This week on Film Score Friday we listen to the score from The Three Musketeers. Michael Kamen wrote the score for this 1993 film. If you've heard Kamen's work on Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, then you'll find much of this familiar. Although we would say Robin Hood is the better score, this lesser known one is still quite good. Kamen embraces the swashbuckling theme of the film right away and it works quite well. Enjoy!
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This week on Film Score Friday, we listen to the music from the miniseries Band of Brothers. While it is a miniseries and not just a film, we think it's worth a look this week. Michael Kamen wrote the music for this 2001 HBO production. The epic miniseries follows a group of soldiers from basic training to the end of World War 2 in Europe.
“It’s about ordinary men doing extraordinary things, and that was uppermost in my mind when I wrote the music for it”
If you're familiar with Kamen's work, you'll hear familiarity in this score. That's a good thing. In particular, you might recognize some common threads with his score from Robin Hood. The score, at times, is very sparse with just a few instruments in the orchestra. In one instance, Kamen scored a lone Trumpet with the Violins. The effect is great. At other times, he transitions quickly to a full orchestra. The effect plays very well.
Although about war, the miniseries it ultimately about characters. Kamen's programmatic music pairs well with this. It's also appropriate to the reverent tone the film takes at times. It's well worth a listen.
What did you think of Band of Brothers? Let us know in the comments.
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This week on Film Score Friday, we take a listen to 1991's Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. Michael Kamen wrote the memorable score. This is written when Kamen really hit his stride in his career. This was a mediocre film, but the score really shines.
Even if you've never heard the score in full, you've almost certainly heard an excerpt. The beginning fanfare that Kamen wrote for the film was adapted by Morgan Creek Productions for their title sequence heard on many films after it came out.
Kamen wrote so many great horn parts for this score that it's hard to call out a specific sequence. Speaking of that, the Vienna horns have a marvelous recording of an arrangement of this score. It's worth a look.
The hard part about this film is it's not great. Everyone has a British accent, except for Robin Hood. It's really strange and distracting. If you watch it, just try to focus on the great music and you'll be in a much happier place.
Is this the best of Kamen's works? Let us know in the comments.
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