FSM # 40: Defending Ladyhawke
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OK, first I have to say that I have been a fan of the LADYHAWKE soundtrack for many, many years (being a huge Alan Parsons fan and completist), so this obviously leaves me biased. But when I saw the movie for the first time yesterday, I tried to see it with an open mind and as objectively as possible.
I liked the film for the most part, even though the dialogue was a bit stilted in places and it lacked some dramatic “punch”. But the cinematography by Vittorio Storaro was absolutely spellbinding. Lots of colour grading, which I love. And the performances by Rutger Hauer and Leo McKern, in particular, were convincing.
The music. Well, since this score has been lambasted left and right, I was expecting something far, far worse than what I got. Opinions:
1) All the crucial and “serious” scenes related to love and suspense are scored in a traditional symphonic manner. In other words, the scenes that really MATTERED were NOT tongue-in-cheek, and Powell rightfully respected them as such. There’s some seriously SCARY music as people are sneaking around in the forest. And there’s a BREATH-TAKINGLY beautiful love theme that is often pushed to the fore, such as in the scene where the two lovers barely touch before they transform or the scene where Ladyhawke flies across the water, wings dipping the surface. John Williams or James Horner couldn’t have done it better. Then there are some entertaining source cues that set the film in its period.
2) The tracks with a pop beat that people react to are relegated to transportation scenes or tongue-in-cheek action scenes like swordfights and duels. I certainly agree that this is very unusual and some of the 80’s production values shine through. But is it really that out-of-place? We only find it unusual because it breaks so radically with convention. We’re not used to a pop beat in this genre. But Powell’s music always fits the visuals in these scenes. The galloping horses, for example, are accompanied by a “galloping” beat. It’s certainly far less of a convention-breaker than A KNIGHT’S TALE was. Additionally, you have to remember that a traditional Korngoldian score would also have been radically out-of-place if you’re judging the music purely by its “fidelity” to the period. It’s just that it has become convention. I think one gains a lot in film appreciation by having an open mind and allowing filmmakers to push the boundaries of what any given genre should include – also musically.
In short, this is really a wonderful score (mixed high in the film as well) that is the target of such scorn because it stands hopelessly alone (more or less) in its experiment with contemporary sounds in an epic fantasy setting. Highly, highly underrated.
By the way, this must be the only(?) contemporary film to include a main title credit for the PRODUCER of the score (Parsons) and who performed it (The Philharmonia Orchestra)?
Maybe within a thread somewhere. But deserves its own. At some point, I’ll start posting more threads about individual films and scores.
Yes. I think, there was a lengthly discussion about this in some underrated / guilty pleasure thread.
This I think:Thor, have you heard THE GAMBLE (LA PARTITA) by Pino Donaggio?
There’s an obvious temp-track influence in the track The Oak Inn, where Pino was obviously instructed to get as close to the piece in LADYHAWKE without getting sued (I’m not sure he was quite successful there though).I haven’t, no! Thanks for the recommendation, I’ll check that out asap. I wasn’t aware LADYHAWKE had any kind of influence on anything, really.
I think it influenced a lot of regular film score fans to rise up in arms at the sheer temerity of scoring a romantic fantasy adventure film with a rock/pop style for some ‘fight and travel’ sequences!! 😉
Is there any way to hear that album or track online? I’ve searched Spotify, YouTube, Google, but I can’t find it anywhere. Only a track on YouTube that IS not the one in question.
Seems it’s only on CD but the movie is on Youtube. I just jumped through it a bit and around 1:04 there is an action track that might fit. I hear some electronics but really are not that much reminds of LADYHAWKE but actually more of Donaggio’s own BARBARIANS.
If you cue into the movie at around the 35 minute mark…
you will hear a portion of (the oddly titled) Oak Inn cue, which features the little synth tune from LADYHAWKE (it’s much longer on the CD and more obvious).
I’m currently barred from YouTube links, unfortunately. Something wonky with the Google Workplace e-mail I normally use (after I changed password a week ago). I can access YouTube via another, private Google mail I have, but I need to search up the video, I can’t click links anymore, or get embeds like the above to display. Was that the same video Malte linked to?
Just checked and yes, it’s the same stream of the film on YouTube 👍(which is terrible, btw…impossible to sit through completely).
Thanks! Yes, I hear some brief synth bits, but not something I immediately recognize from LADYHAWKE. Those scenes were always more pop-infused than synth-infused anyway. I trust you when you say that it’s more pronounced on the album. If there only was a way to listen to it….it’s apparently a rarity when no streaming platforms have it. I can get the CD for €20+ on Discogs, but I’m not that curious.
It used to go for a song.
I once bought it again by accident. It was listed as LA PARTITA without any pics and whatnot.
When it arrived, the seller had neglected to state the actual title on the CD (THE GAMBLE) which I already had. Doh!!
Thankfully, it was only a few euros, so I didn’t bother returning it and Roy (me mate) was the lucky owner of a free Pino Donaggio CD 😊For the record. Much like you, I’ve always been a staunch defender of the Powell score to LADYHAWKE, ever since hearing it in the film, at the cinema.
I loved both and immediately sought the LP (and the expanded CD editions…2 of them…that followed).
There’s plenty of ways to skin a cat and this was a welcome/refreshing change from the norm/rest.
And the album is a great play, standalone.Yes, I enjoyed the GNP Crescendo album for several years before I saw the film for the first time. For me, it was basically just an extension of the stuff that Powell did for The Alan Parsons Project, one of my favourite bands. Just another concept album, albeit slightly more cinematic.
I think I have one Alan Parsons CD (can’t recall the title…I’d have to check…it was bought in a charity shop for 10 bob or a quid).
Andrew Powell is pretty easy to be complete on, film score-wise though, as there’s only LADYHAWKE, ROCKET GIBRALTAR and HERE WE GO AGAIN, RUBINOT* to have on CD.
There is also a nice CD compilation of some orchestral/classical pieces he wrote, called FULL CIRCLE.
I’ve just read he has re-embraced his Welsh heritage in the latter years and a new CD was issued, titled TO A WALRUS, for brass, piano and electronics, not long ago.* which, funnily enough, features some riffs straight out of his LADYHAWKE score.
Yes, I have both of those. I reviewed ROCKET GIBRALTAR here….it was a pet project for Peter Hackman, I remember. And I also got the short RUBINROT digitally. Not terribly interesting compared to the other two, but a nice main theme. I forgot about the WALRUS thing. Shame he didn’t do more scores, he had the perfect knack for it. I mean, he’s not dead, but I doubt he’s getting any more assignments.
Since I like Alan Parsons Project I do like LADYHAWKE as music and especially the pop elements. However as mentioned somewhere on this board before including others these same elements do throw me out of mood in the movie often. Even if technically you can do all that and in the Middle Ages they also didn’t have orchstras. It’s not so the music itself but I think it’s primarily the drums that draw too much atention to themselves for me in context.
Partly off putting but since the movie didn’t take itself too serious it was less distracting. Been a while I saw it though.
I always felt the music went with the mood of Ladyhawke, which had a somewhat hip vibe, with Matthew Broderick channeling Dustin Hoffman in Midnight Cowboy, running against the swooning tragic/romantic look and feel of the whole thing.
I enjoyed the juxtaposition of the elements and appreciated it for being a different take on an old theme.
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