Hans Zimmer's Sherlock Holmes Press Release

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So I just watched Will Ferrell’s Holmes & Watson (2018).

 

It carries the same musical tradition of having a theme for Sherlock Holmes in the style of a Slavic folk song, played on a sitar (?).

 

This tradition started with Zimmer’s score for the Sherlock Holmes movie Sherlock starring Robert Downey Jr (2009) and then again for the sequel A Game Of Shadows (2009).

 

This style of how to musically represent Sherlock Holmes then carried on through to the ever popular BBC series Sherlock (2010-2017).

As a massive Sherlock fan, Downey’s Sherlock was a massive let down (let’s face it - as charming as RBJ is - he is no Sherlock) and although the BBC incarnation was a big improvement, in terms in how it interpreted the original character of Sherlock Holmes, there was something about the series that never quite sat right with me.

 

And I think I figured out why. It’s the music.

It didn’t click until I heard it again in Ferrell’s incarnation, but it’s been there, subconsciously, annoying me for more than 10 years. (Yes, apparently I’m a bit slow. 😉)

 

Why - for the love of all that is sacred - is an English, late 19th century gentleman represented by Slavic Folk music?

 

It just doesn’t make sense.

 

But it made an impact on pop culture back in 2009 and now we’ve been stuck with this horrible music representation ever since.

[MedigoScan 324]

I for one like the music (though I cant eloquently explain why).

But I can imagine that after a while people need to come up with something new. (though I also cannot imagine what)

 

Also, sorry you had to see Homes&Watson.

[bruce marshall 1,315]

Love Arnold's work on SHERLOCK!

 

Thanks for posting the Zimmer interview.

Too bad the bashers " He doesn't write his music I"...will never read it

.

[Thor 7,470]

14 hours ago, rough cut said:

Why - for the love of all that is sacred - is an English, late 19th century gentleman represented by Slavic Folk music?

 

I remember reading some Zimmer interviews that touched on this subject at the time, but I can't find them now, and I don't remember where I read it. Of course, there are many other elements to Zimmer's score than just that slavic folk melody. Violin is pretty prolific - Holmes being an amateur violinst himself. And a general "gritty" atmosphere relating to Holmes' whimsical mind. I remember reading something about Zimmer wanting to create a rowdy 'pub music'-like atmosphere in the score.

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I haven’t seen the movie for many years and am unfamiliar with the overall score that Zimmer composed.

 

We joke about it a lot on JWfan but Zimmer is no fool. He knows what he’s doing and I appreciate a lot of his work.

 

But inspite of his best intentions for the Sherlock movie, I think it’s a miss to let Sherlock Holmes be represented by a musical style that doesn’t really represent him very well at all.

 

But I guess it worked so well, that for more than a decade now, it is “the sound” of Sherlock Holmes. So no one can deny that it didn’t make an impact or that it didn’t click with the audience.

 

And I like Arnold’s reinterpretation of it, it’s catchy, mysterious and versatile, and it plays well in different tempos.

 

I am just saying that - as a piece of musical style chosen to represent Sherlock Holmes - it’s not really well suited.

[fommes 153]

Is it established that Arnold based the style of the TV score on Zimmer's score? Doesn't the pilot of Sherlock predate Zimmer's score?

[Edmilson 7,393]

On 11/11/2020 at 7:51 PM, rough cut said:

So I just watched Will Ferrell’s Holmes & Watson (2018).

 

It carries the same musical tradition of having a theme for Sherlock Holmes in the style of a Slavic folk song, played on a sitar (?).

 

This tradition started with Zimmer’s score for the Sherlock Holmes movie Sherlock starring Robert Downey Jr (2009) and then again for the sequel A Game Of Shadows (2009).

 

This style of how to musically represent Sherlock Holmes then carried on through to the ever popular BBC series Sherlock (2010-2017).

As a massive Sherlock fan, Downey’s Sherlock was a massive let down (let’s face it - as charming as RBJ is - he is no Sherlock) and although the BBC incarnation was a big improvement, in terms in how it interpreted the original character of Sherlock Holmes, there was something about the series that never quite sat right with me.

 

And I think I figured out why. It’s the music.

It didn’t click until I heard it again in Ferrell’s incarnation, but it’s been there, subconsciously, annoying me for more than 10 years. (Yes, apparently I’m a bit slow. 😉)

 

Why - for the love of all that is sacred - is an English, late 19th century gentleman represented by Slavic Folk music?

 

It just doesn’t make sense.

 

But it made an impact on pop culture back in 2009 and now we’ve been stuck with this horrible music representation ever since.

 

Zimmer has crazy ideas, and they sometimes don't work. For instance, I don't know what the hell made him think that Superman should be scored with a lot of drummers and percussion. 

 

1 hour ago, fommes said:

Is it established that Arnold based the style of the TV score on Zimmer's score? Doesn't the pilot of Sherlock predate Zimmer's score?

 

Sherlock Holmes the Guy Ritchie movie was released in December 25th 2009. The Sherlock TV series aired its first episode in July 25 2010.

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Arnold’s score is too similar in tone to be just coincidence.

 

TV-shows does this a lot, they “copy” whatever is in style at the moment if it’s appropriate.

 

Early 2000s had a lot of shows emulating the mystery theme played on a vibraphone from Deaperate Housewives, and I guess more recently English dramas want to sound like Downton Abbey.

[fommes 153]

18 hours ago, Edmilson said:

 

Sherlock Holmes the Guy Ritchie movie was released in December 25th 2009. The Sherlock TV series aired its first episode in July 25 2010.

 

Yes, but the music for the unaired Sherlock pilot appears to have been recorded in February 2009.

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I don’t put it down as impossible that it was Arnold’s music that influenced Zimmer.

 

Who knows how demos/snippets get around tinseltown, but I’m sure they do.