Debney scores 'The Passion of the Christ':

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

http://www.musicfromthemovies.com/article.asp?ID=224

Well, there's an eye opener and no doubt about it.

I do not have many of his scores, but Cuttroath Island is amazing, and End Of Days is a very effective score for an Anti Christ film.

This could be very good.

[Johnnyecks 33]

Wow, this is a huge surprise. I like him and all, but I mean.... when I think of Debney I think of C. Island, and cartoony stuff like Cats and Dogs. He is a good composer, but for cryin' out loud why isn't Horner doing this! Or.... Williams! I think that would've been a great opportunity for him to shine!

Damn near close to 200 posts now!

[Lurker 5]

This could be a big break for him.

Neil

[Johnnyecks 33]

I agree, he could completely wow and amaze us with something incredible and get the big break and get away from the light-hearted comedies that he seems to of worked on for so long.

He's a good composer, and I do like his stuff but this project just seemed to not fit him! I know Gibson knows more than us little people, and I hope Debney pulls all the stops and puts out an amazing piece of work.

[Guest]

I'm not going to believe who scores it until the day after my birthday.

[A24 4,333]

Isn't he a Williams fan, just like that other guy...what's his name... Michael Giacchino?

Isn't it necassary to find your own voice, or to have your own style, if you want to become a major film composer.

----------------

Alex Cremers

[Rogue_Leader 2]

Hasn't there already been like 5 people attached to this score?

[Justin 2]

I thought it was Horner....and Gerrard and Portman? Oh well this is good news. I'm looking forward to this score.

Justin

[stewdog1 50]

Hasn't there already been like 5 people attached to this score?

If you don't inlcude Goldsmith's rejected score.

[Johnnyecks 33]

Que? Say again Stewdog! Rejected Goldie?

[Morlock 11]

It's a joke carried over from another thread. Horner's score was rejected.

I know, I know- this is how rumors start.

[Justin 2]

I don't know if Horner ever started writing.

Justin -Who finds the score situation on The Passion not unlike Tomb Raider and we all know how that turned out.

[MrScratch 294]

Wow, this is a huge surprise. I like him and all, but I mean.... when I think of Debney I think of C. Island, and cartoony stuff like Cats and Dogs. He is a good composer, but for cryin' out loud why isn't Horner doing this! Or.... Williams! I think that would've been a great opportunity for him to shine!

What if, back in the early 70s or so, when Williams got a juicy film like Jaws, Jane Eyre, The Reivers or the first of his big budget disaster epics people had your same reaction...

"Wow, this is a huge surprise. I like him (Johnny Williams) and all, but I mean.... when I think of Williams I think of 'Time Tunnel', and cartoony stuff like 'Guide for the Married Man'. He is a good composer, but for cryin' out loud why isn't Goldsmith doing this! Or.... Bernard Herrmann! I think that would've been a great opportunity for him to shine!"

Debney is in his 40s, about Williams' age when Johnny became John and started writing classic film scores. Be open-minded, we might be seeing a great composer emerge from this film.

Jeff - who has no idea what 'Passion' will sound like, but knows that it will certainly not be "cartoony!"

[Guest]

Yeah. At least it's not Zimmer or Vangelis.

[Trumpeteer 302]

Hmmm. The movie's opening in April. I hope he's got plenty of time to score this.

You're right. This could be Debney's breakthrough. Controversial film in Aramic and Latin means people will pay attention to the score.

Of course, it all could go up in flames.

Jeff -- who knows there have been successful scores written under time constraints

[ChrisAfonso 186]

Jeff -- who knows there have been successful scores written under time constraints

Air Force One o/

-Chris, who now has good hopes for the "Passion" score.

[MrScratch 294]

Jeff -- who knows there have been successful scores written under time constraints

Name a film score that WASN'T written under a time constraint!

I think deadlines and averse conditions improve the music. There are exceptions, as always, but look at the great masterpieces of music, a good deal of them not written in "ideal" circumstances for the composer. Shostakovich had to compose in secrecy, his music was virtually outlawed by Stalin!

Then look at today's music... "artists" take years to come up with a new album and they are uninspired shit, more often than not. But Williams can whip up a quality 2 hour film score in a matter of weeks.

[Hector J. Guzman 1]

Cool! Debney, thank God! That's a better choice than Gerrard and co.

And just like stewdog, I hope Varese also releases Goldsmith's rejected score, that will be awesome!

[Morlock 11]

He did The Man who loved Catdancing, a wonderful western score, in something like 10 days or less!

Even Zimmer, who is far from being loved on these boards, whipped up his most popular score amongst soundtrack lovers- The Lion King, in just 3 weeks!

And Air Force One is the best example- One of my favorite Goldsmith's, and I think featuring a few of his best action cues ever, not to mention a great Russian theme, was done in no time, and it's a very rich, very solid score, just as much as Randy Newman's great score, which he had over two months to write. And I think Goldsmith's is better than Goldsmith's.

[Hector J. Guzman 1]

Goldsmith wrote Chinatown in 10 days, or so I've heard. Air Force One is great.

[Morlock 11]

I don't think Chinatown is that great. I liked what he did with similar material in L.A. Confidential more.

[Lurker 5]

Name a film score that WASN'T written under a time constraint!

I think Basil Poledouris had 8 months on Starship Troopers due to the film being delayed. I could be wrong though.

Neil

[Morlock 11]

BTW- "...This sensational news was confirmed to Music from the Movies today by Debney's agent, who just got back from London where he had been attending the recording sessions."

He's already recorded it? why has this only come out now?

[Justin 2]

You know that is true....

Justin

[Guest]

Debney's not a bad choice. He's melodic, so I'm in the same boat with everyone else, pretty much. He did do the SeaQuest theme at one point. (His "Lost in Space", perhaps?)

[Morlock 11]

My problem is that the film does noit appear to need any of the kind of scoring Debney has done before. I hope and expect him to rise to the task, I just have no idea how it would work.

[Chris ChrusherComix 46]

I loved Debney's Cutthroat Island. I hope he does a good job.

-CJ, Who is looking forward to this movie, something I honestly do not say very often (unless it has a Williams score that is)...

[Rogue_Leader 2]

Debney is a 1 hit wonder.

Cutthroat Island was nice but since then his work has been mediocre.

[Lurker 5]

Debney is a 1 hit wonder.  

Cutthroat Island was nice but since then his work has been mediocre.

Which of course sets you up for this question....which scores have you heard since CutThroat Island by Debney?

Neil

[Rogue_Leader 2]

Debney is a 1 hit wonder.  

Cutthroat Island was nice but since then his work has been mediocre.

Which of course sets you up for this question....which scores have you heard since CutThroat Island by Debney?

Neil

HA HA HA! Yes very cute.

I believe I saw this one coming.

Actually I've heard most of his works since that score. PErhaps not EVERY track of each one but most of em.

His best after Cutthroat would probably be The Scorpion King which was a decent action score. I didn't find it very creative or thmatically rich though. Maybe I was a little harsh with that last comment.

Its just that this guy has 1 score that sticks out like a sore thumb and the rest just kind of seem to be fairly obscure with nothing special about them.

[A24 4,333]

Maybe all the big guns (the Williamses, the Goldsmithers, etc) have seen footage of this movie and therefore are turning it down. Maybe Debney is all what's left. This happens all the time. I mean, why would he be first on their list?

"Hey listen, we've got this Christ story."

"Christ, you say? Sure, take Debney. He's the man your looking for."

Or...Maybe Gibson is thinking: "What? Williams is asking 1 million dollars? Get me that Debney guy! He does it for a merely $100.000! Then I got $900.000 left to shoot the whole damn thing!"

----------------

Alex Cremers

[Yoda Longbottom 0]

Name a film score that WASN'T written under a time constraint!

I think Basil Poledouris had 8 months on Starship Troopers due to the film being delayed. I could be wrong though.

Neil

LORD OF THE RINGS, I'd say, steamrollers 'em all. Does anyone really know how many months Howard Shore had to compose it? I would calculate 10-12 per a part. I know I know, he's still composing it and I hope he ever manages to stop...

From the opposite shore, didn't Hans Zimmer have one bare weekend to compose "Pearl Harbor"...?

Roman.-)

[Justin 2]

Hey Rogue have you heard End of Days? I don't acctually have that score but I've downloaded several tracks and it sounds utterly fantastic!!!

Justin -Who loves Debney but finds he wastes his talent on movies like Chicken Little and Rugrats: The Adventure in India

[Jeshopk 8]

Debney...My opinion has been that he is proficient at orchestration, and satisfactory at melody/harmony. The best thing about Cut throat Island was the bombast, but I didn't feel any real forward pull from the melody/harmony aspect.

I think he's mostly a straight major/minor composer with no shading tones, except in long chords where there is supposed to be suspense. But then he sounds like a deer in headlights, like his notes can't really "move" in that type of atmosphere.

I think he is a safe choice for a director to go with when they want that orchestral sound. But it is so standard that his scores sound to me like those "composer's promo's" where they write generic action, love, suspense, comedy, and cartoon cues to get jobs.

He is probably also stuck in producer nooses. He probably doesn't have the noteriety to abstain from temp track suggestions and go his own way. Big shots probably see him as expendable if he doesn't follow their paint-by-numbers scheme. That's the plague in the art today.

[Johnnyecks 33]

Wow, this is a huge surprise. I like him and all, but I mean.... when I think of Debney I think of C. Island, and cartoony stuff like Cats and Dogs. He is a good composer, but for cryin' out loud why isn't Horner doing this! Or.... Williams! I think that would've been a great opportunity for him to shine!

What if, back in the early 70s or so, when Williams got a juicy film like Jaws, Jane Eyre, The Reivers or the first of his big budget disaster epics people had your same reaction...

"Wow, this is a huge surprise. I like him (Johnny Williams) and all, but I mean.... when I think of Williams I think of 'Time Tunnel', and cartoony stuff like 'Guide for the Married Man'. He is a good composer, but for cryin' out loud why isn't Goldsmith doing this! Or.... Bernard Herrmann! I think that would've been a great opportunity for him to shine!"

Debney is in his 40s, about Williams' age when Johnny became John and started writing classic film scores. Be open-minded, we might be seeing a great composer emerge from this film.

Jeff - who has no idea what 'Passion' will sound like, but knows that it will certainly not be "cartoony!"

Wow! I believe I was just completely put in my place!

This is a nice viewpoint to take Maestro, and it has me thinking differently!

[TownerFan 4,983]

I think he is a safe choice for a director to go with when they want that orchestral sound. But it is so standard that his scores sound to me like those "composer's promo's" where they write generic action, love, suspense, comedy, and cartoon cues to get jobs.

He is probably also stuck in producer nooses. He probably doesn't have the noteriety to abstain from temp track suggestions and go his own way. Big shots probably see him as expendable if he doesn't follow their paint-by-numbers scheme. That's the plague in the art today.

Mm, I agree, you've completely put out in a clever way. I've nothing against Debney, he's a really good composer and I hope he'll give his best in this score. But I think Mel Gibson is clearly playing safe landing the composer's duties to him. Probably he's trying to massage, warming and softing his film after all the critical slams he already received from the media. I'm sure he doesn't want a big, bold orchestral score, but maybe he's trying to give to the music a more conventional, warmer and clearer role, maybe to estabilish a more direct connection with the audience (don't forget that it's acted in Aramaic and Latin, and without subtitles!). But I continue to think that a different approach would have been a big coup for him. For example, I would have chosen a really modern, expressive, edgy sound, a style that has not been too heard in films, like Henryk Gorecki's SYMPHONY n° 3 (very powerful, intense and "religious" stuff). Even something like Arvo Part's PASSIO (very contemporary, but really expressive) or like Kryzstof Penderecki's stuff. In fact, I was supposing that maybe Gibson would have used classical/serious music like Pier Paolo Pasolini did in IL VANGELO SECONDO GIOVANNI (one of Gibson's main inspiration for his film, as he said in the press conference he did here in Italy during the shooting). But, well, it's clearly difficult deciding what is the "best" musical choice for a fillm like this.

I also think that an ethnic, world-music like approach à là Lisa Gerrard would have been too obvious for the film. This kind of sound is starting to be really a clichè in movies. I like some of Gerrard's stylings, but, you know, now many people hear her voice and starts screaming "That's GLADIATOR!!". And a situation like this would have been a plague for the film.

But it's still too early too draw any conclusion. I really hope that Debney will deliver on this and will surprise us in an unexpected way.

[Hector J. Guzman 1]

I hope so too.

But after the Gerrard fiasco, Debney is very welcome. I don't wanna have in my back the Horner score that never existed.

[fommes 153]

I just got Debney's Cats and Dogs and Sudden Death for a rather nice price;

and I like both of them. They're not world shocking soundtracks, but they're good in their own right.

I hear something from Howard's The Fugitive in Sudden Death though, it's quite remarkable, or is it the other way round?

Greetz!

[Rogue_Leader 2]

Hey Rogue have you heard End of Days? I don't acctually have that score but I've downloaded several tracks and it sounds utterly fantastic!!!

Justin -Who loves Debney but finds he wastes his talent on movies like Chicken Little and Rugrats: The Adventure in India

I've also heard End of Days yes.

I was gonna mention it in my last post above. I think its fairly good, but IMO still NOWHERE NEAR as good as Cutthroat Island.

What I wouldn't pay for another score of that caliber.

[Hector J. Guzman 1]

I think I'd better get this Cutthroat Island you keep talking about.

Hector - who has heard other Debney music, except this one

[fordat1@aol.com 0]

John Debney has scored Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ." It has been

receiving critical acclaim and has also been shrouded in controversy. The

film opens nationwide February 25th 2004.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Ray Costa

e: costacomm.com

JOHN DEBNEY SCORES

MEL GIBSON'S HIGHLY ANTICIPATED FILM

THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST

(Hollywood, CA) Award winning composer/conductor John Debney scores for

director, producer and co-writer Mel Gibson, Newmarket Films' "The Passion

of the Christ" opening Ash Wednesday - February 25, 2004 (Soundtrack release

date: February 24, 2004 from Sony Classical). The highly anticipated and

most powerful biblical film of the 21st century stars Jim Caviezel in the

title role and Monica Bellucci as Mary Magdalene. "The Passion of the

Christ" is a vivid depiction of the last 12 hours of the life of Jesus of

Nazareth on earth, including his dramatic trial and death. It was adapted

from a composite account of The Passion assembled from the four biblical

gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The movie will be shown with

dialogue in Latin and Aramaic (the languages in use at the time) with

English subtitles.

John Debney conducted and recorded his beautiful and moving

score in London, with a full orchestra and choir, which captured the

powerful emotions of the epic film. The choir performed in Aramaic, with

Gibson lending his own voice to the singing and chanting.

With a full plate of scoring projects, award-winning composer

John Debney is one of the busiest and most capable musicians in Hollywood.

To his success, Debney utilizes both his classical training and a strong

knowledge of contemporary sounds in order to easily adapt to any assignment.

His most recent projects include New Line Cinema's "Elf" starring Will

Ferrell and Universal's "Raising Helen" starring Kate Hudson and produced by

Garry Marshall. Debney additionally scored the popular "Bruce Almighty"

directed by Tom Shadyak ("Liar, Liar").

Other recent projects include last year's motion picture blockbuster "The

Tuxedo" starring Jackie Chan and "The Scorpion King" starring The Rock and

Kelly Hu. Debney's other projects include "Spy Kids II: Island of Lost

Dreams," "The Princess Diaries," Disney's "Snow Dogs" and "Jimmy Neutron:

Boy Genius."

In addition to his composing projects, Debney has embarked on a series of

recordings of classic film scores for Varese Sarabande records, conducting

works like "Superman," "The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad," "Titanic" and "Back

to the Future" with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.

PHOTOS, CDs, INTERVIEWS AVAILABLE

CONTACT COSTA COMMUNICATIONS

[Morlock 11]

Thanx for the official release! Now I can't wait for the score!

[Hector J. Guzman 1]

I'm very anxious to see and hear.

[Hector J. Guzman 1]

Dare I say, beat Titanic. Very possibly.

[Rogue_Leader 2]

Hector you definately need to get Cutthroat Island. It easily eclipses all of Debney's other works.

[Hector J. Guzman 1]

Until now. I guess I'll try to find it. Thank you

[Rogue_Leader 2]

Until now. I guess    I'll try to find it.  Thank you  

I severly doubt The Passion of Christ is better than Cutthroat. That would be one hell of a feat on Debney's part to surpass that one.

[Hector J. Guzman 1]

Mark my words when Passion beats Titanic

[Rogue_Leader 2]

Wait! When you say "Beats Titanic" do you mean at the box office?

I DONT SEE THAT HAPPENING!

[Hector J. Guzman 1]

Yes, at the box office.