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Who composed Midnight Express, Cat People, and American Gigolo?

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Author	Topic: Who composed Midnight Express, Cat People, and American Gigolo?

Norman McCay Oscar® Winner	I was having a discussion with my art teacher and we began talking about synthesizer film music and I mentioned Hans Zimmer, but he brought to my attention of these three movies (Cat People, Midnight Express, and American Gigolo) that used synthesizers extensively prior to Zimmer hitting it big with Black Rain. So he suggested that I give these three scores a try, but I just wanted to know who was this sythesizer composer was. Any help would be appreciated....Thanks.
posted 07-22-1999 08:14 AM PT (US)

Lancelot Oscar® Winner	Giorgio Moroder. Also co-composed "The Neverending Story" with Klaus Doldinger.
posted 07-22-1999 09:54 AM PT (US)

Thor Oscar® Winner	Although I seriously doubt Moroder as a dramatic underscorer (case in point: The godawful METROPOLIS butchering), he certainly is an excellent tunesmith. For example, "The Neverending Story" song, performed by Limahl is perhaps my favourite movie song of all time, basically because it awakes such vivid memories. And I think MIDNIGHT EXPRESS, with its bustling, hypnotic theme hit the nail on its head. But an Oscar winner? No.
posted 04-06-2000 06:13 AM PT (US)

Timmer Oscar® Winner	Moroder composed his contribution separate from Doldinger on Never Ending Story for the American release of the film.
posted 04-06-2000 07:29 AM PT (US)

starblade Oscar® Winner	Didn't Moroder also do the underscore for Scarface? I wish it was available. He wrote (or at least co-wrote) the big hit from Top Gun-'Take My Breath Away' sung by Berlin.
posted 04-06-2000 07:50 AM PT (US)

SBD Oscar® Winner	In 1979, Moroder took home the Oscar for original score for MIDNIGHT EXPRESS, beating out Goldsmith's THE BOYS FROM BRAZIL and Williams' SUPERMAN. In 1987, he shared the honors for TOP GUN's "Take My Breath Away" (the "best" song of the year), winning over Alan Menken's and Howard Ashman's "Mean Green Mother from Outer Space" from LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS. Long story short, I'm not a big fan. NP - The Stupids ("Stupidia")
posted 04-06-2000 08:33 AM PT (US)

Nicolai P. Zwar Oscar® Winner	Yes, Moroder scored the SCARFACE remake as well. Some of his scores were quite effective (MIDNIGHT EXPRESS, SCARFACE and especially CAT PEOPLE), though I don't much care for his disco like song scores a la FLASHDANCE. NP: Dmitri Shostakovich "The Jazz Album" Riccardo Chailly/Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (Decca/London)
posted 04-06-2000 09:44 AM PT (US)

H Rocco Oscar® Winner	I kind of like Moroder's CAT PEOPLE album -- all surfaces, but attractive ones (and a great, GREAT David Bowie song -- oh, I wish I could stare for a thousand years.) I bought the MIDNIGHT EXPRESS LP and was disappointed that all my favorite arrangements of the main theme aren't on there -- it's more like a concept album than a genuine OST. MIDNIGHT EXPRESS was an early example of when "stunt" compositions would capture the Oscar just by virtue of being nominated ... Moroder was probably an early influence on Zimmer, but he's gone in much different directions since (not all of them advisable).
posted 04-06-2000 01:33 PM PT (US)

Timmer Oscar® Winner	Do you put out your fires with gasoline your H'ness??!
posted 04-06-2000 05:54 PM PT (US)

Shaun Rutherford Oscar® Winner	Moroder's score for Scarface was pretty awful, but I seem to recall the music having a very Black Rain kinda quality. The cheesiest scoring comes when Tony sees his sister with "that guy", and De Palma's camera zooms up on Pacino, with Moroder providing one of the highest high pitched synth squeals I've ever heard. It's laughable. Shaun
posted 04-06-2000 07:54 PM PT (US)

Andre Lux unregistered	Doesn't all this synth/cheesy drone scores sound the same... I mean, Zimmer-Moroder-Mancina-Rabin-Gleene-Smith-etc... what's the diference? Their names? The name of the keyboard they use?? Go figure...
posted 04-06-2000 08:06 PM PT (US)

Nicolai P. Zwar Oscar® Winner	Yes, Mr. Rocco... that was a cool David Bowie song.
posted 04-11-2000 01:47 PM PT (US)

H Rocco Oscar® Winner	It's beeeen ... soooo longgg ... (As I think about it this second, perhaps Bowie should have been cast in the McDowell role.)
posted 04-11-2000 02:06 PM PT (US)

Greg Bryant Oscar® Winner	There are certain names of composers that must not be mentioned...otherwise, they might reappear again. You know, like those old movies where the devil's name was said three times and then all hell broke loose...well, you get the picture.
posted 04-17-2000 07:45 PM PT (US)

Hard Target Oscar® Winner	Come on Andre. Zimmer, Rabin, Mancina, etc. they're definetly not the same in that regard. They have overcome that synth phase with full blooded orchestrial works recent years eventhough they still use it. Nothing wrong with that as long as it's used right. Let's not forget that Jarre, Goldsmith, Horner, Silvestri, Poledouris, Thomas Newman have done all synth scores. And I definetly agree with Shawn in that Moroder score for Scarface is really bad and laughable. But I'll admit the Main Title is definetly the best thing bout the score, but everything else is droning synthesizer crap. Zimmer's main influence was the late Stanley Myers since he was his main influence in film scoring. But at the same time, he was already experimenting with new age sounds. So it's really not fair to assume that Moroder influenced him. What Moroder did was set the standard in the decade of the eighties film scoring. Especially when film studios wanted a more young film orientented to go watch their films. Goldsmith's rejected score to Legend being a popular example as hack job Universal executive Sid Sheinberg rejected Goldsmith's opus mainly because he wanted more hip and youth oriented score that would have younger crowds go and see the film. Which was wrong, and a decision Ridley Scott would later regret. But in any case New age, pop or droning type scoring was the way film studios wanted to go but because of this you can say this helped revive the demand for more acoustical orchestrial scoring later on.
posted 04-17-2000 11:07 PM PT (US)

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