James Bond Theme In QOS

Pud2002

Does anybody have any news on if the james bond theme will be used throughout the movie, rather than just at the end like Casino Royale?

Also if so, would that be a good or bad thing? I personally didn't miss it that much in CR.

walther p99

I hope they use it during the action scenes, its adds alot of heroics on Bonds part

chrisno1

I didnt miss the JB Theme in CR either, and I do feel there is a tendancy to over-use it, after all each movie has its own themes; I loved the way Barry used TB, OHMSS & TLD to good efefct in those movies, so it can be done. I think using it over the end titles is a good idea, they always used to.

spectre7

Arnold greatly overused the Bond theme in his first three scores, even John Barry never used it as much as Arnold, so I'm hoping that while we'll hear it more often than in Casino Royale, that Arnold will make more use of his own themes. In fact this is exactly what he needs to do as far too often he resorts to simple orchestral crashing bashing with barely recognisable motifs - that's not the way to score films.

Barbel

spectre7 wrote:

Arnold greatly overused the Bond theme in his first three scores, even John Barry never used it as much as Arnold, so I'm hoping that while we'll hear it more often than in Casino Royale, that Arnold will make more use of his own themes. In fact this is exactly what he needs to do as far too often he resorts to simple orchestral crashing bashing with barely recognisable motifs - that's not the way to score films.

I couldn't agree more with your last point, spectre7. Far too much of Arnold's action music sadly falls into that category ("Miami International" takes it to extremes) but I do think that his softer pieces hold up well.

As to overusing the Bond Theme itself, Arnold takes the view (and I'm paraphrasing here) that there are undeniable moments when you've just got to use it- without that music, all you have is an action film rather than a James Bond film.

BarryFan

By Arnold's own account, the JB theme was only used at the end of CR because it took the entire film for him to BECOME James Bond. A great example of a composer giving you not what you think you want but what the film needs. Musically speaking, it's been a long time since the Bond series took the high road, and in this case they did it beautifully. I imagine that the JB theme will be used more in QOS, as we will start the film with Bond being BOND.

Napoleon Plural

I'm not really sure the cocksure Bond theme really suits the troubled, conflicted Craig Bond. Shame they can't use the orchestral version in the CR trailer. That fitted.

slinger

I feel the theme should be used sparingly. Gives it more impact. When the full theme hit at the end of CR, the theater cheered because he earned it.

CR used the "Bond bass line" (boooooooom bop, boooooooom bop, boooooooom bop, boooooooom bop) to very good use. It let you know you were watching Bond without resorting to the guitar riff.

By the way, I love that Arnold saves playing the guitar riff for himself.

Dominic Greene

Has long has the theme ain't overused like in previous Arnold Bond film's, He used the theme at every single action scene. I hope it ain't over used.

Loeffelholz

Napoleon Plural wrote:

I'm not really sure the cocksure Bond theme really suits the troubled, conflicted Craig Bond.

Troubled, arguably...but I don't foresee much 'conflicted' this time round. The Bond theme will fit him just fine

Arnold has said that he would be spending much more time than usual on the score for this one; I'm looking forward to hearing what he comes up with.

Shady Tree

slinger wrote:

CR used the "Bond bass line" (boooooooom bop, boooooooom bop, boooooooom bop, boooooooom bop) to very good use. It let you know you were watching Bond without resorting to the guitar riff.

My favourite example of Arnold's use of this "Bond bass line" in CR occurs when Craig's Bond, looking in the mirror, tries on the tux and tie which Vesper's laid on for him: it's Arnold's nod to a slightly offbeat variation on the bass line found in YOLT:

BOOMbom - bop, BOOMbom - bop // BOOMbom - bop, BOOMbom - bop //

The YOLT association makes this exquisitely nostalgiac - but it also underlines how, in trying on the tux, Craig's Bond is making good progress towards full assumption of the classic 007 identity. (The full use of the Bond theme at the end of the movie is prepared for by earlier moments like this one.)

This is clever, strategic work by Arnold. By contrast, in the later Brosnan movies, Arnold's excessive use of the Bond theme was often throw-away and groan-inducing rather than stylish and strategic.

Barbel

Hopefully not getting too technical, chaps, but that's not the "Bond bass line". It's called the vamp.

emtiem

Napoleon Plural wrote:

I'm not really sure the cocksure Bond theme really suits the troubled, conflicted Craig Bond. Shame they can't use the orchestral version in the CR trailer. That fitted.

Yeah I agree- the very retro 1960's version we got at the end of CR seemed an odd fit for the 21st Century action man the film gave us. As you say, the percussion-heavy trailer version might even have been a better fit.
It's funny, as a rule the Bond theme tends to be rather celebratory- it underlines the idea that he's a bit of superhero and tells us loudly how cool he is. Which for Craig's Bond (who's much more human and makes mistakes) is perhaps something we might not hear quite as much. I'm sure it'll pop up in the right places, though.

Barbel wrote:

spectre7 wrote:

In fact this is exactly what he needs to do as far too often he resorts to simple orchestral crashing bashing with barely recognisable motifs - that's not the way to score films.

I couldn't agree more with your last point, spectre7. Far too much of Arnold's action music sadly falls into that category ("Miami International" takes it to extremes) but I do think that his softer pieces hold up well.

Yeah, definitely. I'll never understand why we couldn't just have had a nice orchestral version of YKMN in the Miami scene- if there's one title track that seemed to have been designed to be action music, you'd think it would be that one.