Have you even heard just a SNIPPETof music in a film score and begged the
Universe for MORE only to be ignored? SNIPPETS can be a brand new theme or motif
or riff that is probably less than two minutes and never used again in the movie or score.
Also it could be an enriched unique variation of a theme that seems just stunning but is
only spoon fed to the listener for less than a minute. In both cases, I want to shake the
composer for NOT recognizing the wonder of that piece and for not giving MOI an
extenuation of that composition. I don’t want a minuscule, molecular-sized hors
d’oeuvre. It’s “aurally” sadistic. I’ll take the, “full meal deal, please.”

Here some examples of torturous snippets that only use a theme once.

Bernstein’s Deep End of the Ocean has an attractive, melancholy main theme. On
track 4, however, at the 2:35 mark, he introduces one of the most tragic, heartbreaking
melodies I’ve ever heard. On film, it is when the small boy climbs into the car with his
father. It only lasts for about 1 minute 15 seconds and isn’t used again in the film. I think
it is one of the loveliest melodies ever composed by Bernstein.

Bernstein in his rejected score I Love Trouble has some wonderful melodies, but I
really love his 15 second action riff he introduces on track 16 at the very beginning and
that lasts only 20 seconds. He uses a variation of that riff a little later in that track, but
only for a few seconds.

When watching Komodo (okay, not a good film, I admit.) I noted towards the end
when the hero lands a helicopter, a short heroic theme that lasts on track 28 only 35
seconds. (About the only theme I heard on this CD. Way too short, and it could be
expanded into a solid heroic theme.)

Here are some examples of way too short variations of already used themes that needed
re-use or expansion. (Who cares if using more wouldn’t fit the movie. “Less is more” is
incorrect. More is more! )

In Dances With Wolves after Dunbar’s horse riding suicide attempt, the armies
invade to the Dunbar theme that is played must faster and rocks with rhythm. One can
hardly hear it in the movie, and it was never used in the movie again.

Goldsmith is an expert at varying a theme with counterpoint and only giving me a few
measures of filet mignon. In Hour of the Gun on track 5 at 1:38, he introduces his
main theme with a pounding, rhythmic underscore and at 1:47 pulls in a counterpoint
theme with it that is wide open and wonderful and way too short!

My favorite short snippet is from Lilies of the Field. Track one introduces the
Amen theme. Track three, The Roof, introduces his building theme. On track 10 (Lots of
Bricks) at 1:08, he COMBINES both themes underscored by the rhythmic guitar but only lasts
for about 25 seconds. It is just a rollicking, wonderful combination that is only used once
in the movie.

My compulsion for extenuation leads me to record themes to a tape, repeating them
several times.

Anyone else out there frustrated by the sparkling but too tiny gems of music that are
nestled in a big film score?

There's also the "Escaping the Smokers" cue in Waterworld where the main theme pops up for just a second, and it's over too soon--you want there to be more, because the way that it is introduced in the music is thrilling.

John Williams wrote a little piece of music for Jurassic Park which comes up right in front of the visitors' center when everybody is almost getting ready to board the Ford Explorers. You can hear it on the CD on track 4, "Journey to the Island" at 7:31. It's a fairly ominous stringy piece that lasts about 20 seconds and never appears again. I really enjoy that little snippet of music.

That example from Lilies of the Field holds for me as well.

On another note, while Poledouris uses his Robocop theme quite effectively throughout his two Robocop scores, I really wish some sort of "concert version" of this theme existed. It's a really great theme, but I can't say either of the two discs ever give it the proper treatment it deserves in any of the cues.

Another theme I really enjoyed but I thought was shafted is the "Will's Flying Theme" or whatever the hell it is from Independence Day. It appears in a few places on the CD, the best rendition in "Jolly Roger" at 2:45. Still, this is another one that doesn't ever seem to be fully realized.

Jerry Goldsmith's QB VII album feels like a collection of snippets. There is so much good stuff that I assume must be expanded upon in the complete score, but we're limited to such a short album.

NP: Conan the Barbarian

I also love the cue "Cinema d'altri tempi" from Morricone's "Malena" score. It's a suite of Morricone imitating the Hollywood Golden Age composers. There is so much material in this 3:39 cue, probably more than in most full scores. Heroic fanfares, sweeping love themes, exciting action music, and grand finales. I had hoped that Morricone would have used some of this material in some of his latter scores, but I haven't encountered any of it yet.

quote:

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Originally posted by plindboe:
in Bernstein's "Airplane" as the plane takes off. Two lovers are saying goodbye, and she runs after the plane waving while knocking over several lamp-posts.

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Wasn't this just an adaptation of Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet?

quote:

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Originally posted by Dinko:
Wasn't this just an adaptation of Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet?

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I do love Tchaikovsky, so that could have made sense. But I have his R&J and can hear no similarities at all. The theme isn't extremely sofisticated, and does sound like an original composition by Bernstein.

I am actually more of a lover of movie music SNIPPETS than the scores themselves - the impressionistic prologue from SUPERMAN - THE MOVIE, the heart-warming cue as Elliot and E.T. say goodbye in E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL, the energetic bicycle rides from POLTERGEIST, HOCUS POCUS, and THE IRON GIANT are some of the "tiny" reasons why I love movie music. Joan is absolutely right when comparing this "snippet business" to torture - many times I myself wonder why the creators of such powerful, magical tiny snippets seem to refuse of using these magical snippets again. The most frustrating thing is, however, that nearly every single time these most effective tiny snippets ARE NOT INCLUDED on commercial soundtrack albums.

Since Davis sort of reused the love theme from Hyperspace (albeit slightly rearranged) for both The Beast and Jurassic Park 3, I keep hoping he does something similar with both of the beautiful themes from B&B, but so far nothing has come up. I hope he's just waiting for the perfect score in which to use them. (Of course, I'm all for writing completely new beautiful themes above anything else. )

Kirk

quote:

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Originally posted by James:
Since Davis sort of reused the love theme from Hyperspace (albeit slightly rearranged) for both The Beast and Jurassic Park 3, I keep hoping he does something similar with both of the beautiful themes from B&B, but so far nothing has come up. I hope he's just waiting for the perfect score in which to use them. (Of course, I'm all for writing completely new beautiful themes above anything else. )

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I second Kirk's opinions here !!
For the lovers of Don Davis' (PETER BENCHLEY'S) THE BEAST I warmly recommend his "symphonic suite" from BEAUTY AND THE BEAST - it's a gorgeous and truly breathtaking recording !!!

By the way, Kirk, thanks for the inspiration to get my hands on Davis' BEAUTY AND THE BEAST --- Your "Gothic Symphonies" stories describe most perfectly the power of this true Don Davis gem. (So I returned the thread momentarily to the top of the list).