Eastwood's selfmade score

I have to disagree. One of the most mesmerizing parts of this film is the score. And, for your information, Clint Eastwood is an accomplished jazz musician. Don't assume because he played such limited macho characters most of his career that he isn't a bit of a renaissance man.

(That's Clint singing over the opening credits in a hauntingly beautiful rendition of a favorite song of the era, I'll Walk Alone.)

"I'd never ask you to trust me. It's the cry of a guilty soul."

reply share

add reply

formatting help

The realistically directed and rendered scenes could have had so much more of an intense impact if the producers would have chosen to hire an established composer like i.e. John Williams, James Newton Howard or even Hans Zimmer.

There's nothing wrong with Eastwood's scores it's merely your preference for one musical style over another. Eastwood's music is much like his directing - it's simple & understated & in that understatement resides real emotional power. I thought the Flags score was excellent & suited the scenes in which it was used perfectly. That musical sequence where Doc helps the wounded marine back to base & then gazes out at a row of bodies was spot on. A basic piano composition evoked the courage of the men & the cost of the war without being musically overbearing or bombastic. You think that's simplistic in some pejorative sense but I would argue that simplicity is one of the hallmarks of a great artist because Eastwood is creating what is only absolutely necessary. You look at Eastwood's direction & it's exactly the same thing. His score for Million Dollar Baby did wonders in drawing out the emotional undercurrents of the story. There's a lesson for all filmmakers in Eastwood's recent films; you don't need these big orchestral, generic sounding Hollywood scores to enhance a story. These delicate little scores of Eastwood's can be just as effective.

Mai Yamane! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-sYFirfywY&feature=related

reply share

add reply

formatting help

I like a good, powerful movie theme as much as the next guy.

I thought Eastwood's score for this movie was perfect. It didn't need an overpowering theme.

reply share

add reply

formatting help

sometimes less is more.

I liked the simplicity...
It let me have my own emotions.

reply share

add reply

formatting help

An outstanding movie by one of Hollywood's best and most talented directors today... but Eastwood's selfmade score is hands down embarrassing. It's the same dull and repetitive theme all along the movie. The realistically directed and rendered scenes could have had so much more of an intense impact if the producers would have chosen to hire an established composer like i.e. John Williams, James Newton Howard or even Hans Zimmer. Eastwood's less than simplistic score doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of doing musical justice to one of the most important events of World War 2 especially in terms of the emotional level of depth the music for a film like this should represent.

To me it's just mysterious why Eastwood is always so eager and anxious to score his own movies as he clearly and obviously exceeds the limits of his filmmaking talents by doing so (this movie being the best example and case-study for that argument). In the end all he delivers is a dull and at best less than simplistic score that can at most be regarded as a total failure given the required emotional scope of the film's topic and furthermore as an absolutely ridiculous underachievement in the field of creating/writing music for feature films. All his score manages to do is leaving behind a substantial emotional gap which could have easily been filled by one of the many talented professional film music composers out there.

What's also possible is that Hollywood has conditioned you to expect a certain kind of overtly stirring score to convey emotion, whereas Eastwood is approaching matters from a more naturalistic and phenomenological perspective.

reply share

add reply

formatting help