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I've noticed in the recent top ten listing of least favorite scores, and in previous posts about over-rated scores and composers, that there are those out there who hate the score to Lawrence Of Arabia, (and I suppose some who dislike the film as well).
Now, I'm not here to challenge people or say anyone is wrong - this stuff is all subjective, but I'm very curious to know just what it is about that score (and film) that people dislike.
I can honestly say that I'm not much of a Jarre fan, besides Lawrence, the only score I bothered to get was Ghost and the best stuff there is his arrangement of North's Unchained melody. But to me Lawrence is a classic film and classic score.
So, please tell me, what's not to like about it?
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For me, the film and score, are repetitive bores. The film and the score, drone on and on and on. And, yes, I saw it on the great big 70mm screen, and hated every single second of it. The score does fit the film, however. Both are boring. I don't know any other way to explain it. Like you said, it's a subjective thing. I simply cannot imagine anyone sitting through that film, and liking it. Nor can I imagine anyone ever wanting to hear that music, again.
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Why did Prince Faisal, Dryden and Gen. Allenby scheme to get rid of him? Hmmmm?
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I have to admit to seeing LAWRENCE on the same weekend that I had to force myself to read THE SCARLET LETTER for a Monday morning test in high school.
I didn't get all the subtext as a high school sophomore (what was all that business with Jose Ferrer and his merry band of torturers?), but I still found it a wonderful film experience that I knew I would appreciate more when I was older and wiser. I have always enjoyed the Jarre score, and, yes, he did coast on that one for a while. However,one can only imagine the film's
desert poeticism with Lean's
previous composer--Malcolm Arnold. (And I'm sure THAT comment will rain down the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune from all the Arnold
fans out there!)
Sorry John, I guess everyone gets to miss the boat on a great one now and then.
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Okay, "Mary Poppins", NOW you're talkin'!
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Jeff Bond: re your excellent SAND PEBBLES review, the Chinese boats are sampans, not "sanpans."
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Posted: |
Sep 20, 2002 - 8:45 PM
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By: |
Dana Wilcox
(Member)
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I also liked both film and score. I was a kid when it came out, and the big road show films were always exciting, even though some of them (MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY, fr'instance) turned out to be overblown fiascos. LAWRENCE was anything but that, with great direction, brilliant cinematography, a solid cast (even, or especially, the "newcomers") and a worthy score that worked quite well in the film (IMO). For pure listening, LAWRENCE OF ARABIA is not one I frequently load into the ol' CD player. (I also thought DR. ZHIVAGO was well scored, and you can't blame Jarre for the fact that "Lara's Theme" was covered a thousand times and played ad nauseum on the radio. Beyond that, Jarre is basically a big fat zero on my scale as a composer.)
So ya see, there really are some of us out here who don't hate, even like, maybe even LOVE both film and score of LAWRENCE. It's only boring if you're bored by it (didn't Yogi Berra say that first?), and I was and am most emphatically not.
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Peter D,
It was the New Republic, and if vague memory serves, Mr. Kaufman's analogy for the score was that the constantly repeated main theme reminded him of the music from any old Yvonne DeCarlo sword-and-sandal epic. (He might have used the phrase "Arabian Nights.")
I'm a big fan of the film, and a big fan of the score, especially WITH the film. There's a lot of Jarre out there I don't care for at all. I thought RYAN'S DAUGHTER worked against the film, whereas LAWRENCE's music worked wonderfully in it. Perhaps my favorite Jarre is gentle Jarre. Wish someone would put the moody, tinkling BEHOLD A PALE HORSE on cd. I'm glad I found the cd of the moody, tinkling THE COLLECTOR while I had the chance. And I'm fond of the score he wrote for ONLY THE LONELY. He did pretty well by the epic THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING, too; (that's a cd I DIDN'T get when I had the chance.)
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