The Best Composers: Elliot Goldenthal

I’m starting a new series called The Best.  In these posts, I will be discussing the aspects of movies that I feel are the best, be it special effects, acting, directing or anything else of that nature.  This is intended to be kind of a celebration of what makes movies so memorable and engaging.  This will in no way detract from my reviews, it’s just kind of something I want to talk about.  Each Best post will feature a certain theme and that theme will last anywhere from a couple of days up to a couple of weeks and I will move on to the next topic.  The current theme will be the folks behind movie music or composers.  In most cases, music can enhance a movie-going experience by drawing on your emotions.  Some of the best soundtracks and movies will have an emotional impact on you in some form or another.  Certain composers will always be associated with certain directors and certain film franchises.  I will be talking about both past and present composers; ones who are no longer with us and those that are still here.  My first post will be a composer who is extremely underrated, but extraordinarily talented:  Elliot Goldenthal.

Elliot Goldenthal is an Academy-Award winning composer from New York City.  He was a student of the legendary musician Aaron Copeland.  The music he does for action movies hits hard  and brutal and can be pretty bizarre at times.  Some of the movies I’m listing here are not necessarily the best movies ever made, but they have some of the most unique soundtracks.

  1. Alien 3

Alien 3 had major problems during production.  The studio constantly interfered with David Fincher’s ability to create a coherent film.  Constant problems with the script and writers basically just torpedoed a potentially great film.  I’m one of the few who actually really likes the final product, despite it’s problems.  The acting is superb, and some of the story elements were absolutely fantastic.  The visuals are haunting and extremely gothic.  But one of the most amazing aspects about the film was the music.  While it certainly wasn’t untouched by the production issues, it still ended up being one of the most beautifully haunting and emotionally impactful film scores I have ever heard.  The use of string instruments and some vocals made for what I felt was a compelling film.  It’s dark and at times depressing, but it is extraordinarily powerful and breathtaking at the same time.  It really helps give the film its atmosphere.  I love the movie, and I love this soundtrack.  Elliot Goldenthal really crafted something special here and I don’t think it’s nearly appreciated enough.  It’s worth listening to.

2.  Batman Forever/Batman And Robin

Before anybody gets on my case for saying something positive about Joel Schumaker’s Batman films, let me say this: I don’t care what you think, I liked Batman Forever.  You can hate on Batman And Robin for sure, but ease off of the third film at least a little bit.  Tim Burton had left the franchise after the second film and he took Danny Elfman with him.  So, Joel Schumaker brought in Elliot Goldenthal to score the new Batman films.  Let me tell you, he didn’t do a bad job.  Say what you will about the rest of the films, but the music is absolutely phenomenal, because it does sound like Batman.  It’s a new theme, but I think it works just as well, specifically for the kind of movies that Schumaker’s films ended up being.  It’s campy for sure, but it’s absolutely thrilling and grandiose.  It’s BIG, and you really want big for movies like this.  Elliot Goldenthal has aquitted himself admirably here.

These aren’t the only movies that Goldenthal scored, but they stand out the most to me.  He’s also responsible for the music to Interview With A Vampire, Heat, Public Enemies, Frida, and Pet Semetary.  The guy absolutely has an incredible list of films to his name.  He’s won one Golden Globe and an Oscar for his work on Frida.  He has been recognized, but I still feel that he hasn’t been given enough attention.  So, Elliot Goldenthal stands out as one of my favorite composers.  I have many favorites, but I would put Mr. Goldenthal towards the top.

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