Troy

[Pieter Boelen 740]

Every few days I will post a thread on a random score from my collection that we can discuss and rate. I made a playlist on my computer with one track of each score I've got, so by using the random play option, I'll be able to post a truly random score each time. Hopefully this will allow us to discuss some scores that would otherwise never be discussed. Also we can record the rating so that we can create a full list of the ratings given to scores by JWFan.com.

Today's score is Troy. You can rate both the original score by James Horner and the rejected score by Gabriel Yared. Are you familiar with it? What do you like about it? What don't you like about it? How do do you think it works in the film? What are your favourite tracks? Which version do you think best?

So far JWFan has rated:

See Soundtrack Ratings by JWFan.com.

This web page contains the ratings from all my previous polls as well as those of Blumenkohl's.

Final ratings are converted to a 1-10 rating for both rating systems so that they can be compared.

[Morlock 11]

A 3.5 for Horner, a 5 for Yared. I've spoken before about the scores appropriateness in the film...but music-wise, Yared's is an epic, thrilling work. Horner's I think is quite listenable, quite good. The four notes are put to good use, and Achilles' theme is terrific.

[Luke Skywalker 1,795]

2.5 Horner: more of the same

4.5 Yared: great unused score.

[Ollie 1,059]

Horner - 1 star, same old tiring stuff.

Yared - 4.5 stars, the fact this was considered "old fashioned" is a sad statement by moviegoers.

[Henry B 50]

Horner: don't know, don't care.

Yared: 4 stars. A fine score that lives in the past - but that isn't a bad thing.

[Hitch 57]

"Now watch out...here comes Horner....he'll do it for you in 6 minutes"

[Morlock 11]

"...he'll even use the same vocalist"

[Marian Schedenig 8,193]

2 stars for Horner, though I thought of ranking it lower. But while it is annoyingly obvious in its derivativeness (I noticed a lot of it, and I've only heard it once in the film) and stands out in a distracting way, never even getting close to supporting the film, I have to difference it from completely unlistenable stuff.

Of Yared I've only heard a few short bits, though I'd like to hear the rest.

[Hitch 57]

"...he'll even use the same vocalist"

"Really, Morlock. You must learn to govern your passion. It will be your undoing."

[Koray Savas 2,251]

3 for Horner.

4 for Yared.

This movie is all out of whack with score, it's unbelievable. In the Director's Cut that was released recently, Peterson talked about how he rescored some scenes of the movie. He replaced Horner's music in the fight between Bana and Pitt with Elfman's Planet Of The Apes.

[Hitch 57]

Petersen should never be allowed to direct another movie again. His butchery of film music easily outstrips what Ben Burtt and George Lucas do together combined.

[Marian Schedenig 8,193]

Things can change quickly. Listening to Yared's Troy, it's simply ridiculous how much better this is than Horner's effort. There's easily at the very least two hole stars between the two.

[Red 75]

Not familiar with either.

[BLUMENKOHL 1,068]

Yared's is the best single score of the 21st century thus far. (PoA excepted for me though).

Never in a hundred years would I have expected he who had written so many tender scores to pull off a stunt such as this. Shame audiences were stupid.

To those of us who were familiar with some of Yared's library before hand...it was sort of like your Grandma revealing she's really a Ninja...and 20 years old.

D-Day Battle is easily one of the best action cues...of the last 20-30 years.

[David Coscina 3]

Yared's is the best single score of the 21st century thus far. (PoA excepted for me though).

Never in a hundred years would I have expected he who had written so many tender scores to pull off a stunt such as this. Shame audiences were stupid.

To those of us who were familiar with some of Yared's library before hand...it was sort of like your Grandma revealing she's really a Ninja...and 20 years old.

D-Day Battle is easily one of the best action cues...of the last 20-30 years.

God bless you sir! I agree. Troy by Yared is my favorite score of the 21st century. It's not antiquated- it's timeless! I love the construction of the themes, their development and the whole dramatic arc he achieves with this. There is a single scene available on YouTube that has Yared's score tracked in with the first scene with Achilles and Boagrius. The music follows the scene perfectly. I also played Yared's music for the scene where Achilles decides to go to war with Troy and it also follows the drama beautifully.

Yared is one of the most talented composers today and it's a damned shame he's been left untapped by directors save for Anthony Mingella whose passing was devastating.

[Romão 2,274]

Petersen should never be allowed to direct another movie again. His butchery of film music easily outstrips what Ben Burtt and George Lucas do together combined.

I can't believe this guy one directed Das Boot.

1.5 for Horner

4.5 for Yared.

[Wesker 0]

The rejection of Yared's score signaled to me a demise of that type of scoring approach to a more modern day epic such as Troy. It would appear as if test audiences perhaps were expecting taiko crashes and repetitive, over-blown horn sections accompanied by occasional synths. Who knows. Apparently not Petersen.

Anyway, that does not make me dislike Horner's score any the less, as I think it still worked well. Pity that it's so evident that the B section of that love theme hardly appears in the film at all- one can tell Horner probably devised it closer to the airing of the Groban song.

Yared's effort get's a 4.5, Horner's a 3.5.

[Richard Penna 3,687]

Horner - 1 star, same old tiring stuff.

Yared - 4.5 stars, the fact this was considered "old fashioned" is a sad statement by moviegoers.

My thoughts exactly. I like one and a half cues from Horner's score, whereas Yared's score is a breath of fresh air. Makes me almost scared for the future of film music when Joe public describes it as 'atrocious', to quote Horner himself.

Petersen should never be allowed to direct another movie again. His butchery of film music easily outstrips what Ben Burtt and George Lucas do together combined.

Not just the music, he's lost the ability to make a decent film altogether IMO. I haven't seen Das Boot, but Air Force One was terrific, Perfect Storm had its moments, then it was all downhill from there. He should be forced to direct something where the special effects budget can't exceed $10. About as likely as Zimmer picking up a pencil.

[Ollie 1,059]

Das Boot is a film I would recommend you watch.

[Morlock 11]

Indeed. The mother of all submarine movies. The only great one, really. In The Line of Fire is also a lot better than it sounds on paper.

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

Das Boot is a film I would recommend you watch.

Or better yet, watch the original miniseries (which is the same thing, except it's even longer than the Director's Cut).

[redfoxden 0]

4.5 stars for Yared's Troy. It'd be 5 if it wasn't for "Mourning Women" and "Hector's Funeral" which I highly dislike. The rest of the score is fantastic. I only listened to Horner's once but I wasn't impressed.