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Posted: |
Jan 4, 2015 - 11:52 PM
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By: |
bobbengan
(Member)
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I'm a FANATIC about this man's wonderful, brilliant music, so I guess it's kinda ironic that I've only seen a small handful of films that he's scored: Man on Fire, King Kong Lives, The Deceivers, Greystoke, The People That Time Forgot, Lionheart, The Shooting Party (a fascinating and beautifully shot film by the way with a seemingly boring story that manages to be told and acted very well) and bits and pieces of Anthony and Cleopatra. However, I own just about everything by him that's been released, and with more than 45 scores of his in my collection I STILL want more.
He has over 150 scoring titles on IMDB alone, and that doesn't include plenty of TV work and other programatic works of his.
Obviously we've been lucky for a lot of his stuff to get released on his own label or elsewhere, but surely this covers only a fraction of what's actually out there.
So I ask those who might be in the know - What of his still remains unreleased and unearthed?
For example, has anyone seen the 1999 Western he did, THE LONG ROAD HOME (for the same director he had previously written 1997's magnificent sweeping western score to WALKING THUNDER)? Or the obscure 1988 Vietnam War action-drama DOG TAGS?
His 2003 score to the French film SMALL CUTS seems to be nice, check out the music about 7:45 in to the below video, then again at 22:35 where there's some really nice string and woodwind writing in the familiar John Scott style I love so much - Those high, "oscillating" violins while lowers strings answer the woodwind phrases of a melancholy theme. Some good suspense writing around the 30 minute mark that gives way to a love theme as well. I suppose this one'll probably never see the light of day and seems like it's pretty sparsely spotted, given that 37 minutes represented in this clip features very little music. The last minute builds nicely but seems to cut out before an end title roll (I presume) can begin:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PpxiG0WU18
There's been talk about his rejected score to CLAN OF THE CAVE BEAR which I'd just love to hear also - When director Michael Chapman taught at my alma mater two years ago I asked him about this but he had no recollection of what the rejected score sounded like at all nor ever met John Scott apparently. Given Scott's amazing aptitude for scoring "noble savage" films I'd think this one probably sounds amazing, wherever it is.
I also read an interview with Robert Folk where he mentions that Scott replaced his score for a 1983 documentary called THE PLANETS, a gorgeous score by Folk that, ironically, sounds very John Scott-like to begin with - However IMDB has no such entry for Scott.
Anyone who's more familiar with his actual filmography than I - What's hidden away out there of his, still waiting to be discovered?
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There's been talk about his rejected score to CLAN OF THE CAVE BEAR which I'd just love to hear also - When director Michael Chapman taught at my alma mater two years ago I asked him about this but he had no recollection of what the rejected score sounded like at all nor ever met John Scott apparently. Given Scott's amazing aptitude for scoring "noble savage" films I'd think this one probably sounds amazing, wherever it is.
He only did some demos themes, which the producers rejected.
There's also his rejected score to "Wet Gold". The replacement score holds a record as being one of the top four fastest written replacement scores, described as "hours".
I also read an interview with Robert Folk where he mentions that Scott replaced his score for a 1983 documentary called THE PLANETS, a gorgeous score by Folk that, ironically, sounds very John Scott-like to begin with - However IMDB has no such entry for Scott.
Not quite right. Folk said they re-made the film a year later. Scott scored the new film.
The original documentary is up on Youtube and no composer is credited and it seems to consist of only Holst.
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I've read that wrote scores for the John Barrymore version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and the Fairbanks version of Robin Hood. I'd sure like to hear those scores.
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I hope Lionheart gets a re-release, as I stupidly sold my CD many years ago.
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I'm still slowly making my (chronological) way through his discography.
I'm around King Of The Wind, Becoming Colette and Witchcraft at the moment, so there are many more unplayed/unheard John Scott scores for me to discover and fall for.
I'm constantly amazed at the beauty and power of his themes, melodies and scoring style.
I have CD-R's of his (unreleased on CD) LP scores for Rocket To The Moon, England Made Me and the like.
I would buy them if given a proper release.
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Posted: |
Jan 8, 2015 - 5:21 AM
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By: |
bobbengan
(Member)
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I'm still slowly making my (chronological) way through his discography.
I'm around King Of The Wind, Becoming Colette and Witchcraft at the moment, so there are many more unplayed/unheard John Scott scores for me to discover and fall for.
I'm constantly amazed at the beauty and power of his themes, melodies and scoring style.
You're entering amazing territory with KING OF THE WIND and BECOMING COLETTE, and WITCHCRAFT is a ton of fun. His other amazing 90's scores include WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR, THE NORTH STAR, WALKING THUNDER, SHERGAR and 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA and the orchestral portions of WINTER PEOPLE.
While Scott has been a great composer from day one and consider ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA to perhaps arguably be his "masterpiece", I really must say that the late 80's and early 90's saw a new evolution in his voice that was truly incredible: This time period, for me, is when he truly entered the canon of greatness as a "Composer's Composer", starting with about GREYSTOKE in '84 and continuing through to today. His orchestrational finesse just became unmatched by any other living film composer. This has continued, even though his post-2000 output has been frustratingly sparse (but always fantastic: See WICKER TREE and his JULES VERNE scores).
While some composers' work reaches its peak early or in the middle of their careers creatively, with Scott I truly feel his gifts were only just beginning to fully reveal their power when he basically stopped working regularly (or so it seems) at the turn of the century.
Not only is this man one of THE great tunesmiths of film music, but the things he can do with an orchestra are astonishing. He is in league with Ravel, Respighi and the English Impressionists without question for me and I truly do not believe, with the exception perhaps of the Rozsa-esque genius that is the (currently VERY in-demand and prolific) Japanese composer Michiru Oshima, that any other composer for film has the orchestrational ability of John Scott - Past or present. He's just endlessly inspired!
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) 