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Is your favorite film score of all time to a film you've never seen?


Dixon Hill

Is your favorite film score of all time to a film you've never seen?  

34 members have voted

  1. 1. Is your favorite film score of all time to a film you've never seen?

  2. 2. Is your favorite score from your favorite film?



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Since this came up in the MI thread and people seem to be skirting around what Koray actually said, namely about your ONE FAVORITE score, not "one of my favorites" or "one of my favorites years ago" or "one of my favorite Goldsmith's" (of course we like Jerry scores to movies we haven't seen), let's have an actual tally with respect to this actual unambiguous question, because I will be genuinely surprised if there are many yes's.

 

Is your FAVORITE film score of ALL TIME to a film you've never seen?

 

I like some scores to films I didn't really like, but I can't think of a single one I like that I haven't experienced as an actual score in the film.  I like to have that context at least once, and I reckon no matter how great the music, it's rare that a score will insert itself firmly into someone's life on its own, apart from any cinematic context, above all others.  

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Most scores I have listened to have been for movies I have never seen.  I loved the scores to Ben-Hur and Schindler's List (my two favorites) long before I actually saw the films.

I love Star Wars music. but care relatively little for the films.  For me, I pursue the music primarily.

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No Goldsmith examples, eh? Well...

I haven't seen Hook, The Boy Who Could Fly, Endurance, Harry and the Hendersons, Young Sherlock Holmes, Mars Needs Moms, The Monkey King, Pan, The Rocketeer or Wind.

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I remember really liking the Out of Africa score for years before I saw the movie (perhaps because it reminded me so much of Dance With Wolves). Once I saw the film, I appreciated the score even more.  It's one of my favourites, but not my favourite.

 

I had a similar experience with The Mission.

 

 

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5 minutes ago, kaseykockroach said:

Anyone who claims to be able to pick one single score as their all-time favorite above all others in the entire universe is lying/full of crap.

 

Wouldn't you have had to in fact heard every score in the "entire universe" to make such a claim?  Surely, one can only pick a favourite among those scores one has actually heard.

 

Some of you are off your game tonight.

 

1 minute ago, Steve McQueen said:

Absolutely adore The Mission.  

 

Everyone with a soul adores the score to The Mission.

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1 hour ago, Steve McQueen said:

Well, my favorite film is It's a Wonderful Life, so I voted no for the second question.

 

Although Tiomkin does provide a perfect score for a perfect movie.  It doesn’t lessen that accomplishment if the score isn’t a great listen on its own (although I still listen to it in the holiday season regularly, just as a souvenir really)

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Just now, Cherry Pie That'll Kill Ya said:

I have plenty of scores to films I've never seen but none of them are necessarily favourites.

Well, that's your own fault for watching King Solomon's Mines of all things!

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6 hours ago, Nick1066 said:

I had a similar experience with The Mission.

 

Ha! I still haven't seen that.

7 hours ago, Quintus said:

No. For me, my avenue to scores I love has always been through films I enjoy.

 

Goes for most people here, i guess.

 

It is so obvious to me because i find the slavish attachment to movies here quite the eye-roller, tbh. I'm the opposite, i enjoy, listen to and analyze the music and mostly don't give a toss about the movies they accompany - even if i saw lots of them and, especially true for movies i came through via the music, turned off a lot of them, just because i found the audio/video stimulus much less than what i found in it w/o seeing them.

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No, my favourite score is JURASSIC PARK, which I've seen more than 60 times.

 

It is, however, my favourite film as well, I think (with ALIEN and ALIENS very close behind).

 

Of my alltime Top 10 scores, there isn't anything I haven't seen -- but it's been many years since I saw BEYOND RANGOON (5th place) and JANE EYRE (6th place).

 

Perusing my top 50 scores, I can only find 3 I haven't seen -- PEYTON PLACE (41st), THE BIG COUNTRY (42nd), L'APOCALYPSE DES ANIMAUX (26th) and possibly SNOW FALLING ON CEDARS (21st), but I think I actually have seen the latter.

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I have many scores to films which I've not seen, but, in my mind, they are not film scores, as such, because I have no cinematic images to connect them with.

In that sense, they exist as pure musical passages.

My favourite score, is from my favourite film. It's the very best of the very best.

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I don't have a single one favorite film score ever, but the first, say, 5 scores that come to mind when pondering on that would be Fellowship of the Ring, Empire Strikes Back, Hook, Jurassic Park, and I dunno, Wrath of Khan.  I love all those movies, but is any of them favorite?  I dunno - I don't have a single favorite film either, and not even sure what would make up my top favorites or whatever, so I guess my answer is no to both questions.

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11 minutes ago, Richard said:

I have many scores to films which I've not seen, but, in my mind, they are not film scores, as such, because I have no cinematic images to connect them with.

In that sense, they exist as pure musical passages.

 

Exactly what I was thinking right now: Do you really have any reason to call it a favourite score if you didn't check out the intended context that actually makes it a score?

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But you don't enjoy it because it's a score (meaning how it connects to the specific plot/themes or how it enhances the picture), but because it's a good piece of music, regardless of the genre.

 

Shit we're arguing semantics again, sorry, I'll stop here.

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Really? I have a vague idea how a movie will play out when i know a bit about its production background and most of the time, i just don't care. I. e. i could suffer through 'Angels and Demons' which i once did for 10 minutes on a flight before deciding life's too short - but why would i? Of course i'd always watch a new Cameron - he's truly a cinema visionary - but do i need to see the whole of 'Alien: Covenant' to know what gigantic mainstream suck it will be or that there indeed isn't anything the score contributes? 

 

On the other hand, the comparisons of 'War Horse' prompted me to watch 'Au Hasard Balthazar', an old french movie by Robert Bresson which in part inspired the Hollywood product and it was a great find. But music wasn't a factor, as it often happens in such cases.

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10 hours ago, Bryant Burnette said:

I'd be unable to trust anyone whose favorite score was to a film they've never seen.  That's just weird.

 

Would you trust someone whose favorite piece of popular music was by an artist they've never seen in concert nor watched the music videos for? 

 

Would you trust someone who's never seen their favorite piece of classical music performed live? 

 

It's not a difficult concept. 

 

 

 

One of my all time favorite scores is Conan the Barbarian, ever since Napster in 2000 or so (don't worry, Joe, I own the Intrada and Tadlow). But I never saw the movie until 2011. It's still up there as far as scores, though the movie doesn't rank as high. 

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10 hours ago, Falafel said:

I like a lot of scores to films I haven't seen yet.

 

Well, sure.  Are any of them your favorite score, though?

5 hours ago, Wojism said:

 

Would you trust someone whose favorite piece of popular music was by an artist they've never seen in concert nor watched the music videos for? 

 

Would you trust someone who's never seen their favorite piece of classical music performed live? 

 

It's not a difficult concept.

 

Those are very different things.  A film score is, by definition, designed to support and enhance a movie.  Can it stand on its own?  Of course?

 

But in what scenario would a person have a #1 all-time favorite score and NOT want to see the movie for which it was created?  That would make no sense.

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I don't have a 'favourite' score, but the closest candidates will be to films I've seen.

 

That said, I've got many, many scores to films I haven't seen - certainly a significant part of my collection. I haven't seen Solo or JW:FK and yet I really like both. I even have the scores to six TV series that I've never seen! (and I keep remembering more)

 

I know Koray's comments were in response to a barrage of criticism against the music on album, and he does have a point in so far that some scores are hard to appreciate until you've seen the film, in terms of understanding the approach they took. Hence this is an interesting discussion, but not very revelatory -  I don't feel there was ever a serious suggestion that you had to watch a film before commenting on the score - just the shrapnel from Koray's out of the blue insistence that we must see the film first. (would it not be easier to acknowledge that the score isn't the strongest on album, but might appeal more when heard in the film, instead of launching off the deep end and causing a tsunami?)

 

And this year I put two complete scores into my collection for films I've never seen. Ironically, one of those is a score the composer didn't think worthy of any release at all!

 

23 minutes ago, Bryant Burnette said:

But in what scenario would a person have a #1 all-time favorite score and NOT want to see the movie for which it was created?  That would make no sense.

 

I know you're talking about #1s, but if we expand to 'favourite' then it doesn't sound that outlandish to me. I have a few scores that are in the top 3 for me for their composers, and I'm not really interested in the film, such as Zimmer's Thin Red Line and Newman's Little Women. I'm sure there are more.

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Dunno if I could pick my favourite film o score of all time but there are certainly loads of scores I enjoy but have never seen the films which they were written for 

 

Legends of the Fall, for example, I love the score but will probably never watch the film. 

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17 hours ago, publicist said:

especially true for movies i came through via the music, turned off a lot of them, just because i found the audio/video stimulus much less than what i found in it w/o seeing them.

There are tons of Goldsmith scores that should never be spoiled by their movies. Rambo 2, 3 and Damien had such kick-ass scores and I made the mistake and watched the lame movies. The movies were sooo lame and boring, it's really surprising to see that they were capable to destroy the effect of the music, when seen together.

 

I'll never watch Night Crossing and Star Trek: The Motion Picture.

 

I shouldn't have watched Ghost and Darkness and Damnation Alley.

 

6 hours ago, Wojism said:

One of my all time favorite scores is Conan the Barbarian, ever since Napster in 2000 or so (don't worry, Joe, I own the Intrada and Tadlow). But I never saw the movie until 2011. It's still up there as far as scores, though the movie doesn't rank as high. 

Great example! Ridiculously dumb movie. Incredibly powerfull and touching score.

 

1 hour ago, Bryant Burnette said:

But in what scenario would a person have a #1 all-time favorite score and NOT want to see the movie for which it was created?  That would make no sense.

Maybe there's a score that triggers a gorgeous series of images in your head, so that you don't want to see the movie, because you're afraid it could destroy your own imagination. And if that score happens to be your favourite score of all time...

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1 hour ago, Brundlefly said:

Maybe there's a score that triggers a gorgeous series of images in your head, so that you don't want to see the movie, because you're afraid it could destroy your own imagination. And if that score happens to be your favourite score of all time...

 

Cutthroat Island is a good example of that. The score is far better than the film deserves. 

 

20 minutes ago, kaseykockroach said:

Most of the best film scores tell more compelling stories than the films they're accompanying. 

 

A lot of really beautiful soundtracks to movies that I have not seen make me think the characters are just standing around listening to the music. 

 

And Star Trek: The Motionless Picture is a perfect example of just that. 

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