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Rejected film score you prefer over the replacement composed score.


AJM

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Just been browsing through a list of rejected scores and it got me thinking. Are there any rejected film scores by a composer that you prefer over the replaced composed score? Or even where another composer was brought in to replace a handful of cues given how few rejected scores have been release/leaked?

 

For me it would be have to Michel Legrand's rejected score for Robin and Marian.

 

Long list of rejected scores here: http://rejectedfilmscores.125mb.com/list.html

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I do like both but Christopher Young’s rejected score for An Unfinished Life (2005) is a lot better than Deborah Lurie’s replacement.

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1 hour ago, Jay said:

2001: A Space Odyssey

That's mostly because you're not a big fan of classical music, if I'm not mistaken, right?

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6 minutes ago, Bayesian said:

That's mostly because you're not a big fan of classical music, if I'm not mistaken, right?

 

It's not that I don't like classical music, it's simply that I've never been compelled to sit down an actively choose to listen to any over listening to something else

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2 hours ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

It's controversial, I know, but...I'd like to hear Legrand's music for THE MAN WHO LOVED CAT DANCING, synched to the film.

 

Com'on his work is ridiculous, with his own voice... wahou-wahou-wahouhhh!!! As a French man, and moreover a Paris born man, he really though he would do American Native music. But the director didn't want folkloric music or a pastiche of it. His cues are laughable... and that's why his work was rejected.

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3 hours ago, Thor said:

The ultimate example, to me, is Morricone's WHAT DREAMS MAY COME. It is - in fact - my second favourite Morricone in general! Not to say the Kamen is bad, but it's in a whole other league.

 

But loads of other examples. I prefer Bernstein's LAST MAN STANDING over Cooder's. Illaremendi's LA LENGUA DE LAS MARIPOSES over Marenabar's. Corigliano's EDGE OF DARKNESS over Shore's. Chris Young's AN UNFINISHED LIFE over Lurie's. Goldsmith's TIMELINE over Tyler's. And loads more I can't remember off the top of my head.

That is a lot of rejected scores you prefer over the replacements. For the most part, I much prefer the replacement scores. Not listened to What Dreams May Come yet so might give a listen soon and see which I prefer.

2 hours ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

It's controversial, I know, but...I'd like to hear Legrand's music for THE MAN WHO LOVED CAT DANCING, synched to the film.

How different would both THE RIGHT STUFF, and 2010 be, if the filmmakers went with their original choices?

I never found Legrand's rejected score all that enjoyable, especially the male vocals. Williams score was much better and enjoyable.

1 hour ago, Biodome said:

I like the Yub Nub finale

The version used in the film is much better than the album version. Prefer it over victory celebration as well. Fits better with the Ewok celebration at the end.

1 hour ago, Jay said:

2001: A Space Odyssey

The choice of classical music in the film is good, but I too much prefer the North score over the classical pieces in the context of the film.

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1 hour ago, AJM said:

That is a lot of rejected scores you prefer over the replacements. For the most part, I much prefer the replacement scores. Not listened to What Dreams May Come yet so might give a listen soon and see which I prefer.

 

Please do so! It's a masterpiece, and easily available on Youtube or wherever.

 

There are plenty of other cases where I'm less thrilled with the rejected score, and more pleased with the replacement score. In other words agreeing with the producers of the film. Or at the very least where they're even. I prefer Korzeniowski's new score for ROMEO & JULIET over Horner's, Horner's TROY over Yared's, Williams' MAN WHO LOVED CAT DANCING over Legrand's,  the classical music over North's music in 2001, Zimmer's REGARDING HENRY over Delerue's, Goldsmith's CHINATOWN over Lambro's etc. etc. I actually did an episode on this years ago, but it's in Norwegian, so of limited interest:

 

http://celluloidtunes.no/celluloid-tunes-46-refusert-musikk/

 

But you can scroll to the music clips and compare yourself.

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8 minutes ago, Thor said:

Horner's TROY over Yared's

 

I guess I also like Horner's Troy more than Yared's, but I was afraid to saying that out loud and being target of cyberbullying! :lol:

 

1 hour ago, Bespin said:

Well it's not a properly "rejected" score, but I prefer the "European" soundtrack of Jerry Goldsmith over the synth "thing" that replaced it on the American versions.

 

You're talking about Legend, right? I prefer Jerry's version too.

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15 minutes ago, Edmilson said:

 

I guess I also like Horner's Troy more than Yared's, but I was afraid to saying that out loud and being target of cyberbullying! :lol:

 

Just stand behind me. I'm the master at receiving cyberbullying! ;)

 

15 minutes ago, Edmilson said:

You're talking about Legend, right? I prefer Jerry's version too.

 

I agree, but I absolutely LOVE the Tangerine Dream version. The best cue is "Jack vs. Darkness".

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2 hours ago, Bespin said:

Well it's not a properly "rejected" score, but I prefer the "European" soundtrack of Jerry Goldsmith over the synth "thing" that replaced it on the American versions.

 

Of course it was properly rejected. Just not for international distribution.

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9 hours ago, Thor said:

The ultimate example, to me, is Morricone's WHAT DREAMS MAY COME. It is - in fact - my second favourite Morricone in general! Not to say the Kamen is bad, but it's in a whole other league.

 

This!

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8 hours ago, Thor said:

Just stand behind me. I'm the master at receiving cyberbullying! ;)

 

Yeah... but you are weird though.

 

EDIT: My 100th post is me bullying Thor complaining about being bullied. Somebody frame this.

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Not an example of a fully rejected score, but when the (incomplete) sessions for Heat leaked, I found myself preferring Goldenthal's compositions over several of the songs that Michael Mann replaced them with, despite having loved and grown up with those songs

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17 hours ago, LSH said:

I do like both but Christopher Young’s rejected score for An Unfinished Life (2005) is a lot better than Deborah Lurie’s replacement.

 

I agree and I also feel that way about Cliff Eidelman's rejected score to Picture Bride as compared with Mark Altman's (still very nice) final score. I guess the Goldsmith/Tyler Timelines fit into this as well, and the Bernstein/Barry Scarlet Letter scores (the Barry is predictably nice but the Bernstein is *transcendent* and probably my favorite thing he wrote in the last 2+ decades of his life).


Yavar

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Troy

Timeline

2001, the classical music just feels out of place and comical. 
 

The Golden Child

Platoon

2 Days in the Valley

 

Most of the music from Elmer Bernstein’s rejected score collection Varese released. 
 

 

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11 hours ago, Edmilson said:

I don't think Williams ever had a score that was rejected.

 

Andre Previn once related a story wherein both he and Williams were rejected from an Ann-Margret movie, but it's been difficult to find out which it was, and if there's any truth to it.

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On 1/8/2021 at 2:52 PM, Jay said:

2001: A Space Odyssey

 

I can understand it but I much prefer the tracked soundtrack. North score sounds dated, a score from a movie in 1968 and the classical score sounds timeless.

 

In my case, Troy is the best example of a rejected score that I prefer over the replaced one. Yared did a great job and Horner a good but predictable one. 

 

Also, the 13th Warrior from Graeme Revell is surprisingly good... Not sure if I prefer it over Goldsmith one, but I would have keep it in the movie.

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13th Warrior is an interesting case, from a historical perspective. Musically Goldsmith towers over Revell, but Revell foreshadows the film scoring trends of the next 20 years with his highly atmospheric world music approach sans real themes or a convincing structure. The JG classic adventure approach seems comparably old-school and watching the movie, especially its cutting, this becomes obvious. The more colourful and rich the scoring gets (cf The sword Maker-sequence), the less suited it seems for the images.

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