Impressive feature film debut scores?
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As a companion thread to the one we have about final scores, which seems to have more or less run its course.
There is no beating Bernard Herrmann. In fact, he came in on CITIZEN KANE and went out on TAXI DRIVER. Nobody can top that combo.
But a shout-out to Patrick Doyle’s incredible debut HENRY V. For me, the most impressive after Herrmann.
Any other suggestions? (note that I’m talking about feature film debuts, not television, videogames or other media).
Pat Leonard – AT CLOSE RANGE
James Newton Howard – HEAD OFFICE
BT – GO
Mark Isham – NEVER CRY WOLF
Jonathan Elias – CHILDREN OF THE CORN
Gary Chang – 52 PICK-UP
Harold Faltermeyer – THIEF OF HEARTS
David Foster – ST ELMOS FIREPhilip Glass: KOYAANISQATSI perhaps…
And Jerry Goldsmith’s BLACK PATCH is an excellent score, though the movie of course is more forgotten than CITIZEN KANE.Those are good ones, although I don’t think I’ve ever heard JNH’s HEAD OFFICE. Nor Chang’s 52 PICK-UP.
Harold Faltermeyer – THIEF OF HEARTS
I thought he did at least one or some GErman movies or so before that?
Nor Chang’s 52 PICK-UP.
I have that digitally somewhere but haven’t listened to it for – you guessed it – ages. Labeled as “good”. I for sure also saw the movie at some time.
Those are good ones, although I don’t think I’ve ever heard JNH’s HEAD OFFICE. Nor Chang’s 52 PICK-UP.
HEAD OFFICE is sadly unreleased, but 52 is on Varese.
Harold Faltermeyer – THIEF OF HEARTS
I thought he did at least one or some GErman movies or so before that?
Seems like Arthur Lauber did most of DIDI DER DOPPELGANGER. That’s it.
I was hooked by Howard Shore’s THE BROOD the first time I heard it. Solid debut.
And Philippe Sarde had a remarkable debut with LES CHOSES DE LA VIE.
Apart from that I am not very familiar with debut scores.
But BACK TO THE FUTURE was close being Silvestri’s debut. But it was actually his second score.
But BACK TO THE FUTURE was close being Silvestri’s debut. But it was actually his second score.
It was his 10th or so, but still an impressive early score.
Discounting FORBIDDEN ZONE, which was a crazy Oingo Boingo mash up, Danny Elfman’s arrival with the Herrmann/Rota inspired PEE WEE’S BIG ADVENTURE was a wake up call we all heard back in the 80s.
BACK TO SCHOOL right after (and parked on the same album as PEE WEE) was also stacks of fun.
A bright new talent in an arena full of them at the time.And also for Tim Burton, David Newman co-composed a nice debut score with Michael Convertino, for the Burton short FRANKENWEENIE, and then delivered CRITTERS for a debut feature score, with its lovely Americana Main Theme that had me melting in the cinema.
Huh! Didn’t realize CRITTERS was Newman’s feature film debut. It’s been ages since I saw the film, and don’t remember anything of the score, but definitely a famous title to start out on (well, famous as a cult classic in retrospect, of course).
John Corigliano: ALTERED STATES
Quite an impressive first film score. Though of course Corigliano didn’t compose all that many film scores anyway.
Seems like Arthur Lauber did most of DIDI DER DOPPELGANGER. That’s it.
That might be it.
But BACK TO THE FUTURE was close being Silvestri’s debut. But it was actually his second score.
It was his 10th or so, but still an impressive early score.
Only if you don’t count all the seasons of CHiPs he already did. Do we actually talk about feature movie debuts only?
Huh! Didn’t realize CRITTERS was Newman’s feature film debut.
Oh, I didn’t know that as well!
John Corigliano: ALTERED STATES Quite an impressive first film score. Though of course Corigliano didn’t compose all that many film scores anyway.
Oh, that’s a great debut for sure.
Some silent scores debuts
– Edmund Meisel BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN
– Schostakovitch THE NEW BABYLON
– Gottfried Huppertz DIE NIBELUNGENOnly if you don’t count all the seasons of CHiPs he already did. Do we actually talk about feature movie debuts only?
Yes, only feature films, not television. But prior to BACK TO THE FUTURE, Silvestri did:
THE DOBERMAN GANG (1972) — his real feature film debut, and not particularly impressive
LAS VEGAS LADY (1975)
THE AMAZING DOBERMANS (1976)
THE FIFTH FLOOR (1978)
TIGER MAN (1983)
ROMANCING THE STONE (1984)
PAR OÙ T’ES RENTRÉ? ON T’A PAS VU SORTIR (1984) – great score, recently released on Music Box, which I mini reviewed recently
FANDANGO (1985) – premiered earlier in the year
CAT’S EYES (1985) – premiered earlier in the yearOnly if you don’t count all the seasons of CHiPs he already did. Do we actually talk about feature movie debuts only?
That’s what I asked myself as well. I mean, Bernard Herrmann did some radio play stuff, even together with Orson Welles before they did CITIZEN KANE. John Williams wrote the score for a short Film for the Navy during his military service and TV stuff before he did DADDY-O. What counts now as the debut?
The debut in this case is feature films — meaning long-form fiction films for theatrical release. Not television, short films, radio or anything else.
Funnily, I don’t think the feature film debut of my favourite composer, John Williams, is particularly impressive. DADDY-O (1958) is a very capable effort, but hardly impressive. He plays around with some Bernstein swagger in the opening credits, some perfunctory suspense, action and romance music, some jazz and rock bits, and you could argue that it’s sorta impressive for a 26-year-old (especially compared to today’s 26-year-olds in the music industry), but nothing remarkable. It doesn’t help that the film itself is a forgotten B movie, of course.
Discounting FORBIDDEN ZONE, which was a crazy Oingo Boingo mash up, Danny Elfman’s arrival with the Herrmann/Rota inspired PEE WEE’S BIG ADVENTURE was a wake up call we all heard back in the 80s.
I count FORBIDDEN ZONE myself, but then again I find that impressive too – especially how he mixes 30s jazz with punk and baroque music and Kurt Weill. It just happens to be a small cult niche thing.
But I agree there’s a whole other topic about impressive SECOND scores. David Arnold’s STARGATE would be another. But yeah, different topic.
Back to topic, I think A.R. Rahman’s ROJA (1992) is highly impressive. Even from the get-go, he had all his infectious melodies in place. It still remains one of my favourites by him.
Yes. More important (or compelling) is the score that announced certain composers to us all.
Two composers who did a lot of low budget and TV shows, like Bruce Broughton and Basil Poledouris, really exploded into our consciousness with SILVERADO and BIG WEDNESDAY, still possibly my two favourite scores by them respectively.That’s true, but I’ve always been kinda “obsessed” with debuts and beginnings. Not only for film music, but all art, really. A couple of years ago, I edited a magazine on debut films. I often find it more interesting to talk about than the established classics (which are great, but we all know them by heart). For example, trying to find the seeds that would later grow into the artist we know and love.
If I’m not mistaken, EXTREME CLOSE-UP (1973) is Poledouris’ debut feature film score (not to be confused with the Horner-scored film from 1990). Directed by Jeannot Szwarc, and based on a Michael Chrichton story. Never seen or heard it, but was this recently released on BSX? Could also be HOLLYWOOD 90028, which was completed in 1973, but released in ’76.
For Broughton, it appears to be THE PRODIGAL (1983), which I’ve also neither seen nor heard. He toiled in television for a decade until he got his first feature film gig.
Could also be HOLLYWOOD 90028, which was completed in 1973, but released in ’76.
That was released together with a bluray or something itself I think. But not by one of our usual labels like BSX (unless they had a hand in that…)
Yes, Hollywood 90028 score CD was released with the Blu-ray of the film.
I don’t think Extreme Close Up has been released on CD?I was thinking maybe on some of those BSX Poledouris compilation thingies. But perhaps not. Or perhaps I was thinking of the Horner.
I’d have to double check to see if it cropped up on the 4 volumes BSX released, but I’m pretty sure it didn’t.
Yes, the Horner TV movie score of the same name did get a CD release, via Intrada. The Horner is quite low key/atmospheric, but nice enough.Cliff Eidelman’s feature film debut MAGDALENE (1988) is mightily impressive. I can easily understand why he quickly became sought-after, and was chosen to do the new STAR TREK film at the time.
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