tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32354680.post6952510692741777324..comments2023-11-03T09:05:31.265-04:00Comments on Soho the Dog: ScherzandoMatthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10936327293692397100noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32354680.post-30140713751056328132010-03-14T10:21:37.280-04:002010-03-14T10:21:37.280-04:00Why is everyone forgetting Elmer Bernstein's A...Why is everyone forgetting Elmer Bernstein's <i>Airplane</i>!? Hands down one of the all-time best comedy scores in terms of sophistication, innovation, and pure fun.<br /><br />I'll second Danny Elfman's <i>Pee Wee's Big Adventure</i> and <i>Beetlejuice</i> and throw in <i>Men in Black</i> and <i>Mars Attacks</i>--though not the greatest of all time, maybe, they are both iconic and a great listen.<br /><br />Does <i>Young Frankenstein</i> count if it is purely pastiche?Poguegohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10276423517944006742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32354680.post-90238420046288101812007-05-30T21:56:00.000-04:002007-05-30T21:56:00.000-04:00Ernest Gold's score for It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad ...Ernest Gold's score for <I>It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World</I>. Maybe not *great* but damn good.<BR/><BR/>Elmer Bernstein's score for <I>Stripes</I>. It's basically a one-theme score, but quite effective. And, along with <I>Animal House</I>, got him lots more work doing comedy scores.C. Jerry Kutnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10901663264449536920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32354680.post-32892893839698500492007-05-30T13:13:00.000-04:002007-05-30T13:13:00.000-04:00Even though it's more songs than score, how about ...Even though it's more songs than score, how about <I>This Is Spinal Tap</I>...<BR/><BR/>And the "non-song" parts of the original <I>Willy Wonka</I> score are pretty great, actually...<BR/><BR/><I>Catch Me If You Can</I> is a sorta kinda comedy with some nice Williams scoring...<BR/><BR/>Is <I>Barbarella</I> a comedy...?<BR/><BR/>How could we forget all that great Mancini music in all those <I>Pink Panther</I> movies?<BR/><BR/>Speaking of Mancini (and Sellars), <I>The Party</I> has a fabulous soundtrack too...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32354680.post-52261854422868717432007-05-29T22:51:00.000-04:002007-05-29T22:51:00.000-04:00I didn't realize until late in the day that I had ...I didn't realize until late in the day that I had forgotten about Beauties of the Night by Rene Clair, a very French, very funny sort of take off on Intolerance, in which music plays a very big part (since it's about a composer). The score, which is pretty wonderful, is by Georges Van Parys. Sorry still not Hollywood. <BR/><BR/>For anybody who knew Robert Helps, the fact that it was his favorite movie means something.Rodney Listerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16485567377686864129noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32354680.post-70981407740943721062007-05-29T21:59:00.000-04:002007-05-29T21:59:00.000-04:00Burt Bacharach's score for the first Casino Royale...Burt Bacharach's score for the first <I>Casino Royale</I>. Better than the movie.<BR/><BR/>I agree that Chaplin's <I>City Lights</I> score is a classic. Likewise, <I>Modern Times</I>. And don't forget Bernard Herrmann's score for <I>The Trouble With Harry</I>.C. Jerry Kutnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10901663264449536920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32354680.post-32372254795994391102007-05-29T20:13:00.000-04:002007-05-29T20:13:00.000-04:00There's the ubiquitous tango by Zbigniew Preisner ...There's the ubiquitous tango by Zbigniew Preisner throughout "White" from Kieslowski's "Three Colors" trilogy. That may fall short of great, but it's darn catchy and fits the film.jasonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06729310606718200939noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32354680.post-32878995567996167182007-05-29T16:01:00.000-04:002007-05-29T16:01:00.000-04:00great-because-you-don't-notice-themMost of the tim...<I>great-because-you-don't-notice-them</I><BR/><BR/>Most of the time, yes, but then there's that wonderfully ironic title theme that accompanies the car-in-a-snowstorm shot that opens the movie, and brilliantly shapes our expectations for the rest of the film.<BR/><BR/>I don't write film music, but if I did, I'd want to write like Burwell.DJAhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12435473070510590935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32354680.post-69498117977538730992007-05-29T13:18:00.000-04:002007-05-29T13:18:00.000-04:00I forgot about Burwell, but I would say his scores...I forgot about Burwell, but I would say his scores fall more in the great-because-you-don't-notice-them category. Terrific, subtle stuff, if you're not familiar with him.<BR/><BR/>It's OK to venture outside of Hollywood for this game, I think. I have no memory of the music to <I>Jules and Jim</I>, but I will nominate another sly bit of craftsmanship, Francis Lemarque's score for <I>Playtime</I>.Matthewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10936327293692397100noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32354680.post-57384348667395060822007-05-29T12:42:00.000-04:002007-05-29T12:42:00.000-04:00The score for Jules and Jim is great, but it is no...The score for Jules and Jim is great, but it is not a Hollywood movie, so it doesn't answer the challenge.Elaine Finehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14248422399226824168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32354680.post-2933549620958357622007-05-29T07:46:00.000-04:002007-05-29T07:46:00.000-04:00Is Jules and Jim a comedy? George Delarue's score...Is Jules and Jim a comedy? George Delarue's score for it is great, I think.Rodney Listerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16485567377686864129noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32354680.post-32267356352510372082007-05-28T22:56:00.000-04:002007-05-28T22:56:00.000-04:00Moonstruck has a great score, it's true - it's one...<I>Moonstruck</I> has a great score, it's true - it's one of my favorite films of all time, with that <I>Nozze</I>-like clockwork.<BR/><BR/>We saw <I>City Lights</I> recently with the soundtrack provided by the San Francisco Symphony - charming music, but not exactly great, I thought.Lisa Hirschhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14014924958428072675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32354680.post-23614111785004476522007-05-28T19:41:00.000-04:002007-05-28T19:41:00.000-04:00I guess most of the music is preexisting, but I lo...I guess most of the music is preexisting, but I love the music to "Moonstruck". The film would really be nothing without the opera soundtrack....Lizhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09313893978952879524noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32354680.post-48876514914877282522007-05-28T19:14:00.000-04:002007-05-28T19:14:00.000-04:00name a great Hollywood film score written for a co...<I>name a great Hollywood film score written for a comedy</I><BR/><BR/>That's easy -- Carter Burwell's score for <I>Fargo</I>.<BR/><BR/>(What do you mean, <I>Fargo's</I> not a comedy? Black comedy is still comedy.)DJAhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12435473070510590935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32354680.post-16254370128619313602007-05-28T18:00:00.000-04:002007-05-28T18:00:00.000-04:00The only comedy I can think of that has a score th...The only comedy I can think of that has a score that really stands out is Chaplin's own score to his silent film <I>City Lights</I>, which might fall into the genre of "romantic comedy." It seems that successful comedys that use original music have "songs" (like "Pure Imagination" from <I>Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory</I>) while films that would fall into the genre of "drama" have scores that call more attention to themselves.<BR/><BR/>This is a very interesting challenge.Elaine Finehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14248422399226824168noreply@blogger.com