The subject was Heroic film scores and one of the subjects was James Bond. In addition to interviewing David Arnold and Alex Gifford about "Tomorrow Never Dies" (and showing clips from the "Backseat Driver" sequence where you could hardly hear any of the score), they interviewed the "composer" of the James Bond Theme: Monty Norman.

While hoping to NOT end up in British Court over the matter...I found the comments of Mr. Norman hysterical. He claims HE came up with the idea for the now famous "Big Band" arrangement of James Bond Theme WITH John Barry.

While the issue of who wrote what was of much debate in British Court recently, I find it hard to believe Norman had any contact with Barry about how the theme was to be arranged and recorded at the time. Everyone knows John Barry reworked that music into the now famous arrangement and thus saved the film and helped create the James Bond we all know & love. (Should be interesting to see if anything comes of Mr. Norman's comments.)

Sadly, John Barry, the real voice of the Bond films, was not interviewed. Luckily Arnold & Gifford paid great respect to him in their comments.

Also...I found it rather strange that they aren't seeming to talk about many film scores pre-1960 in this program. Korngold's "The Adventures of Robin Hood" was mentioned briefly, but nothing else. And they chose an odd film, "The Killing Fields," as an example of a "heroic" film score. While I found the comments about that film interesting...the film felt shoehorned into the subject of the episode.

Strange too that none of John Williams (Supreman) or Jerry Goldsmith's (Rambo) films scores were used as examples of heroic scoring. Perhaps they were too obvious.

Next up are "Love" scores. (Looks like John Barry is ignored here too from the ad. Sad, because I can't think of a more romantic score than "Somewhere in Time.")

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Originally posted by Lancelot:
Norman's story of inspiration seemed plausible, if not actual.

For a show thematically united in "Heroism", the segue from Crouching Tiger to The Last Emperor seemed not too far a stretch, though a stretch, nonetheless--but The Killing Fields belongs more in a psychological horror/drama realm, no?

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Agreed on "The Killing Fields."

My point about Norman is that NOW he wants credit for the arrangement of "his" theme and not just the composition credit. EVERYONE knows Barry (if nothing else) arranged that music into the now famous piece we know it as.

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Originally posted by Peter Greenhill:
Bond 1965 wrote:My point about Norman is that NOW he wants credit for the arrangement of "his" theme and not just the composition credit. EVERYONE knows Barry (if nothing else) arranged that music into the now famous piece we know it as.

In the British High Court in March 2001 Norman accepted completely that Barry arranged the Bond theme and said that it was an excellent arrangement BUT Norman also said that he composed the whole of the Bond theme not just the guitar riff. He only had to convince the jury that he wrote some of the JB theme to win his case. If he had to prove that he wrote all of it he may find that he had some difficulties.

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Thanks for the clarification on the decision Pete. In this interview (conducted last year by the look of the copyright date on the program) Norman clearly stated he worked "with" John Barry on the "big band" arrangement. This I find hard to believe.

James