Film Music Review (Summer

Jamie Foxx, one of the industry's biggest stars, said as he promoted Quentin Tarantiuno's upcoming ultra-violent spaghetti Western-style film about slavery, DJANGO UNCHANED, that actors can't ignore the fact that movie violence can influence people. "We cannot turn our back and say that violence in films or anything that we do doesn't have a sort of influence," Foxx said in an interview. "It does."

It's about time an actor spoke up about the glut of violent movies that have been flooding the theaters in the past few years. The movies have become increasingly violent especially
showing graphic mayhem and excess blood-letting. For what purpose? For shock effect or to give some cheap thrill to the bad behavior crowd? Isn't there enough violence and killing in real life?

I believe the fault lies with greedy film producers and warped directors like Quentin Tarantino, who are media darlings but morally corrupt. It's time there was a return to films that have a more positive story and are well acted, like LINCOLN, with an excellent score by John Williams, rather than mindless repetition in a score, like for the vastly overrated James Bond film, SKYFALL.

In empasizing violence the money handlers have sold themselves out by appealing to the lowest level of moviegoer who seem to carry their bad behavior elsewhere. Some experts have said that violent films have no effect on the weak-minded or angry people? Don't believe it.

Let's have more films of healing and hope rather than killing and dope!

If you are a film music fan or collector or (in my case) a critic, this is a very tough question to answer. Do you pick one of the acknowledged film music masters, like Bernard Herrmann, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Alfred Newman, Miklos Rozsa, or Max Steiner? Or, there are these three film composers: Elmer Bernstein, Jerry Goldsmith, David Raksion. Any of these film composers would be great choices and I admire them all. Of course there others as well deserving of high praise.

But in my case, I would pick the film composer who I noticed the most when I was a regular movie goer back in my kid days -- Dimitri Tiomkin [shown in the above picture at the piano].

His score for HIGH NOON was one of the first films whose score and title song were both very memorable. It was also one of my favorite early films since I was a huge western fan when that film was in the theaters in 1952. There are many other Tiomkin scores I like and they include: THE ALAMO, D.O.A., THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE, LAND OF THE PHARAOHS.
I had the pleasure to write an article for the now defunct Soundtrack magazine about Tiomkin's "Golden Decade." -- see Runmovies/Soundtrack.

Film music fans tend to be somewhat geeky so their choices for favorite film composer of the past would probably be quite diverse and sometimes obscure -- how about Walter Greene? Some fans might say their tastes change from day to day so they couldn't pick just one favorite? Of course your choice might change but not picking anyone is a copout that is all too common among those who don't want to pick one so they pick -- nobody?

If you wish to be brave and pick just one film composer you especially enjoy, send your choice and any comments you wish to add to

There are those among today's filmgoers, especially the younger ones, who think that almost anything they hear today in a film soundtrack is memorable. They might list the scores to INCEPTION or THE SOCIAL NETWORK as examples. But are they really memorable?

For those who have more or less given up on today's film music, there are still lots of vintage film soundtrack CDs being released each year by Film Score Monthly, Intrada, Tadlow Music, Tribute Film Classics, to name just some of the companies releasing vintage soundtracks.

So do you prefer vintage film soundtracks or the latest ones from today's films?

It's your choice but what matters most is that the best film music will (and should) live on.

Right now, there are lots of CDs being released of soundtracks and some I would call just junk music. For instance, who would have guessed that Clint Eastwood's four note "score" to MYSTIC RIVER would be so highly regarded? Does he deserve to be lauded for his film scoring? I say - No.

But rather than gush over a celebrity actor-director, I'd prefer a memorable soundtrack like John Barry's BODY HEAT or Bernard Herrmann's NORTH BY NORTHWEST, or John Williams for almost any film score he has composed. These are the composers that deserve highest praise for writing memorable film music.

Clint Eastwood can continue to talk to an empty chair and make his angry old man movies.

Herrmann's One-Two Knockout!

The latest poll of over 1,000 film critics and writers as reported in the BFI's magazine, Sight & Sound, have at the top two films with scores by Bernard Herrmann.

What for decades was the No. 1 choice, CITIZEN KANE (1941),
has been replaced by VERTIGO (1958) . Both are on my top ten list of Herrmann's favorites.

Respected film critic, Ty Burr, writing in The Boston Globe (18 August 2012) asks the important question: "Is VERTIGO really the greatest film of all time?"

My answer would be -- No.

I believe CITIZEN KANE should remain at the No. 1 spot where it has been for decades. While this poll might appear to be highly erudite and elitist, it is really a desire to highlight the films of greatest substance over superficial effects and dopey dialogue. No DARK KNIGHT or AVATAR here! That's because, as Ty Burr ends his piece writing:

"In fact, it's a reminder that there's much more out there than burgers and fries."

I'm one of very few critics (perhaps the only one!) who also believes CITIZEN KANE has the greatest score of any Hollywood film and it tops my list of 100 essential film scores of the 20th century.

But Herrmann's one-two punch in the Sight & Sound poll makes him the Film Music Heavyweight Champion.

Bravo, Benny!

-- Roger Hall, 20 August 2012

Latest News

Article: A Renaissance of Rózsa
by Steve Vertlieb

An Interview with David Schecter, Album Producer

Film in Focus No. 12

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
(music by Elmer Bernstein)

Book Reviews

The Music of James Bond (Jon Burlingame)
Book review by Roger Hall

Musique Fantastique (Book One)

MUSIQUE FANTASTIQUE (Randall Larson)
Book review by Steve Vertlieb

THE SONGS OF HOLLYWOOD
Book Review by Roger Hall

12th Annual National Carry A Tune Week Survey
including film themes and songs

This excellent soundtrack by John Williams was selected
as Best New Score CD of 2011 at

The International Film Music Critics Association have announced their choices for the best of the year for 2011. See the entire list at this link:

Here is your chance to pick some of your favorite Hollywood movie songs
and film scores from the past 75 years (1933 to 2008). The titles don't have to be what you consider to be the greatest or most popular film music. They are your choices of film music you especially enjoy, both scores and songs.

Send your list of up to 30 favorites (songs or scores in any order) to:

My favorite movie music

By Steve Vertlieb -
"Tribute to James Bernard" in Memories of Hammer (2002)
edited by Gary J. and Susan Svehla.

"The Horror and Fantasy Films of Max Steiner" in
The Max Steiner Annual (1970)

"Film Music in the 1980s: A Symposium" in
Pro Musica Sana(Spring 1990)

"The Reinvention of Miklos Rozsa" in
Midnight Marquee (no. 52)

By Steven A. Kennedy -
"Copland on Celluloid" (interview with
conductor Jonathan Sheffer) in
Film Score Monthly (February 2001)

By Roger Hall -
A Guide to Film Music: Songs and Scores
(1st ed, 1997; 2nd ed, 2002, 3rd ed, 2007; 4th ed, 2009)

"Bernard Herrmann" in
American National Biography (24 vols.)

"From Hitchcock to Harryhausen: Ten Essential Herrmann Scores"
in Film Score Monthly (April-May 2000)

"Remembering (David) Raksin"
in Film Score Monthly (September 2004)

"Elmer's Magnificent 7:
Essential Elmer Bernstein Scores of the 1960s"
in Film Score Monthly (October 2004)

"Tip to Moviegoers: Take Off Those Earmuffs!"
(interview with Aaron Copland)
in Soundtrack! (Fall 2000)

"The Magnificent One: 50 Years of Elmer Bernstein Film Scores"
in Soundtrack! (Summer 2001)

All these articles are listed in
this well organized and very useful reference book...

An informative resource guide on DVD-R,
with 50 music examples and a video program
about vintage movie songs and scores.
Read more about A GUIDE TO FILM MUSIC at

A play written with music by Roger Hall
and based on a famous utopian 19th century novel
is now available on DVD and titled,

List of CD, DVD and Book Reviews
on
FILM MUSIC REVIEW
(1998 - 2010)

click here

The International Film Music Critics Association (IFMCA) is proud to announce the formation of the IFMCA Legends archive, celebrating the life and work of some of film music’s greatest historical artists.

Although the primary focus of the IFMCA is the celebration of the best in modern contemporary film music, it is also fully aware of the amazing legacy of groundbreaking music left by the classic Golden Age and Silver Age composers of decades past. To that end, the IFMCA has established the IFMCA Legends archive, which celebrates the work of these cinematic pioneers. Other than their musical contribution, the only other criteria necessary to become a member of the IFMCA Legends archive is to be deceased.

Each year, starting this year, IFMCA members will vote on new inductees who, in their opinion, have left an indelible mark on the world of film music through their groundbreaking scores, and who are deserving of recognition for their work. Each inductee will be the subject of an in-depth essay written by one of the IFMCA’s members, highlighting their life and most important scores, and which will be featured in a special new section on the IFMCA website.

For this inaugural year, IFMCA members chose five initial inductees. In future years, two new inductees will be chosen. The initial five inductees are:

The International Film Music Critics Association (IFMCA) is an association of online, print and radio journalists who specialize in writing about original film and television music.

The IFMCA was originally formed in the late 1990s as the now-defunct “Film Music Critics Jury” by editor and journalist Mikael Carlsson, a regular contributor to Music from the Movies, and the owner of the Swedish independent film music label MovieScore Media. Since its inception, the IFMCA has grown to comprise over 40 members from countries as diverse as Australia, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.

The group’s main focus is the IFMCA Awards, which it presents annually to the best riginal scores from motion pictures, television and video games from the preceding calendar year. Previous IFMCA Score of the Year Awards have been awarded to Michael Giacchino’s UP in 2009, Alexandre Desplat’s THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON in 2008, Dario Marianelli’s ATONEMENT in 2007, James Newton Howard’s LADY IN THE WATER in 2006, John Williams’ MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA in 2005 and Michael Giacchino’s THE INCREDIBLES in 2004.

For more information about the International Film Music Critics Association, its members and the list of their awards, please visit them at this link: http://www.filmmusiccritics.org

The Special Merit CDs are chosen at any time during a month for outstanding overall production of a soundtrack or compilation.

The Editor's Choice - Best of the Month designation is for those CDs that are singled out for their excellence. They are chosen anytime within a given month and may not be chosen every month.