The Soundtrack to Adventure: My Favorite Film Composers

I've been thinking about this one for a bit, and decided to finally "pull the trigger" on it. Anyone who has been following Retro Revelations for even awhile, knows by now that among other things, I am a massive film and animation buff. I've talked about many of my Top Favorite Movies of All Time (Part 1 & Part 2), though in 2021 I would revise it. All of the Top 10 films on the list would remain, though if you care to take a peak at my Letterboxd list, you can see the updated order where I've shuffled them around a bit (as well as getting a greater glimpse at my other favorites). 

I've also talked about my Top Favorite Filmmakers (Part 1 & Part 2), IE directors (and in some cases also producers), or at least some of them. But one thing that I've yet to ever touch on, that is actually a SUPER important and integral part of any feature film, show, or short experience: the music. Music has been a huge part of film since the Silent Era, when that was all a film had to enhance the picture, at all. It continued to be a key part of film as the Sound Era began, and in truth, in my estimation, a film's soundtrack is every bit as important, in many respects, as its direction, its cinematography, its writing and its acting. A great soundtrack enhances key scenes, emphasizes emotions or major plot points, and helps the film tell its story. Probably far more than most filmgoers ever stop to realize, likely half of what we experience when we love a movie, is due to the right music being played at the right time. And the people behind that, who often go unheralded, are the composers, the "music men" of the industry.

So with respect to that, I am going to talk about some of my personal favorite film composers.

Akira Ifukube

Going back to my childhood again, those of you who are long-time readers, know full well just how huge Godzilla and his films were to me in my lonely formative years. He is, after all, the unofficial mascot of my Retro Revelations "brand". And so, Godzilla movies, and related classic Toho films, are the perfect place to start, to illustrate my point. I can tell you with lifelong authority, that of the things that were emblazoned upon my memory, my very soul, watching these movies as a child, along with, naturally, visual scenes of Godzilla bad-assery, of giant monster battles and no-good aliens, was the music. The music of those old Showa Era Godzilla films are permanent parts of my pysche, every bit as much as, say, the music of games like Super Mario Bros. or Mega Man are, every bit as much as classic rock songs I grew up loving. 

Of what are generally considered the most classic Godzilla/Toho movies, most of them involved the collaboration of three men: Director Ishiro Honda, Special Effects guru Eiji Tsuburaya, and composer Akira Ifukube. Those first two names, are largely credited with giving birth to the phenomenon known as Godzilla, Tsuburaya most especially, because of his effects magick. But I don't think it would be off base to also claim, that Mr. Ifukube's musical genius also helped breath life into THE greatest film monster of all time. Without his haunting melodies, these spectacular classic monster movies would simply not have been the same, especially the immortal "Frigate March" military theme, and the "Fury of Godzilla" theme. Versions of these two tunes alone, would echo and carry on in many other future Godzilla movies. 

Immortal imagery, immortal music.

But as I stated, those tunes are etched into my consciousness. I often will find myself humming one of his rousing military marches, or one of the various "Godzilla themes". Like any good film soundtrack, Ifukube's music always perfectly fit and accentuated the moment, any given moment, of the monster movies he worked on. Naturally, he did soundtracks for many, many other kinds of movies, but my experience of him, and thus what matters most to me, and to child me, are his timeless epics of the Godzilla franchise. From the beautiful and haunting post-rampage pieces accompanying images of monster-wrought devastation, to his military tunes that made you want to get up and fight, to the spooky and otherworldly strains of his "Planet X" theme from Godzilla vs. Monster Zero, he always knew the exact right music to create the precisely right mood for each scene. And his monster themes, truly did evoke feelings of a massive creature coming your way, impending doom on the move.

And in all blunt honesty, I know that to anyone but hardcore Godzilla fans, and perhaps some general film buffs, most people aren't really going to care much or be able to recognize Akira Ifukube's music, let alone have any idea who he is. But I can tell you, as a lifelong Godzilla fan, that those movies would not be the same experience, would not be as memorable or as good, without his wonderful work to help bring them to life. And for that, his tunes, just like the movies they inhabit, are forever an important part of my life.

Some Film Scores That I Like: Gojira (1954), Rodan (1956), King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962), Atragon (1963), Ghidorah the Three-Headed Monster (1964), Frankenstein Conquers the World (1965), Invasion of the Astro Monster (1965), King Kong Escapes (1967), Destroy All Monsters (1968) 

Bernard Herrmann

Another great, classic film composer, Herrmann is actually most well known for his many memorable collaborations with infamous director Alfred Hitchcock. And indeed, many of his scores for films such as North by Northwest, Vertigo, and Psycho, are perhaps some of the best in film history. It actually bears mentioning, that the first major film score he ever did, was for none other than Orson Wells' Citizen Kane, which has got to be perhaps the most remarkable first of anyone's career. He also did scores for such films as The Devil and Daniel Webster, Cape Fear, Fahrenheit 451, and Taxi Driver. He was a world class film composer, with one of the most stellar careers in the history of the industry, by any measure.

A soundtrack every bit as magical as its story and monsters.

But to THIS "monster kid", the most important works Herrmann did, were on classic science fiction and monster films, most especially his many collaborations with producer Charles Schneer and effects wizard Ray Harryhausen. Outside of his work with them, he did scores for classics like The Day the Earth Stood Still and Journey to the Center of the Earth. Both great films from the 50s, both of which all the better for his timeless music. But when you talk about Ray Harryhausen films, what stands out about them very nearly as much as the incredible stop-motions effect of the master himself, are the wonderful, vibrant musical scores. He worked on several Harryhausen projects, including The 3 Worlds of Gulliver, Mysterious Island, and the infamous Jason and the Argonauts. 

But for my money, no soundtrack Herrmann ever composed, on any film, comes anywhere near as close to the absolute perfection that is his score for The 7th Voyage of Sinbad. I will fully admit to bias in this case, because that film is one of my Top 5 favorites of all time. But just like everything else in that, my most beloved and revered Harryhausen masterpiece, from the acting, to the story, the pacing, the sets, and of course the monsters, the music truly does make the film. It would still be a VERY good film, I think, without Ray's stop-motion magic, and perhaps even with someone else's music. 

But Herrmann's score, almost as much as Ray's effects in my view, make this film not only GREAT, but practically perfect. It is, hands down, one of my favorite movie soundtracks ever, and while I haven't put the time or thought into sussing out such matters, it may very well be my top favorite movie soundtrack of all time, or damn close. I can't honestly think of a single tune from 7th Voyage that isn't great, and not a single scene where the music doesn't fit the exact mood, tone and context perfectly. The shores of the island of Colossa sound ominous and foreboding, the dance of the snake woman sounds mysterious and mystical, and when Sinbad does battle with the living skeleton, it actually sounds like the beat is being played on ancient bones.

And I defy anyone to point out a cooler, more "tone setting" opening theme, for any film. It just screams magic and adventure, and fully gets you ready for the ride that is to follow those opening credits. 

Some Film Scores That I Like: The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956), The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958), North by Northwest (1959), Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959), The 3 Worlds of Gulliver (1960), Mysterious Island (1961), Jason and the Argonauts (1963)

 

 

 

John Williams

As much as I absolutely love and adore the works of the two men I've already talked about, it is entirely possible, at least in this man's opinion, that no single other film composer in history, has ever produced as many absolutely timeless, classic, and infamous pieces of film music, as John Williams. This man has created masterpieces that even people who don't watch a lot of movies, hell even some people who haven't seen the movies these pieces are from, still know his music! Just the main themes alone, for such movies as Jaws, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, E.T., and Jurassic Park, just THOSE tunes alone, make this man a god amongst film composers. Merely because the movies these pieces are from were popular and successful? No. But because these musical pieces he wrote, embody those classics, and in a very real way, MAKE them the classics they are. 

 

 

The epitome of epic and timeless.

 

 

 I can rightly say, just as much as Bernard Hermman or Akira Ifukube, that John Williams "wrote the soundtrack to my childhood", in a very real way. His scores are every bit as ingrained in my psyche, and his music accompanied some of the most iconic and memorable film images from my childhood. It was his music that had me on the edge of my seat at 4 or 5 years old, as Elliot encountered E.T. for the first time. It was his music that made my heart race, as Indiana Jones struggled to escape that first deadly temple. It was his music that entranced me with the story of a little boy who defended his home from burglars on Christmas Eve. His music that made me believe an adult Peter Pan could still remember how to fly. And it was he, who provided the perfect soundtrack to heroic battles in a Galaxy Far, Far Away. 

It isn't exaggeration to state that I associate John Williams' music, in my mind and "in my heart", with the movies he worked on, every bit as much as actors and imagery in them. If any one film were to earn my "perfect" soundtrack mark as much as The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, it would likely be the first Star Wars. The sequels possess fantastic and timeless music as well, but that first movie has a magic to it that few other do. Like 7th Voyage, I cannot think of a single scene in that movie that doesn't have great, absolutely fitting music. And while I stand by my ardent love of the opening theme to 7th Voyage, if ANY movie were to have an opening theme even close to being on par with that, in my eyes, it would be Star Wars. That main theme is, without a shadow of a doubt, one of the greatest pieces of music the film industry has ever produced. It's one of the best pieces of music ever produced, period.

I will say this, above all else, about film music. The true sign of a great piece of film music, is not merely that it fits the scene or story of the film it accompanies like a glove, though that too is true. No, I would say that the ultimate sign that you've listened to a truly great piece of film music, is when you unconsciously find yourself thinking of and even humming along with that piece of music, at any old time, in any old place, and when you do, you are immediately transported to the worlds and people and adventures of that movie, the stories that music helps tell. Every time. THAT is what John Williams has given the world, with his film scores. Whether we're talking about Jaws, or Superman, or Jurassic Park and beyond, he has, as first stated, crafted more iconic themes for iconic films, than perhaps any other composer in film. When you've created tunes that are every bit as remembered and beloved as the films they're from, you know you're a Master.  

Some Film Scores That I Like: Jaws (1975), Star Wars (1977), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Superman (1978), The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982), Return of the Jedi (1983), Home Alone (1990), Hook (1991), Jurassic Park (1993), Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001), Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)

 

 

I would be remiss if I didn't at least mention a few other composers I like. Many of them even deserve in depth discussions about their work and why I like them, but in the interests of space and time, I will at least list their names, and key scores they've done. 

Jerry Goldsmith: Planet of the Apes (1968), Logan's Run (1976), The Omen (1976), Alien (1979), Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979, also created famous ST theme), Poltergeist (1982), The Secret of NIMH (1982), Gremlins (1984), The 'Burbs (1989) 

Alan Silvestri: Romancing the Stone (1984), Back to the Future (1985), Summer Rental (1985), Flight of the Navigator (1986), Predator (1987), Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), The Abyss (1989), Back to the Future Part II (1989), Fern Gully (1992), Forrest Gump (1994), Richie Rich (1994), Cast Away (2000), Van Helsing (2004), Captain America (2011), The Avengers (2012)   

Randy Edelman: The Chipmunk Adventure (1987), Twins (1988), Ghostbusters II (1989), Kindergarten Cop (1990), The Mask (1994), Billy Madison (1995), Dragonheart (1997)

John Carpenter: Halloween (1978), The Fog (1980), Escape From New York (1981), Big Trouble in Little China (1986), They Live (1988), In the Mouth of Madness (1994), Escape From LA (1996)

Danny Elfman: Pee-Wee's Big Adventure (1985), Beetlejuice (1988), Scrooged (1988), Batman (1989), Dick Tracy (1990), Edward Scissorhands (1990), The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), Mission: Impossible (1996), The Frighteners (1996), Spider-Man (2002), Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008)

 James Horner: Star Trek II (1982), Cocoon (1985), Aliens (1986), An American Tale (1986), The Land Before Time (1988), Honey I Shrunk the Kids (1989), Hocus Pocus (1993), Braveheart (1995), Jumanji (1995), Apollo 13 (1995), Titanic (1997)

Elmer Bernstein: The Ten Commandments (1956), The Magnificent Seven (1960), To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), The Great Escape (1963), Airplane! (1980), The Blues Brothers (1980), Trading Places (1983), Ghostbusters (1984), The Black Cauldron (1985) 

 John Morris: The Producers (1968), Young Frankenstein (1974), Blazing Saddles (1974), The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother (1975), Silent Movie (1976), High Anxiety (1977), History of the World Pt. 1 (1981), Haunted Honeymoon (1986), Spaceballs (1987), Life Stinks (1991) 

Michael Kamen: Highlander (1986), Lethal Weapon (1987), Adventures in Babysitting (1987), Die Hard (1988), Hudson Hawk (1991), Last Action Hero (1993), The Iron Giant (1999)

 

 

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So that's all for now! Until next time, watch some good movies, enjoy some good movie scores, and above all else, enjoy yourselves!