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Comments
The fact that so many have put it last only goes to show how bad it is regarded.
Well, it was actually out of place. Kershner didn’t like the original music Legrand had scored for that part so he used music that had been intended for elsewhere in the film (not that the switcherooed track was any good either, of course). Kershner actually said on the DVD commentary that the score lets the rest of the film down. NSNA being the first one out is no surprise really. The score's lows are awfully low.
That is a lovely song. I didn't factor any songs, even non-title ones, into my ranking of the scores, but the instrumental part of "Une chanson d'amour" is similar to some of the better parts of NSNA's score.
Still, it has its moments. The part where Bond and Domino dance has always captured my attention since first viewing. I don't outright hate the score, just wish it had been used for another film more fitting, as many of you have pointed out.
I'm not sure but we're certainly in alignment there. I could see it being CR '67, simply because it's "unofficial" and a lot of folks around here seem to rank that, NSNA, etc. in a similar way solely because they aren't official installments, but SP is in my next spot, as well.
CR '67 does have some fun parts and some lovely parts, but the silliness is rather too much for me to enjoy the score as much as I do most other James Bond scores. Listening to CR '67, I at times feel like po-faced Tommy Lee Jones saying, "I cannot sanction your buffoonery."
I would also say SP deserves to be next. Uninspired and often simply a boring score. The first part of the PTS had great music, though.
I also like the melody of the title track used again after the train fight and I like it when the music kicks in right in the middle of that fight. Not sure if there is another part that stood out for me. :-?
It has a neat sound, but it does go on (for me at least). I do like those big Thunderballesque brass screams that blare over the Thames chase.
"Los Muertos Vivos Estan" was a great way to open the film. One of Spectre's better cues.
Another standout moment. A bit over-the-top as used in the film, but memorable and very nicely orchestrated.
Dr. No is another I'm expecting will turn up soon. The James Bond theme aside (which, let's be honest, turns up in every film), Monty Norman's clunky 50s monster movie stock library cues are embarrassing next to, well, any other score in the series.
The repeating of too many cues from Skyfall—a good enough score in its own right—was the most disappointing aspect of Spectre. Each Bond film should have its own unique identity, and the individuality of the music is a big part of that.
I know these things are (technically) subjective(?) but the NSNA score is an abomination. I mean, I don't think the non-EON films really even count in general and I'm conflicted about even including them in these rankings, but this is a case where this is a full head below any other "contestant". I said it earlier in the thread, but this is one of the worst scores in movie history.
SPECTRE
Music composed by
THOMAS NEWMAN
Nowhere near the embarrassment of NSNA but still a pretty poor showing for Newman's second turn, 12 members gave it a bottom 5 notation, including one last place.
Taking the unofficial entries out of the equation for a moment, SP also received the most bottom 2's from the EON's, 7 in total.
Its best finishes were two 10th places, one 11th place and also one 15th spot.
The original music of SP received 70 points in total.
I think I had it around number 10, and was surprised to find it there.
It is, as you say, a very ambient score, but I think it suits the somewhat ghostly atmosphere of the movie quite well and it's grown on me quite a bit. I even enjoy listening to the soundtrack album. Some of the recycling works thematically, but obviously it'd be nice if it were all new. But nothing here is as egregious as terrible Dr No cues coming back for FRWL.
I'm not shocked to see it rank this low, as the more intense critics of Spectre tend to hold every aspect of it as being the Worst Thing Ever. And if someone doesn't like ambient scores for their Bond films (which is quite understandable), that's also gonna hurt it, though I suspect Skyfall will do quite a bit better.
I'll only be disappointed if Dr No doesn't show up within the next two. That's the only one that, to my ears anyway, is actually badly done even on a technical level. The haphazard editing of the Bond theme is shocking in places. And the less said about the hacky 1950s monster movie cues, the better. It's the only EON Bond score I actually dislike.
Second to last for me was GE, which has some really nice tracks, but most of it is pretty boring.
My favourite musical moment in the film is the use of Vivaldi during the scene where Lucia returns home and ends with Bond dispatching her assassins.