This week of Film Score Friday, we listen to the score from Planet of the Apes. Danny Elfman wrote the score for this 2001 remake. Elfman does a great job with creating a sound that really feels like the wilderness. The highlight are when Elfman scores just Brass and Percussion. These are great sequences. The score beyond just the tribal themes. There's some really great lyrical sections with some good Brass solos as well. Enjoy!
Film Score Friday: Nightbreed
This week on Film Score Friday, we listen to the score from Nightbreed. Danny Elfman wrote the score for this 1990 horror movie. This came out around the same time Elfman scored Batman. The similarities are striking and welcome. Elfman hits just the right themes for this overlooked horror film. Enjoy and Happy Halloween!
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Film Score Friday: Men in Black
This week on Film Score Friday, we listen to the score from Men in Black. Danny Elfman wrote the score for this 1997 scifi film. Compared to Elfman's body of work, this score is restrained at times. Don't worry though, that doesn't last long. There's still plenty of Elfman's sweeping use of brass throughout the score. The film is often overshadowed by the pop music Will Smith created, but the score is indeed worth a listen.
Where does Men in Black rank in your mind for Elfman's works? Let us know in the comments.
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Film Score Friday: Mission Impossible
This week on Film Score Friday, we listen to the score from Mission Impossible. Danny Elfman wrote the score for this revival of the TV classic. It was almost from another composer though. Alan Silvestri was hired and supposedly recorded some music before being swapped for Elfman. Despite what sounds like challenging circumstances, Elfman's score succeeds.
Although the opportunities for brass to shine are not as plentiful in this score as other Elfman works, it's still worth a listen. He manages to bring in the classic theme from the original series and introduce new elements that work for the film. His best success is building tension. In a film where the prospect of getting caught while on the run is a major plot point, this use of tensions works well. The highlight of the score is the very end when the brass are unleashed. It's pretty great and it feels like the bell of the Tuba will come through your speakers.
Where does mission impossible rank for Elfman scores? Let us know in the comments.
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Film Score Friday: Batman
This week on Film Score Friday, we listen to the score from 1989's Batman. Danny Elfman wrote the score from this take on the dark knight. Depending on your perspective, at the time this film premiered there had been few to no successful (read: good) comic book hero movies. Elfman's challenge here was to make a programmatic score, but not one cartoonish. He succeeded.
Elfman on the score
It's a fantastic score with great range. At time it goes from sounding like a dark Viennese Waltz to Also Sprach Zarathustra. Each brass section gets time to shine many times in this score. Not only that, it feels like the bell is about to come off everything from lead Trumpet to Tuba. The recording absolutely feels like every brass player pushed it to the limit. The other element that works well with the score is doubling of brass parts with organ. The depth of sound matches the tone of the movie perfectly. The Sinfonia of London recorded this. Well done.
“For Batman, they wanted it to sound like John Williams’ music but I don’t do that - only John Williams can do John Williams.”
Is this the greatest score from a Batman film? Tell us in the comments.
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