Flying Above The Plains
John Barry‘s Oscar-winning Out of Africa score was his masterpiece, I think. And this orchestral, overture-like version of Barry’s Born Free theme is much more moving than the pop song that everyone knows. Something about the vastness of Africa obviously moved Barry, and this, I think, should be his legacy.
It’s sad that we take the masters for granted until they’re gone. Been listening to Dances With Wolves and The Living Daylights (his best Bond score since OHMSS if you ask me) today. Hands down the greatest British film composer of the past 50 years, and one of the top three or four in the world.
That’s the thing about Barry (my favorite composer ever, probably)…
He could make “The Specialist” sound as lush and classical and stirring as “Dances With Wolves” or “Out of Africa.” There’s countless movies that take on this epic romanticism almost entirely thanks to Barry’s contribution, from the ’76 “King Kong” to “Indecent Proposal” to “Enigma.” Or “The Black Hole.” Or “Game of Death.”
Of course the Barry Sound strikes a primal chord in me because I grew up on Bond, so in some subliminal way pretty much any strain of any great Barry score has a sibling sound somewhere in a Bond score. But his work in “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” or “Moonraker” is as lush and singular as just about anything he ever did. Also kind of neat that his beloved “Midnight Cowboy” theme (one of his best) has the same basic progression, albeit slower, as the title theme to “You Only Live Twice.”
And that bit in “Moonraker” where Moore is walking through the rain forest and comes upon Drax’s lair– Barry could take a straightforward bit like that in the goofiest Bond movie ever, and make it sound like most haunting and romantic thing possible.
@Lex: Yep, that Moonraker cue is a classic.
Good to see The Specialist mentioned. Barry’s music makes that movie, and almost feels like a lost Bond score. Someone should do a fan edit replacing Michael Kamen’s shitty Licence To Kill score with that.
Soundtrack to “Born Free” is an instance when the film is made infinitely better because of it.
Makes me well up every time.
Two things the Bond movies have sorely missed the last two decades: John Barry score and Ken Adam set design.
I’m partial to Barry’s The Lion in Winter score. Now, there’s an English costume drama worthy of Oscar glory.
Jeff, find an instrumental version of ‘You Only Live Twice” – same emotions as you describe above.
John Barry resides among the highest echelon of my favorite composers (movie division). There’s a wonderful video on youtube of him conducting elements of the London Symphony in a medley of Bond music. David Frost introduces him. Cool.
If anyone has the dvd of Deadfall, there’s a nice featurette called The John Barry Touch: Music Of A Master. Barry also appears in the film in a really great scene that cross-cuts between Michael Caine breaking into a safe, and the home-owners at a concert. Barry plays the orchestra conductor.
This is pretty eerie:
For my very recent birthday, my wife has given me my choice of 3 flying options. I had been leaning towards a ride in a WW II fighter plane, but walking into the bank I saw one of the other planes: a blue & yellow bi-plane that flies out of Hawthorne. I instantly imagined having the pilot fly over the beach and when I could see it in my mind’s eye, the opening chords of the OUT OF AFRICA soundtrack lit up my neural pathways.
So, have to agree with Jeff: it’s his best work. I have played it, a Bond collection and THE SPECIALIST repeatedly.
On a related note, we saw THE FIGHTER (one of 2010′s top 3 films and, no, TSN & TKS are NOT the other two) and now I can’t get The Heavy’s “How You Like Me Now?” out of my goddamn head, Mr Russell!
Also, shame on all of us for leaving out another superb Barry creation: BODY HEAT.
A particularly interesting oversight on Lexie’s part, considering the literally steaming sex in it. But then again, Kathleen Turner was never a “girl” but full fledged woman who projected both lusty passion and “sharp cookie” toughness.
Then again, Kathleen Turner may have never even been a full-fledged woman, but the Marlboro Man in drag.
(I keed….I do love her, actually. Or him.)
It’s sad that we take the masters for granted until they’re gone. Been listening to Dances With Wolves and The Living Daylights (his best Bond score since OHMSS if you ask me) today. Hands down the greatest British film composer of the past 50 years, and one of the top three or four in the world.
@Lex: Yep, that Moonraker cue is a classic.
Obviously everyone has their favorite Barry score, but for me his work on the Connery Bonds will be his lasting legacy.
Though each film had its own stand-alone score, it was the familiar murmur of the classic Monty Norman theme subtlely integrated into that score that indelibly characterised the true Bond film.
Over the years, with the changing of the guard at Eon, the theme has been mainly relegated to the trailers, while the films themselves have posited Bond as a by the numbers indestructable action hero whose comic-book escapades have assumed a level of absurdity commensurate with Arnold’s generic “action” score.
Still, in its present incarnation, devoid of Barry’s soaring strings and unencumbered by wit, style or substance, the franchise, enabled by a short attention span generation, remains a goldmine so why should anyone care, right?
Few composers could come anywhere close to him for achingly romantic themes….(and he could effectively apply this sweet, lush music even to things like the 1976 King Kong remake and Howard The Duck)
And the Bond scores were the living heartbeats of those films (especially going from
“From Russia With Love” to “Diamonds Are Forever”.
My own personal guilty pleasure….”The Chase” that misbegotten, overheated, bloody, drunken, race-baitin, gun-totin’ orgy of up-to-the-minute
violence with its supercharged double-A-list cast(Redford, Brando, Duvall, Jane Fonda) The opening credits feature Barry’s southern-fried Bond
theme accompanied by…what else….Maurice Binder’s typically striking main title visuals….just a weird little chunk ‘o movie heaven.
Somewhere in Time is another example of his music improving the film immeasurably.
Was watchin’ the cheesy 1978 spaghetti space-opera StarCrash last week and surprised to see John Barry’s name listed as composer. No doubt a paycheck gig that was reportedly turned down by Ennio Morricone. Almost as peculiar as hearing Henry Mancini in full John Williams bombast-mode for Lifeforce…
I agree, this should be his legacy. John Barry is a genius.
Out of Africa soundtrack is the most moving piece I have ever heard, superb arrangement..
A lot of great work, but yeah, his Out of Africa score is on a whole other level.
I find the film in general to be very underrated as a BP winner, and I don’t know why people complain about its sweep considering the competition was pretty weak in the big category, and those cinematography and score Oscars were very much deserved.
Of course it seems ridiculous that Pollack would win over someone like Kurosawa, but a foreign language director wasn’t going to win that category, and likely never will. And a film of this scope was certainly out of Pollack’s comfort zone, so it doesn’t bother me that he was recognized for handling the material with a perfect balance of classic romance and literary faithfulness. This is about as good as this type of film gets, though I do prefer the more inventive artistry of The English Patient, which takes more than a few cues from Out of Africa, including the score.
John Barry was, simply, the master. My favorite film composer ever since I was a child. The biggest tragedy is that he basically retired (or lost interest) in composing for film about ten years ago. We could have had ten more years of amazing film scores but the man just didn’t have the temperament to suffer Hollywood interference in those last years. That moody, melancholic, sweeping, sinewy John Barry sound died today and will never be replaced – not even by the David Arnolds of this world.
The Man just had a singular sound that got under the skin – and he always did it with class. His music was smooth and seductive and could break your heart when coupled with the right moment on screen. I used to study every new studio one sheet and if Barry’s name graced the credits, I was in.
I had the good fortune to meet the man on a few occasions and have a dozen CDs signed by him. I will always treasure them. His score to FRANCES will probably always remain my favorite. That heartbreaking last walk Harry takes with Frances as Barry brings it home. Also, PETULIA, BODY HEAT, DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER (my favorite Barry Bond – nobody could do a slinky jazzy score like the Guvnor), RAISE THE TITANIC, OUT OF AFRICA, PLAYING BY HEART, THE SPECIALIST (agree with all the love for the last echoes of Barry doing Bond) and the list goes on…. Barry once told me that he turned down CLIFFHANGER and I thought he’d never work with Stallone — but there you go. Stallone is/was a big Barry fan and finally got his man.
If you love movies and you love film music, you are in mourning today. Barry’s sound was of a different era, reduced to a pastiche in films like THE INCREDIBLES and SAHARA — but the music of John Barry will always be remembered — and played religiously in my home.
Just the mention of John Barry’s name brings back youtful memories of sitting in a theatre and enjoying his music as it lifted up and propelled “Goldfinger.” So many of the greats who got rolling in the 1950s and 60s are now gone:Maurice Jarre, Elmer Bernstein,Jerry Goldsmithand now Barry. I notice some of the obits mention Barry’s dispute with Monty Norman over credit on the James Bond Theme introduced in Dr. No. I just discoveed I still have a vinyl soundtrack album from Dr. No, the first Bond film with Sean Connery and Ursula Andress on the cover. The selections which include Under The Mango Tree, Jum p Up and Kingston Calypsio, include two version of the James Bond Theme. The credit reads “music composed and conducted by Montry Norman.I gather after not getting any credit, Barry took comfort in the fact he, not Norman waKED TO
Sorry, my finger slipped and I sent my post before finishing and checking it. I meant to say Barry took comfort afer losing any credit on Dr. No, in the fact he not Monty Norman was asked to do a long line of subsequent Bond films.
Boy, is Lex right… Barry really elevated “Moonraker”, and not just in the sequence he mentioned. And he elevated so many other Bonds, too.
With the truly great film composers, I often feel like the images on the screen are just a courteous gesture on the part of the filmmakers to give us something to idly watch as we’re absorbing the wonderful music. The first “Superman” movie is like that for me… okay, Reeve’s fun to watch, but Williams’ score is the true showstopper there.
That’s the thing about Barry (my favorite composer ever, probably)…
He could make “The Specialist” sound as lush and classical and stirring as “Dances With Wolves” or “Out of Africa.” There’s countless movies that take on this epic romanticism almost entirely thanks to Barry’s contribution, from the ’76 “King Kong” to “Indecent Proposal” to “Enigma.” Or “The Black Hole.” Or “Game of Death.”
Of course the Barry Sound strikes a primal chord in me because I grew up on Bond, so in some subliminal way pretty much any strain of any great Barry score has a sibling sound somewhere in a Bond score. But his work in “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” or “Moonraker” is as lush and singular as just about anything he ever did. Also kind of neat that his beloved “Midnight Cowboy” theme (one of his best) has the same basic progression, albeit slower, as the title theme to “You Only Live Twice.”
And that bit in “Moonraker” where Moore is walking through the rain forest and comes upon Drax’s lair– Barry could take a straightforward bit like that in the goofiest Bond movie ever, and make it sound like most haunting and romantic thing possible.
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