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Best film scores with an "ethnic" flair!


Josh500

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Which are they? I'll give you some examples which I personally find very great, just add to the list. Not just scores by JW, but by any film composer! 

 

By the way, just because the film is set in a particular region of the world, it doesn't mean the score accompanying the film is automatically ethnic. It's got to be able to be recognised as ethnic and stand on its own.

 

 

England: War Horse (I don't include the Harry Potter series, because IMO they're not necessarily recognisable as British music)

Ireland: Angela's Ashes, Far and Away

France: Sabrina

Russia: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull 

Africa, in general: Amistad, Congo (Jerry Goldsmith), The Ghost and the Darkness (Jerry Goldsmith)

Japan: Memoirs of a Geisha 

India: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom 

Egypt, Middle East in general: Raiders of the Lost Ark 

 

 

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43 minutes ago, Josh500 said:

Which are they? I'll give you some examples which I personally find very great, just add to the list. Not just scores by JW, but by any film composer! 

 

By the way, just because the film is set in a particular region of the world, it doesn't mean the score accompanying the film is automatically ethnic. It's got to be able to be recognised as ethnic and stand on its own.

 

 

England: War Horse (I don't include the Harry Potter series, because IMO they're not necessarily recognisable as British music)

Ireland: Angela's Ashes, Far and Away

France: Sabrina

Russia: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull 

Africa, in general: Amistad, Congo (Jerry Goldsmith), The Ghost and the Darkness (Jerry Goldsmith)

Japan: Memoirs of a Geisha 

India: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom 

Egypt, Middle East in general: Raiders of the Lost Ark 

 

 

 

Ireland: Michael Collins. Better than the twobyouve mentioned! Titanic and Braveheart have always sounded particularly Irish to me.

 

France: Hugo by Shore sounds very French to me.

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The parameters are so wide, I wouldn't know where to start or stop (this is a particular favourite "genre" of mine). But I could easily rattle off a dozen or so Hans Zimmer scores in this idiom alone, which IMO are the pinnacle of this particular approach.

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1 hour ago, Cherry Pie That'll Kill Ya said:

It's really weird, ask anyone in Sydney what "ethnic" means, they'll tell you it means something from the Middle East.

 

Ask anybody in America what "freedom and democracy" means! They'll tell you it means arms, bombs, and endless war! 

 

Same thing.

1 hour ago, Thor said:

The parameters are so wide, I wouldn't know where to start or stop (this is a particular favourite "genre" of mine). But I could easily rattle off a dozen or so Hans Zimmer scores in this idiom alone, which IMO are the pinnacle of this particular approach.

 

I didn't say rattle off any "ethnic" score you can think of!

 

Just tell us which you personally consider the very best. ;)

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21 minutes ago, Josh500 said:

Ask anybody in America what "freedom and democracy" means! They'll tell you it means arms, bombs, and endless war! 

 

Same thing.

Born on the Fourth of July and Superman, then.  As ethnically American as you can get.

 

As for "ethnic" scores, little can top Far And Away.

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Oh, I forgot Seven Years in Tibet.

 

I guess it includes some Tibetan (sounding) music.

16 minutes ago, Steve McQueen said:

Born on the Fourth of July and Superman, then.  As ethnically American as you can get.

 

As for "ethnic" scores, little can top Far And Away.

 

As far as ethnic US music goes, nothing tops Lincoln, IMO.

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1 hour ago, Josh500 said:

I didn't say rattle off any "ethnic" score you can think of!

 

Just tell us which you personally consider the very best. ;)

 

I know. But it would still be too many to list. At least a hundred. Don't mean to be difficult, but my mind collapses when the parameters are too wide. ;)

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11 hours ago, Josh500 said:

Which are they? I'll give you some examples which I personally find very great, just add to the list. Not just scores by JW, but by any film composer! 

 

By the way, just because the film is set in a particular region of the world, it doesn't mean the score accompanying the film is automatically ethnic. It's got to be able to be recognised as ethnic and stand on its own.

 

 

England: War Horse (I don't include the Harry Potter series, because IMO they're not necessarily recognisable as British music)

Ireland: Angela's Ashes, Far and Away

France: Sabrina

Russia: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull 

Africa, in general: Amistad, Congo (Jerry Goldsmith), The Ghost and the Darkness (Jerry Goldsmith)

Japan: Memoirs of a Geisha 

India: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom 

Egypt, Middle East in general: Raiders of the Lost Ark 

 

 

For me Russia would be Doctor Zhivago and I would probably add Lawrence of Arabia to middle east in general.

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8 hours ago, Indianagirl said:

For me Russia would be Doctor Zhivago and I would probably add Lawrence of Arabia to middle east in general.

 

Good ones!

 

Also for Russia, one of Jerry Goldsmith's best, The Russia House! 

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On 9/17/2018 at 11:23 PM, Indianagirl said:

 

 

:( I've never seen or heard the Russia House :(

 

The score is up on YouTube!:)  Strong effort from Goldsmith, though certainly not purely "ethnic."

 

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