FSM # 17: The Musical Poetry of Urban Soundscapes
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Herrmann’s TAXI DRIVER, Elliot Goldenthal’s HEAT, maybe Vangelis’ BLADE RUNNER…..what are some other scores that conjure up the beauty and majesty and maybe moral corruption of cityscapes?
I’m not necessarily thinking about jazz stuff for urban 70’s cop thrillers and such; more the steamy, throbbing, busy atmosphere. Imagine a sunset over skyscrapers and how you would score that.
(I should add that I wrote an article on this very topic in 2012 – probably why I did that thread in the first place – which was later republished on this site in 2021. Here’s a Google-translated version of that article, for anyone interested).
Probably Hans Zimmer’s “Black Rain” falls into that category. And Joe Hisaishi’s “Brother” as well as Terrence Blanchard’s “25th Hour”.
Elliot Goldenthal HEAT
James Newton Howard COLLATERAL
Ennio Morricone UN UOMO DA RISPETTARE
Jerry Goldsmith SHAMUS
Hans Zimmer BLACK RAINOne that is often overlooked (but which I mentioned in the article) is THE SAINT OF FORT WASHINGTON. Connotes urban loneliness so well. The opening of GRAND CANYON is another. And of course COLLATERAL too, that Nick mentioned. In fact, JNH is somewhat of an expert in this sound.
Also mentioned in the article is another Goldenthal score – GOLDEN GATE. Blissful, moody, ethereal, sexy.
CHINATOWN is one of my all time favorite movies and scores, so I really did not forget about it. However, for me (others may differ) it didn’t align with Thor’s request for “Urban Soundscapes” “steamy, throbbing” or “busy atmosphere”, “skyscrapers”… instead, CHINATOWN the music conjures up images of the Western desert, orange groves, dust, a sparse, dry sound for the (then) more spread out desert community Los Angeles that borders at the ocean, far removed from the urban density of New York or Chicago or Boston (or later L.A.). So while I love CHINATOWN (both score and film), and I certainly did not forget about it, it just did not fit with what Thor was asking for.
CHINATOWN is one of my all time favorite movies and scores, so I really did not forget about it. However, for me (others may differ) it didn’t align with Thor’s request for “Urban Soundscapes” “steamy, throbbing” or “busy atmosphere”, “skyscrapers”… instead, CHINATOWN the music conjures up images of the Western desert, orange groves, dust, a sparse, dry sound for the (then) more spread out desert community Los Angeles that borders at the ocean, far removed from the urban density of New York or Chicago or Boston (or later L.A.). So while I love CHINATOWN (both score and film), and I certainly did not forget about it, it just did not fit with what Thor was asking for.
I think you are right. I was also hesitant to mention it because of what you wrote, Nick. But somehow it falls for me into the category “urban sound”, which is not exactly what Thor was asking for.
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