I love this film, I love this story and I love the music in it... But as an example of how important the score is. If the fashion or trend in music at the time isn't taken into account, it can seriously date the film in years to come, as it does with Ladyhawke. Was this score cool in the eighties? Yup... Is it cool now? No... Is the music funny? Hell yeah!
shareI just finished watching it again (on VHS no less, how’s that for nostalgia?) and I have to agree that the music really does date this movie. And to be quite honest, it really doesn’t fit well with it. Not to say that a synth score couldn’t fit, I would imagine if Vangelis (the guy who did Blade Runner) scored this movie, it probably would have worked a lot better. As it is, I think this movie would have (and could still) really benefitted from a traditional orchestral score.
"If you're waiting for a woman to make up her mind, you may have a long wait." Preacher
From Wikipedia :
"The film's score was composed by Andrew Powell and produced by Alan Parsons. Richard Donner stated that he was listening to The Alan Parsons Project (on which Powell collaborated) while scouting for locations, and became unable to separate his visual ideas from the music. Powell combined traditional orchestral music and Gregorian chants with contemporary progressive rock-infused material, to controversial effect. It has been cited as the most memorable example of the growing trend among 1980s fantasy films of abandoning the lush orchestral scores of composers such as John Williams and James Horner in favour of a modern pop/rock sound.[1] The soundtrack album was released in 1985 and re-released with additional tracks in 1995."
Well yes, it really sounds like Alan Parson's Project !
I think Legend (starring Tom Cruise) with the Tangerine Dream music is a better example of 80’s synth music being well incorporated into a fantasy movie.
"If you're waiting for a woman to make up her mind, you may have a long wait." Preacher
I don't see anything wrong with the music and I'm really never going to base my opinions on what people on imdb are trying to hype or slam.
shareTangerine Dream's score for Legend was terrible, which is appropriate, as it was recorded in about 10 minutes for a butchered cut of the film.
Jerry Goldsmith's original score is a masterpiece and if more people had seen the proper cut it would have a WAY higher rating thatn it has.
I have the Director’s cut of Legend with the Goldsmith score, and it (both edit and score) are light years beyond the theatrical release. It’s almost a completely different film! It seems to me that the people who are cheering for Alan Parsons and Tangerine Dream in these topics love the bands and do not care about Ladyhawke, the movie; ergo, fuck ‘em.
shareThe music is cool now!
"Your mother puts license plates in your underwear? How do you sit?!"
Was this score cool in the eighties? Yup... Is it cool now? No... Is the music funny? Hell yeah!