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Has the score to Gladiator aged well?


Unlucky Bastard

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A few years ago when this movie came out, it obviously sparked a trend where other similar or even unrelated films went crazy with wailing lady music. If it was a film with some Middle Eastern bent, it was pretty much guaranteed. And even the fuckin' X-Files and Star Wars did it briefly! They must have thought they were being all postmodern or some shit and that it'd sound more "timeless", but I dunno about that really.

 

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the movie immensely, and I used to get a kick out of the score when I was able to listen to music, but does anyone else reckon this one has aged well?

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Just now, Richard said:

I hate to be a naysayer, but the score for GLADIATOR, like the film it acompanies, is shite. Always has been, always will be.

Sorry.

I didn't want to intrude here just to say I only saw the film once, barely got through it, only because I was going to a Zimmer concert with Lisa Gerrard as the feature presentation. What I remember from the score apart from the song at the end and some wailing is Mars and weak PotC precursors.

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It's aged the same as any other Zimmer score from that era, that is to say not very well, as far as its aesthetic design goes. All of Zimmer's scores will in turn suffer from this problem, since he has a strong preference for cutting edge synth and sampling. The time eventually comes when any computer processed music comes to sound like a product of its time; as apposed to a more traditional and 'timeless' acoustic approach.

 

Regardless, I still am able to enjoy a great deal of Zimmer on the music's own terms, same as I can still enjoy 80s ditties or whatever else like it.

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7 hours ago, Cherry Pie That'll Kill Ya said:

it obviously sparked a trend where other similar or even unrelated films went crazy with wailing lady music.

 

Urgh, don’t remind me. That and the Duduk for everything vaguely Middle Eastern. Who would have thought one could have his fill of such a beautiful instrument so quickly?

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Another copycat thread?

- the VS threads

- unpopular opinions

- honestly I prefer this over that

- has something aged well?

We've had enough copycat thread waves (CTW)!

 

PS: I'm sorry for triggering at least half of them.

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On 9/23/2018 at 11:44 PM, Stefancos said:

I only like it in The Russia House.

I hate that I had to check and make sure I wasn't going to be the first to reference the Goldsmith score. Damn it, I thought I was about to contribute a clever and witty comment in this thread! You've destroyed my dreams! Now no one will ever love me!

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Seems to depend on the day of the week what opinions on a particular score are.

 

I don't think it's dated at all and I've never really seen the Holst references as much more than JW's classical lifts. He probably used synths in a few places where a full orchestra would've helped (like Pirates 3) but they're not used in a way that sticks it in a time period.

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I just showed and explained why it's such a crucial score in a lecture here on the west coast of Norway. Such a tremendous score, with such a tremendous influence. All the criticicms I read in this thread (as with most Zimmer threads on JWFAN) just brush off me. I love it.

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On 9/24/2018 at 5:44 AM, Stefancos said:

I only like it in The Russia House.

It's also pretty good, in PASSION.

 

 

 

On 9/27/2018 at 8:48 PM, kaseykockroach said:

It's been forever since I last listened to Lion King. I wonder if I'd still like it...as I recall, it's the only thing I like about the movie besides Zazu. 

Zasu, comment allez vous? There's a knock on the door, in the night.

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On 9/23/2018 at 8:36 PM, Richard said:

I hate to be a naysayer, but the score for GLADIATOR, like the film it acompanies, is shite. Always has been, always will be.

Sorry.

 

This time, I agree.

 

 

(even though it is 'accompanies' and not 'acompanies', Richard. :znaika:)

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  • 1 year later...

Gladiator's score is okay. It's from the best era of Zimmer's career (1998 to 2007). I'd put it below Pirates 3, The Last Samurai, The Thin Red Line, The Prince of Egypt and maaaaayyyyybe King Arthur... But above Pearl Harbor, The Da Vinci Code, Hannibal, Black Hawk Down.

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From the description in that spotify playlist:

 

Quote

...this playlist combines all the beloved songs from the film.

 

From the same label that claimed that the anniversary set contained ''all the music" from the soundtrack. These marketing people don't have a clue what they're talking about.

 

How about celebrating this by releasing the complete score :)

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It’s a great score, especially in how it dramatically shapes the film. The action hasn’t aged super well, but I can still have a rollicking good time with this album.


 

1 hour ago, Edmilson said:

Gladiator's score is okay. It's from the best era of Zimmer's career (1998 to 2007). I'd put it below Pirates 3, The Last Samurai, The Thin Red Line, The Prince of Egypt and maaaaayyyyybe King Arthur... But above Pearl Harbor, The Da Vinci Code, Hannibal, Black Hawk Down.

 

Nah. Da Vinci Code > Gladiator. 

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7 minutes ago, KK said:

Nah. Da Vinci Code > Gladiator. 

 

I only like Chevaliers de Sangreal from Da Vinci Code, the rest is a little boring. Gladiator has better underscore.

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14 minutes ago, bruce marshall said:

There is one track I always mix up with POTC.

Am I crazy?

 

Not at all

 

 

 

Also this (timestamp 3:45)

 

 

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1 hour ago, Jay said:

 

 

Not at all

 

 

 

Also this (timestamp 3:45)

 

 

Are those themes credited to Zimmer...Balfe....Zimmer/Balfe?

Fwiw

Composers I have interviewed think very highly of this score.

" Now we are free" is magnificent!

 

Deal with it.

 

 

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35 minutes ago, bruce marshall said:

Are those themes credited to Zimmer...Balfe....Zimmer/Balfe?

 

Gladiator is credited to Zimmer.  POTC is credited to Klaus Badelt, but Zimmer was actually the primary composer.

 

Balfe didn't start working with Zimmer until 2004, on King Arthur

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6 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

Didn't HZ later claim that he wrote the majority of the score to PotC, but couldn't take official credit due to a conflicting project or something?

 

If I remember correctly, the conflicting project was The Last Samurai, which came out a few months after Curse of the Black Pearl.

 

In any case, the score is credited to Klaus Badelt, but he was only one of the numerous composers that worked on the score. Dead Man's Chest and At World's End were solo Zimmer.

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4 minutes ago, Edmilson said:

 

Dead Man's Chest and At World's End were solo Zimmer.

 

I like Zimmer a lot, and I don't know about these particular scores, but I find that very hard to believe!

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Yes, Zimmer was doing The Last Samurai, and from what I remember, had some weird contractual thing preventing him working on other scores at the same time, so he just gave credit to Badelt.

 

Of all of RCP's scores, Pirates 1 strikes me as the most standout example of one composer credit being highly unrepresentative.

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