Elfman's Black Beauty

[Morlock 11]

Sorry, I just have to do a thread about this score.

I get tons of music from tons of different sources, and I have a try out folder, where I keep everything I need to listen to. Whenever I can, I listen to some of it, and reject about %97 of it. Admitadly- this is not the best system, since I miss a lot of the quieter pieces by not paying attention. A couple of months back, I got Black Beauty from a friend. I copied it to my try out folder and put it on my queue. I'm on line, checking my mail, when all of a sudden I hear this haunting string piece that just makes me stop everything and listen. This has never happened before. I look- it's Danny Elfman - Black Beauty - Main Tites.

I listened to it about a douzen times in a row- I was shocked that Elfman, who I knew and loved for his Batman, Nightmare Before Christman, Men In Black and Red Dragon wrote such a beautiful and heartbreaking theme!

Anyway, it quickly became one of my top 3 Elfman scores- currently at #1. I think it is a must that any film score fan should at least listen to this once. The album is well worth it for The Main Titles alone, and all the more so for wonderful tracks like Ginger Snaps.

I know this is not a very intellectual plea- but really, it is one of the most sad and emotional scores I've ever heard.

[Eplicon 53]

It's a really good piece of work -- gentle, lyrical, frolicking. It's reminiscent of "Greensleeves" in some ways.

This kind of scoring has been sorely missing from Elfman's repertoire the past few years: straightforward orchestral music, with little or no synths. Alas, that has been his m.o. for some time now.

[Hector J. Guzman 1]

A truly beautiful work by Elfman. It´s an amazing work, and so powerful in its emotions. Unfortunately I´ve never found the score anywhere, I have to put the video if I want to hear it. The main titles and the final scene is some of the most moving music I´ve ever heard.

The music from the finale was used in the trailers for The Horse Whisperer, the music with the beautiful scenery made it very appealing. The film (The Horse Whisperer) is crap.

Williams Olympic Fanfare and Theme

U.S. Herald Trumpets

National Symphony Orchestra

John Williams

[MattC 1]

Great score! I have it on CD, but it is really a rare item. It is much easier to obtain Elfman's second compelation album which has 7 tracks from the score. It is one of my favorite by Elfman as well, and Im sure he still has it in him the ability to write something like this again.

Matt

[Yoda Longbottom 0]

It had been my Elfman's favorite until I heard "Somersby" and especially EDWARD SCISSORHANDS. Edward is gigantically superb score!!!! Anyway, "Black Beauty" is beautiful, but very little varied all the way through. Sounds as if Elfman was lazy to spice both themes up with twists and turns. Ironically, for me the score works better in the movie and on Darkened Theatre compilation than on the original score album that I haven't listened to for quite some time now. Too many short, similar cues. But overall, it doesn't take away anything from its appeal.

Yes, it's absolutely correct, and now that I think of it I hear some linkage between this score and R. Williams' Greensleeves adaptation. Never realized this before, though. :spiny: