Films/DVD Asylum

Posted by Audiophilander (A) on January 07, 2005 at 15:41:26

In Reply to: "The Dead" posted by rico on January 7, 2005 at 13:28:29:

... IMHO, Alex North was responsible for one of the absolute WORST, most oddball film scores in the history of cinema: the fluffy Disney-esque soundtrack to Dragonslayer (1981). A real tragedy, as a genuinely good film was almost ruined by an awful piece of music that fails miserably at conveying the appropriate sound-image for a medieval fantasy; it's almost as weird as watching episodes of Shotgun Slade, an early 60's western TV series with the mockish Peter Gunn jazz score!

A good composer should be able to convey atmosphere in almost any film project; mediocre composers may produce an unmemorable score, but it's rare when an acknowledged professional misinterprets the musical style to the point of distraction. Out of respect for the memory of Mr. North I should point out that he composed outstanding scores he throughout his career (Sparticus & Prizzi's Honor comes to mind) and I'm sure that Dragonslayer was the exception rather than the rule.

AuPh