John Williams is possibly the greatest film composer of all time, but casting is about styles.
I think that John Barry created such a distinctive style for the Bond films, which was so embedded in people's expectations of what a Bond film looks and sounds like, that a Williams score might feel like a mismatch, brilliant thought it would undoubtedly be.
John Williams has a very different musical style. Where Barry might go for a low-key, uncluttered, melodic action theme with a 3-3-2 rhythm figure, Williams might go for a high key scherzo with chattering trumpets and shrieking flute flourishes.
I don't doubt Williams could write a brilliant score for anything, I just don't know if his particular style would be too much the opposite of what the Bond look and feel has come to be.
Cheers
A weak effort Bond scores got nominated.. The Spy Who Loved Me ..in fact..Marvin Hamlisch. I didn’t like it's cheesy score...but in fact Marvin was the first Composer from the Bond Series to be nominated for score. But do like the song...it was good.
As far as Williams...I feel that Williams would of had no problem with composing a James Bond...have heard Bill Conti’s mayhem of notes..???
We ain’t even going to write about Eric Serra. Lol
Serra's GOLDENEYE is one of the best James Bond scores, period!
Other Tallguy and U...yep we got it..lol
Add me to the list of people who love the score. It fit so well for the time too. There's a reason this movie saved the Bond franchise and made it mainstream again.
I understand that people feel that Goldeneye didn't check certain boxes. Including, obviously, the film makers. When Bond flies the plane off of the cliffs at the beginning of the film to the exciting music of... nothing? You almost die from holding your breath waiting for The Theme.
But 1) Goldeneye Overture is a terrific take on the Bond theme without being pastiche. And 2) those lush strings when Bond visits the casino are so cool and romantic while at the same time bittersweet. It's the perfect placement of Bond is exactly where he should be while also noting that it isn't 1962 anymore. Bond is alone in a crowded room. The music nails that contradiction.
It's a great score that fits the movie down to the ground. It just doesn't do all (most) of the Barry things we want it to.
To return to the topic: Neither would a Williams Bond, I suspect.
I understand that people feel that Goldeneye didn't check certain boxes. Including, obviously, the film makers. When Bond flies the plane off of the cliffs at the beginning of the film to the exciting music of... nothing? You almost die from holding your breath waiting for The Theme.
But 1) Goldeneye Overture is a terrific take on the Bond theme without being pastiche. And 2) those lush strings when Bond visits the casino are so cool and romantic while at the same time bittersweet. It's the perfect placement of Bond is exactly where he should be while also noting that it isn't 1962 anymore. Bond is alone in a crowded room. The music nails that contradiction.
It's a great score that fits the movie down to the ground. It just doesn't do all (most) of the Barry things we want it to.
To return to the topic: Neither would a Williams Bond, I suspect.
We see eye to eye on this, which I suspect is unusual for us both.
Even though I have not seen the film myself so therefore I am unsure but isn`t Clint Eastwood`s The Eiger Sanction considered as one of those U.S. films that came in the footsteps of James Bond?
Even though I have not seen the film myself so therefore I am unsure but isn`t Clint Eastwood`s The Eiger Sanction considered as one of those U.S. films that came in the footsteps of James Bond?[/endquote
That's probably not a bad stab at what a JW Bond would sound like.
AND NOW I NEED JOHN WILLIAMS TO SCORE A BOND FILM!
I don't know if they both riffed off of the same sound that they got from somewhere else, but the opening to Billy Joel's The Stranger sounds a LOT like the Eiger Sanction. The opening of the second track and the close of the album. Moody as hell. Far more Daniel Craig than Roger Moore.
