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As for Eric Serra, his score for GE was absolutely terrible. This is one of the reasons why I don't hold GE in such high regard in comparison to Brosnan's other films, as most others do.
David Arnold otoh os an excellent composer, although he never quite achieved the extremely high standard set by Barry, he came close. I was very disappointed that he didn't return for SPECTRE.
Agreed. Really not seeing what a lot of people are seeing in Newman's stuff. What people are judging as classy I only hear empty, unpassionate noise. That's not class.
This. Newman's scores don't sound very classy to me. They sound atypical and generic to any modern movie today. It's safe and inoffensive. No power or identity to it.
However, those who advocate for Arnold's return may want to consider expanding their horizons imho. There are far better options out there, and Bond deserves them......in fact I think Bond demands a change.
Arnold is no Barry (I think even his fans should, perhaps reluctantly, realize this). So why keep asking for someone who is not even close to the best? Is that all Bond is good for? I think not.
It's one thing to understand what your master is doing, but it's another thing entirely to imitate properly, with all the nuances, panache, subtlety, polish & virtousity of the person you are trying to emulate.
That's why I agree with an earlier post somewhere that said that Conti's score was better than Arnold's work. There are things about Conti's score that I absolutely abhor (including the disco that is terribly dated) but when he tries to channel Barry, it sounds to me like the work of a contemporary of Barry's delving into another genre. Someone with the same skill level but perhaps less experience in this area. Same goes for Hamlisch, Martin, & Kamen. To a lesser degree, Newman & Serra. They all sound like they belong in this rarified company. There is a musical creativity there that I can sense.
Apart from a few tracks, Arnold just seemed to be a few pegs lower on the skill level to me. Like he was in over his head. Like an amateur. That's because when he was bad, he was god awful to my ears and in those instances, he sounded like he was trying too hard. Over-scoring it and over-dramatizing it. A better composer would have known when to dial it back.
He did have a few good pieces though.
I don't think my view is in the minority.
He'll never top Barry no, but always delivered something energetic, daring and memorable. Granted there are some Arnold tracks I don't like either. I think he did go too far with the electronica elements at times but with the 90's that what was new sound for scoring. But Arnold was best when he used the Bond theme. He knew just how to use it.
I still there are far better composers out there. People who, when you watch a film composed by them, you know they are creatively impressive, even if you've never heard of them. People who you know can step up and deliver with an inventive sound for Bond if given the chance.
After all, who had really heard of Barry before Bond?
The problem these days is EON seems to have gone soft again, eg:
-Smith rather than the daring of Cornell,
-Waltz, who let's face it is rather predictable rather than the daring of Bardem, Mikkelsen or Almaric.
So I wonder if they will have the creative eye or 'balls' to look outside for someone suitable on the musical front.
It appears that nearly all the one-off composers were recommended by Barry except Newman who came with Mendes, so they may end up going with whoever is the next director's favourite, which may be a shame.
I don't hate Newman's score. They are fine within the films but on their own there's just not much. I listen to the Bond scores heavily outside of watching the films. I just wish the Bond theme was used more. Not overdone of course but just more of it.
I agree with you @Getafix. To be honest it reminded me of a moment in the terrible Die Hard 5 (the theatrical cut) when Willis answers a call mid chase to his daughter.
Certainly less so than "City Of Lovers", for example.
This is how you do a romantic cue. Simple, elegant, never trying to stand in for the romance, it compliments it. It's a wisdom that separates composers like Barry from hacks like Arnold. It's why Arnold has been stuck doing TV work instead of doing prestigious movies like Barry or Newman.
I don't think it deliberately set itself out as being soft, I think it was success buying success. Smith is the hot thing in British music, just like Adele before him. Javier Bardem had won an Oscar for best Supporting Male Actor for No Country for Old Men. Waltz Inglourious Basterds and Django won the same awards. Lea Sedoux has been nominated and many thought she should have won for her role in Inglourious Basterds. Fiennes nominated Best actor The English Patient and supporting for Schindler's List and Andrew Scott BAFTA for best supporting actor for Sherlock.
But going forward if they stay down this same path, I would love to see Jean Dujardin or Chiwetel Ejiofor playing a villain.
I realize this is a matter of opinion, but from a song perspective (Smith is no Adele.....not even close) and a villain casting perspective (henchman and main villains) I find it terribly predictable. I did not feel that way about CR/QoS in particular and even SF (Marlohe/Harris even though I'm not a fan/Bardem who is not all that good with English). It was edgy, imho. Success always breeds this kind of cautiousness, I've noticed. Only after a critical (DAD) or commercial (LTK) failure do we see the best from EON it seems.
Let's please move on from this fellow, who's already had far more than his 15 minutes with Bond. He may have improved, but we still have to live forever with the banality and hackneyed nature of his first few. In total, his contributions are best remembered as trite imho.
Arnold on the other hand did some fantastic and very memorable things for the franchise. I'm not talking about his "Shaken and stirred" album, but his scores for TND, CR and QoS. He did have a techno phase with Brosnan, but his themes "Surrender", "The World Is Not Enough", "You Know My Name" and "Vesper" are brilliant. He knows both how to compose a wonderful theme song and how to create a vivid soundtrack around it.
I've read somewhere that people find he "throws it all down the sink", and might be too bombastic. Fair point, but like stated on this thread before, I think he gets better and better every time. Arnold is also heavily depended on the script, as this is what he initially uses to compose most of the soundtrack.
His work may have had its flaws, but those can be neglected when listening to the brilliance of the rest of his work. @bondjames always has a good argument to experiment and expand beyond known territories, whereas I usually opt for a safe bet. Arnold is just that. Would have loved to hear what he would have done with SPECTRE.
For his actual latest work on Bond, please listen to the supposed main theme of QoS again. It's a masterpiece.
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Yeah, in fact the majority of his music for DAD was different in the film, save for the first part of the ice chase. The majority of the electronics were bumped up for the album release. They do get a bit grating at points but it's the only score of his that does, for me. The majority of it is pretty good.
It helps that Nick Dodd is one of the best conductors around. Seeing them live is a treat.