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Which Bond film do you think benefitted the most from its accompanying soundtrack?
R1s1ngs0n
France
As much as we love the Bond films, it is no secret than some of them were immeasurably augmented by their soundtracks.
If it were not for the miraculous talents of John Barry (and to a much lesser extent, those who came after him) some of these films would be quite painful to sit through.
List your top 3 of ‘stinkers’ that are made watchable largely thanks to the music.
If it were not for the miraculous talents of John Barry (and to a much lesser extent, those who came after him) some of these films would be quite painful to sit through.
List your top 3 of ‘stinkers’ that are made watchable largely thanks to the music.
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Comments
1. Moonraker
2. Diamonds Are Forever
3. The Man With The Golden Gun
I expect MR to be in many top 3 and for good reason. Having rewatched it recently after a long time it is simply ridiculous how JB’s marvelous score (almost) lets us forget that we are watching a complete farce.
Now let’s be clear, there are several segments in the movie I actually like (the mind blowing PTS, the dark stuff with Corrine, the centrifuge and the Carnaval) but the rest... 🥺
Such a shame that the tapes for the missing incidental music are not available as I’d love for the complete soundtrack to be released... maybe someday 🤞
DAF is Barry’s most eclectic work for a Bond film and it plays to the film’s strengths being that it is quite an odd affair.
The soundtrack wasn’t initially one of my favorites but after giving it several careful listens I finally grasped its brilliance.
Camp and laughable special effects are abound in DAF (Wint & Kidd, space diamond laser to name a few) but Barry’s eerie and majestic cues just draw us in, unable to look away.
Barring that infamous ‘slide whistle’ the soundtrack for TMWTGG is one I listen to on a regular basis.
Considering Barry had to compose the music in a rush, the results are even more testament to his genius.
Often considered Barry’s weakest score for a Bond film, I find it contains some of his most memorable cues, like Scaramanga’s funhouse and especially the exquisite main theme instrumental which is vastly superior to the song itself.
The fact that this movie sits at #10 on my top ten favorite Bond films owes a lot to Barry’s underrated score.
I think I will say LALD. The musical style just fits the general vibe of the film perfectly and elevates it to a different level. MR and YOLT are other worthy mentions.
An approach resulting in adventures that don't shy away from ticking off every Bond trope box. By DAD this had become ridiculous, but even TND and TWINE are a bit pastiche at times. Let's also not forget GE does it too in places: the opening stunt, the DB5, the casino, the line, the Q scene,....
One of the things that makes GE unique, less clichéd if you will and maybe even an overall better piece of cinema, is its hugely atypical score. Where other Pierce entries belt out different remixes of the Bond Theme, accentuating how "Bond" it all is, GE actually has a score that accentuates the film's atmosphere.
You may like it or not like it, to each his own of course, and I am in no way saying Arnold did a bad job on those other entries, but it's hard not to acknowledge that Serra's post-industrial soundscapes provide the film with a distinguishable atmosphere that makes it stand out amongst the rest of its era.
So good you almost don’t care what’s happening on screen.
DAF and MR are very enjoyable films and their scores fit them, rather than elevate them. For instance the music for the death of Corinne is wonderful, but it doesn’t really improve the scene, because the visuals are wonderful too. Whereas in TMWTGG the score actually improves the visuals. (Except the slide whistle.)
All opinion of course.
I agree with you here. There are some absolute clangers on that score, but most of the cues do enhance the atmosphere very much. The 'statue graveyard' scene is a prime example.
+1. AVTAK is easily worse film than either FYEO or GE but I've probably watched it more than either of those two and I think Barry's magnificent score is the primary reason. It's like it's from a different film entirely.
+1. I actually consider MR a slight improvement over its similar and much more acclaimed immediate predecessor TSWLM and the John Barry score is a large reason why.
This. 100%.