Which Bond film do you think benefitted the most from its accompanying soundtrack?

As much as we love the Bond films, it is no secret than some of them were immeasurably augmented by their soundtracks.
If it were not for the miraculous talents of John Barry (and to a much lesser extent, those who came after him) some of these films would be quite painful to sit through.

List your top 3 of ‘stinkers’ that are made watchable largely thanks to the music.

Comments

  • RoadphillRoadphill United Kingdom
    Posts: 984
    Probably DAF. Barry has done better scores, but his work on Diamonds saves it from being completely without merit
  • R1s1ngs0nR1s1ngs0n France
    edited September 2020 Posts: 2,002
    My top 3
    1. Moonraker
    2. Diamonds Are Forever
    3. The Man With The Golden Gun

    I expect MR to be in many top 3 and for good reason. Having rewatched it recently after a long time it is simply ridiculous how JB’s marvelous score (almost) lets us forget that we are watching a complete farce.
    Now let’s be clear, there are several segments in the movie I actually like (the mind blowing PTS, the dark stuff with Corrine, the centrifuge and the Carnaval) but the rest... 🥺
    Such a shame that the tapes for the missing incidental music are not available as I’d love for the complete soundtrack to be released... maybe someday 🤞

    DAF is Barry’s most eclectic work for a Bond film and it plays to the film’s strengths being that it is quite an odd affair.
    The soundtrack wasn’t initially one of my favorites but after giving it several careful listens I finally grasped its brilliance.
    Camp and laughable special effects are abound in DAF (Wint & Kidd, space diamond laser to name a few) but Barry’s eerie and majestic cues just draw us in, unable to look away.

    Barring that infamous ‘slide whistle’ the soundtrack for TMWTGG is one I listen to on a regular basis.
    Considering Barry had to compose the music in a rush, the results are even more testament to his genius.
    Often considered Barry’s weakest score for a Bond film, I find it contains some of his most memorable cues, like Scaramanga’s funhouse and especially the exquisite main theme instrumental which is vastly superior to the song itself.
    The fact that this movie sits at #10 on my top ten favorite Bond films owes a lot to Barry’s underrated score.

  • CraigMooreOHMSSCraigMooreOHMSS Dublin, Ireland
    edited September 2020 Posts: 8,009
    Diamonds Are Forever, Moonraker and A View To A Kill all have superb scores that do wonders in films that don't deserve them.
  • Posts: 7,500
    Tough question... I know which are my favorite scores, but which score that most improved the film it's in? Hard to say.

    I think I will say LALD. The musical style just fits the general vibe of the film perfectly and elevates it to a different level. MR and YOLT are other worthy mentions.
  • echoecho 007 in New York
    Posts: 5,921
    AVTAK, hands down. Imagine it with a Conti or Serra score.
  • GoldenGunGoldenGun Per ora e per il momento che verrà
    Posts: 6,757
    I know this won't be a popular answer but for me GE benefits hugely from its score. The Brosnan era was always about making Bond recognisable again for general audiences after Dalton's more introvert take and the risky LTK.

    An approach resulting in adventures that don't shy away from ticking off every Bond trope box. By DAD this had become ridiculous, but even TND and TWINE are a bit pastiche at times. Let's also not forget GE does it too in places: the opening stunt, the DB5, the casino, the line, the Q scene,....

    One of the things that makes GE unique, less clichéd if you will and maybe even an overall better piece of cinema, is its hugely atypical score. Where other Pierce entries belt out different remixes of the Bond Theme, accentuating how "Bond" it all is, GE actually has a score that accentuates the film's atmosphere.

    You may like it or not like it, to each his own of course, and I am in no way saying Arnold did a bad job on those other entries, but it's hard not to acknowledge that Serra's post-industrial soundscapes provide the film with a distinguishable atmosphere that makes it stand out amongst the rest of its era.
  • Junglist_1985Junglist_1985 Los Angeles
    Posts: 1,006
    Moonraker x3

    So good you almost don’t care what’s happening on screen.
  • TMWTGG. I love the film anyway, but the score lifts it into an even higher league.

    DAF and MR are very enjoyable films and their scores fit them, rather than elevate them. For instance the music for the death of Corinne is wonderful, but it doesn’t really improve the scene, because the visuals are wonderful too. Whereas in TMWTGG the score actually improves the visuals. (Except the slide whistle.)

    All opinion of course.
  • CraigMooreOHMSSCraigMooreOHMSS Dublin, Ireland
    Posts: 8,009
    GoldenGun wrote: »
    I know this won't be a popular answer but for me GE benefits hugely from its score. The Brosnan era was always about making Bond recognisable again for general audiences after Dalton's more introvert take and the risky LTK.

    An approach resulting in adventures that don't shy away from ticking off every Bond trope box. By DAD this had become ridiculous, but even TND and TWINE are a bit pastiche at times. Let's also not forget GE does it too in places: the opening stunt, the DB5, the casino, the line, the Q scene,....

    One of the things that makes GE unique, less clichéd if you will and maybe even an overall better piece of cinema, is its hugely atypical score. Where other Pierce entries belt out different remixes of the Bond Theme, accentuating how "Bond" it all is, GE actually has a score that accentuates the film's atmosphere.

    You may like it or not like it, to each his own of course, and I am in no way saying Arnold did a bad job on those other entries, but it's hard not to acknowledge that Serra's post-industrial soundscapes provide the film with a distinguishable atmosphere that makes it stand out amongst the rest of its era.

    I agree with you here. There are some absolute clangers on that score, but most of the cues do enhance the atmosphere very much. The 'statue graveyard' scene is a prime example.
  • PrinceKamalKhanPrinceKamalKhan Monsoon Palace, Udaipur
    Posts: 3,262
    echo wrote: »
    AVTAK, hands down. Imagine it with a Conti or Serra score.

    +1. AVTAK is easily worse film than either FYEO or GE but I've probably watched it more than either of those two and I think Barry's magnificent score is the primary reason. It's like it's from a different film entirely.
    TMWTGG. I love the film anyway, but the score lifts it into an even higher league.

    DAF and MR are very enjoyable films and their scores fit them, rather than elevate them. For instance the music for the death of Corinne is wonderful, but it doesn’t really improve the scene, because the visuals are wonderful too. Whereas in TMWTGG the score actually improves the visuals. (Except the slide whistle.)

    +1. I actually consider MR a slight improvement over its similar and much more acclaimed immediate predecessor TSWLM and the John Barry score is a large reason why.

  • I think Barrie's music elevates all the films he scored, but it does especial wonders for YOLT and MR.
  • TripAcesTripAces Universal Exports
    Posts: 4,548
    Roadphill wrote: »
    Probably DAF. Barry has done better scores, but his work on Diamonds saves it from being completely without merit

    This. 100%.
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