I don't claim to know all of Doyle's work, but was thinking the other day that his best work seemed to be those first three scores he did with Brannagh (Henry V, Dead Again and Much Ado About Nothing). Thoughts?
I don't claim to know all of Doyle's work, but was thinking the other day that his best work seemed to be those first three scores he did with Brannagh (Henry V, Dead Again and Much Ado About Nothing). Thoughts?
They are still among his finest. (Although I would love to hear a new recording of Henry V, as (possibly because I heard the Silva version of some cues first) I've always found the OST just a touch thin.)
I also love Great Expectations, because it's so different and often gorgeous. I know I'd rank a couple of his scores for Régis Wargnier among his best, but off the top of my head I couldn't tell you which. And Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is up there. Many of his latter scores have some really fun themes and moments but aren't as good as a whole (Eragon, Last Legion, etc.)
Along with the Branagh Shakespeare films, I very much like Doyle's "fairy-tale" scores such as A Little Princess, Nanny McPhee and the aforementioned Goblet of Fire.
I'd have to say Much Ado About Nothing, it just seems to capture everything I like about Doyle in one score, a ton of melodies with lots of playing around to keep them fresh, a bit melodramatic (in a good way!), mostly sunny but the darker parts are also gorgeous, just all round a wonderful piece of writing. And if he'd written nothing aside from the Overture, I'd think he was a wonderful composer, just as well he wrote a load more great scores, although I have to agree with those that note his best period was the 90's. His brand of pretty dramatic scoring seemed to be more acceptable then than now.
Along with the Branagh Shakespeare films, I very much like Doyle's "fairy-tale" scores such as A Little Princess, Nanny McPhee and the aforementioned Goblet of Fire.
Really adore Carlito's Way and Dead Again, as well as his Needful Things score. All examples of being blown away by the music when first seeing the movie!
All the scores mentioned above are very good indeed. That said I don't believe that anyone has mentioned what I consider to be Patrick Doyle's best score. His first one...HENRY V.
