Film Score - A Forgotten Art Form?

As many people have probably known, I'm a huge fan of both movies and music. I often feel that it's a pity that people my generation no longer appreciate art. I'm referring to all kinds of art, from paintings, sculptures, ballets, operas, classical music, etc. The list will go on forever. Of course, the definition of art is a rather subjective one; I consider many things artistic, even film scores. A film score has been seen as music that accompanies a film, when in fact, it could mean more than that. The link above shows John Williams' performance in conducting the film score medley during the 2002 Academy Awards. How many of these scores have you ever listened to? Some of them are pretty recent ones (e.g. My Heart Will Go On - Theme from Titanic) , while some others are now considered classic (e.g. As Time Goes By - Theme from Casablanca). The sad thing is when people are talking about film music, the most famous theme everyone knows is My Heart Will Go On. Many people have forgotten or are not actually aware of loads of other film scores that used to be really famous, some of which can even be included in the classical music repertoire of the 20th century. Below are a few music scores that I have come to love and cherish. 

I fell in love with film scores when I first heard  John Williams' Theme from Schindler's List (link above - I cried many times whenever I listened to this emotional performance by Itzhak Perlman - one of the greatest living violinists of all time). It affected me emotionally, not only because the movie itself was so touching, but also because the score is something I have been listening forever (I'm a big fan of strings - violin and cello, in particular). Since then, I have been buying and downloading many film scores, some of those are really old ones from classic movies. I started off with the violin-rich scores from The Red Violin, Ladies in Lavender, before moving to explore older movie themes. I have to admit that I'm mostly attracted to film scores that are heavily orchestrated. 

My next self-educating adventure with film scores occurred when I encountered classic movie themes from Gone with the Wind, Casablanca and Doctor Zhivago. They are as classic as they can get and you can easily find them in any music stores. Many older people would probably know them when they listen to the tunes. Personally, I find Max Steiner's Tara's Theme from Gone with the Wind (link above) unforgettable - beautiful scores that are perfectly orchestrated. It still reminds me of certain scenes from the movie whenever I listen to this. Max Steiner is an excellent composer when it comes to composing scores for epic films. In fact, I think I purchased the scores first before watching the movie. Yes, that's how much I love film scores.

The last film score I wanna briefly discuss here is Bernard Herrmann's Theme from Psycho (link above). I see this one as a different type of film score - it's almost too masterful and horrifying to listen to. I personally think that audience's perception of Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho wouldn't be the same without this theme. In a way, this theme reminds me of Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring - very experimental and haunting. Herrmann's long collaboration with Hitchcock is very similar to Stravinsky's collaboration with Diaghilev in staging ballets. This is a kind of music piece that would stand on its own, regardless of its purpose as an accompaniment for a movie. Although people working in relevant fields and film buffs might know of the theme, people in general are probably no longer aware of this theme or the composer himself. It's sad, isn't it? A film score is a type of music that deserves a better recognition both as a music form and as an art form. I wanna explore the history of film music more. I'm looking forward to finding a suitable book and learning more.

Just How Much Do You Know About Films?

Yeap, that's my question. How much do you think you know about movies? Watching loads of summer action flicks isn't exactly a great representation of  your knowledge. At least that I can say. I picked up this book randomly at Foyles Charing Cross Road couple days ago. As a film buff, I don't just watch movies, I wanna know more about them - history, film movements, styles of directing and so on. This has been a pretty productive summer for me, I've read and read, both fictions and non-fictions. In return, I've learnt loads about random things. When I bought this book, I was really interested in knowing more about artistic styles of Hollywood and European cinemas. I didn't read the description carefully enough, so it surprised me a lot when the book emphasizes more about social and political factors surrounding film production of different periods in particular parts of the world. Nevertheless, a pleasant read and I managed to learn some interesting stuff, from the style differences between the French New Wave (Godard, Truffaut, etc) and the New Italian Cinema (Fellini, Antonioni, etc), more clarity about non-dancing Indian cinema (Ray's movies), certain genres that have become more known in a country than another (Western films are often associated with Hollywood), and so on. I might have known some of them and I read the 400+ pages rather quickly (about 2.5 days). 

I want to write a little bit about my love for movies. How should I put it? Movies are something I've liked since I was young, without much realising how much certain titles have grown on me. I think the turning point was when I watched Schindler's List. That last scene, such a simple scene of people paying respect to Oskar Schindler. I wasn't able to stop crying. Since then, I started questioning myself how some films could be great and some couldn't. I've started going through some famous movie lists (e.g. various AFI, imdb, 1001 movies to watch before you die lists) to get an understanding of what good movies are. Movies have been with me when I was happy and sad. I have written some reviews occasionally, not long ones - short enough for Facebook status updates, and they're mostly on new movies. I truly wish I could learn more about film studies one day. I really wanna be involved in producing movies. I appreciate all kinds of movies although I'm more biased towards drama genre than summer blockbuster kind of things. Art house cinemas are something I support too - you'll be amazed when you watch some independent films and realise how much better they are than movies you often watch in cinemas.

I do wish I can pick up another book about the history of films, preferably one that talks more about different styles. I really wanna learn more about the French New Wave and the New Italian Cinema. I think I've found some good titles, but haven't been to a bookstore to personally check them yet. Maybe I'll write about my findings next time :)

Glamour of the Gods

Yesterday, I went to the National Portrait Gallery with some friends randomly and I accidentally discovered the Glamour of the Gods: Hollywood Portraits exhibition. Very glamorous indeed. Being a film buff and more importantly, a big fan of classical Hollywood movies, the portraits are not unfamiliar to me. I know most of the featured stars (from 1920s-1960s) and have watched some of their movies. Among the beautiful portraits, my favourites are Rock Hudson for Lover Come Back (its enlarged version is the one you see when you're about to enter the exhibition room), Vivian Leigh for Gone with the Wind (amazing expression - picture below), Greta Garbo and John Gilbert for Flesh and the Devil (sensual as always, I've always wanted to watch this silent film), Marlene Dietrich (divine features), Gary Cooper (looking hot with a cigarette), Joan Crawford, and Carole Lombard. There are also many other pictures such as coloured portraits of Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor, but I still find B&W ones more appealing and expressive. I couldn't help but think of how those people in the past could look effortlessly beautiful and chic. Did they have something similar to botox back then? 

Vivian Leigh for Gone with the Wind 

Anyway, I am still very happy that I stumbled upon the exhibition. It reminds me of how I fell in love with classical Hollywood cinema. I used to spend hours going through the filmography series of Greta Garbo, Ingrid Bergman, Katharine Hepburn etc. If you like classical Hollywood movies and stars, this is definitely not one to be missed.