronic sound though.. I mean I prefer actual instruments and musicians not button pushers.
Having said that I still kinda want a new sound. There are plenty talented artists out there.
I found David Arnold's score for DAD just a load of tech noise. Very tiresome to listen at.
My choice for a composer would be Daniel Pemberton or Henry Jackman. There's way more melody in their compositions.
@TheWizardOfIce, those choices in scoring I would attribute to Mendes' direction, yes, and not any choice Newman made. I read my post back and at the start it did sound like I was making Newman seem like he was the creative mind behind that, so sorry for that confusion in wording. What I meant was I think many composers working on a blockbuster film would likely want to really punch up the action with a score in scenes of action or tension, but I'm glad Mendes and his team chose to go a different route and didn't advise on the use of music in a lot of what I see as pivotal scenes, including the Rome meeting and Hinx fight, as detailed. I love the sound design in the movie, and I can't image those scenes or others like it, including even the more intimate Moroccan hotel scenes, featuring a score with greater presence.
Sorry for the confusion on my part.