Music of War's cinema

[untouchables 0]

Who is the best composer for war movies?

hard to decide, but I think that Maurice Jarre is the best in that field because his filmography and style were very rich with war themes:

Lawrence of Arabia- Dr Zhivago- Paris burning- The Man Who Would Be King-the Message- the Lion of Desert-Sunshine and his last movie Uprising.

I think that his success come from his versatile use of percussion.

Other good composers for war themes are: JW, Miklos Rozsa, Alan silvestri and Hans Zimmer.

[Greg1138 3]

Ron Goodwin.

[BLUMENKOHL 1,068]

Jerry Goldsmith "The Blue Max"

Puts him atop all others.

Michael Giacchino for his amazing efforts in all the war video games.

[ChuckM 1]

Despite the fact that it wasn't written for the film, one of the most effective war film scores I've ever heard is Samuel Barber's "Adagio for Strings" in Platoon.

[Elmo Lewis 6]

Is Lawrence of Arabia a war movie? I mean, it has battle scenes and all but...

[Sandor 797]

Is Lawrence of Arabia a war movie? I mean, it has battle scenes and all but...

Yeah, why not mention Star Wars then too...?

Anyway; I think Williams captured the loss and tragedy very well with his themes for Born On The Fourth Of July, Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan. I find these emotionally much more interesting than some of the other more generic and stereotypical war scores mentioned.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,533]

Ron Goodwin.

Ohh, Greg, this is straight out of left field, but I am inclined to agree with you. "Where Eagles Dare" is fantastic!

Despite the fact that it wasn't written for the film, one of the most effective war film scores I've ever heard is Samuel Barber's "Adagio for Strings" in Platoon.

...except it was first used in "The Elephant Man".

Is Lawrence of Arabia a war movie? I mean, it has battle scenes and all but...

Sorry, Elmo, "Lawerence Of Arabia" is defifitely NOT a war movie, and neither is "Patton" (yes, I do Mean "Patton", and not "Platoon"), for that matter.

[ChuckM 1]

Despite the fact that it wasn't written for the film, one of the most effective war film scores I've ever heard is Samuel Barber's "Adagio for Strings" in Platoon.

...except it was first used in "The Elephant Man".

Does that make it less effective for Platoon?

[Ollie 1,059]

I think Delerue's original cue is just as powerful, if not better.

[Elmo Lewis 6]

Is Lawrence of Arabia a war movie? I mean, it has battle scenes and all but...

Sorry, Elmo, "Lawerence Of Arabia" is defifitely NOT a war movie, and neither is "Patton" (yes, I do Mean "Patton", and not "Platoon"), for that matter.

It was mentioned in the original post. I don't think it's a war movie.

[Omen II 1,235]

I agree with my fellow Britishers' nomination of Ron Goodwin, although both Max Steiner and Clifton Parker also wrote some good'uns.

[fommes 153]

I love Goodwin's theme to the second Navarone film. Excellent CD.

[Admiral Holdo 16]

Glory.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Anyway; I think Williams captured the loss and tragedy very well with his themes for Born On The Fourth Of July, Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan. I find these emotionally much more interesting than some of the other more generic and stereotypical war scores mentioned.

To suggest that SPR is a better war movie score then scores like Where Eagles Dare, Patton, Operation Crossbow etc...etc... is just psuedo-intellectual twaddle.

And Schindlers List is not a war score, nor is it a war movie.

[Sandor 797]

Anyway; I think Williams captured the loss and tragedy very well with his themes for Born On The Fourth Of July, Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan. I find these emotionally much more interesting than some of the other more generic and stereotypical war scores mentioned.

To suggest that SPR is a better war movie score then scores like Where Eagles Dare, Patton, Operation Crossbow etc...etc... is just psuedo-intellectual twaddle.

You still can't really read can you?

[ST-321 4]

Jerry Goldsmith "The Blue Max"

Puts him atop all others.

Patton tops The Blue Max.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

You still can't really read can you?

It's called "Oost-indisch lezen".

Anyway to me the contemplative, "war is hell" type score and the rousing "war is a thrill-ride" score should not be directly compared to each other.

[A24 4,337]

No ... love ... for ... Midway?

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Isn't that a Chuck Heston film?

[untouchables 0]

I think Delerue's original cue is just as powerful, if not better.

yes, I has even war muisic collection that include themes such Lawrence of arabia and the English Patient.

Lawrence of Arabia is historic and war movie.

Uprising is last movie war of Maurice Jarre (2001).

[Neimoidian 14]

My personal favourites which haven't been mentioned yet

[Ollie 1,059]

Well my favorite war scores are:

Tora Tora Tora!

Patton

Saving Private Ryan

Where Eagles Dare

The Green Berets

Glory

1941

Force 10 From Navarone

Platoon - Delerue's original score

Between Heaven And Hell

In Harm's Way

Band Of Brothers

Midway

These are off the top of my head.

[Melange 446]

Who is the best composer for war movies?

The question quickly brought the thought that it depends on how war is being portrayed, and other posters have commented on that too it seems. Lots of the movies actually made during WWII, were also propaganda to keep moral up, and I think that shows in some of the scores from that era. Heroic, jaunty marches, etc.

For me, James Horner is probably one of the best composers in recent times for battle music. He has written some fabulous stuff for battles scenes in movies that are wholly battle or just have battle scenes. Aliens,Braveheart,Troy,WROT,etc. He manages to combine adrenaline pumping thrill with the screeching wreckless horror of it all, somehow. And even manages to get the soaring emotional heroic stuff in between all of it, too.

I think of the music in

. The exact part I refer to, begins at 1:53 and comes to this spine chilling part at 1:59 where Hector and Patroclus begin circling each other in a face off. I remember the music in this scene absolutely put my hair on end, when I watched the movie in the cinema. Horner really captured something special there. The music was exciting, heroic, yet also saturated in dread.

Another great part is the famous "We are LIONS!" moment when Achilles and his Myrmidons storm the beach. Horner's clever slide into wreckless abandon. It begins at 0:23 and is another moment that made my hair stand on end.

Stuff like that aside, I also like the more unusual scores such as Roy Budd's score for 1978's The Wild Geese. Some of it is very British military in its marchy jaunt.

I also think Zimmer's work on The Last Samurai,had some very impressive glory orientated moments.

, Final Charge, etc

[Wojo 2,453]

[Melange 446]

?

[Ollie 1,059]

That's ok, it's actually turned into a decent discussion.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

The Thin Red Line

The Last Samurai

Tears Of The Sun

Black Hawk Down

Pearl Harbor

King Arthur

... Hans takes the cake.

[Wojo 2,453]

That's because his electronic noise approach perfectly captures the horrors of war in sound.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

I don't know where you hear electronic noise in any of those scores aside from BHD.

[Wojo 2,453]

It's because I never wasted my time on any of those scores.

And by time, I mean downloading time, because I certainly haven't the money to buy random Zimmers.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,533]

Despite the fact that it wasn't written for the film, one of the most effective war film scores I've ever heard is Samuel Barber's "Adagio for Strings" in Platoon.

...except it was first used in "The Elephant Man".

Does that make it less effective for Platoon?

The first man who says "a woman's lips are like a red, red rose" is a genius. The second man who says "a woman's lips are like a red, red rose", is an idiot.

Well my favorite war scores are:

Tora Tora Tora!

Patton

Saving Private Ryan

Where Eagles Dare

The Green Berets

Glory

1941

Force 10 From Navarone

Platoon - Delerue's original score

Between Heaven And Hell

In Harm's Way

Band Of Brothers

Midway

These are off the top of my head.

Yoy forgot "A Bridge Too Far".

[Richard Penna 3,690]

I enjoy Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers, Rescue Dawn and probably others. What I enjoy about war scores is they tend to be very emotional and/or patriotic, not a lot of action.

But does anyone else find The Pacific incredibly generic? The main theme is played over and over on Sky over here, and it's one of the most generic sequence of notes I've ever heard.

[Ollie 1,059]

Yes.