I went to see a preview screening a couple of weeks ago and really couldn’t separate my opinion of the movie from my opinion of the score. Even as a student of film music that never happens to me. It was just so bad it was distracting. All of the sound was, really, (I hated the dust/death sound effect especially) but the music in particular.

Anyway, keep up the good work!

You are right though, Tristan is no “Jupiter” Symphony. For that matter North by Northwest is no Vertigo, and The Golden Compass I would agree is no Birth.

Seriously though, in the history of film music gestures such as parallel rules of harmony or instrumentation are tantamount to Mickey-Mousing and usually produce disastrously out of date results. That type of film scoring was done to death in the Golden Age, became an art under Herrmann (contrary motion harp glissandi to portray vertigo, or an all string orchestra for a black and white sound in psycho, etc). But to do that now, in a major commercial film would be as anachronistic writing a new 12-tone piece for the concert hall. It’s been done.

Nico responds: We all love those crazies. Joyce Crazies tend to be really good at cooking! It’s more my (I think correct) observation that there are film music enthusiasts who have their own private set of criteria that puts stuff like the score to Burf at the way top of the pile. Which, again, isn’t terrible, but, you know, is no North by Northwest, either.

Nico responds: No, I think on the contrary, I want to do more!

But yeah, mostly nul.

Pretty in places, though.