Inauguration of a continuing series demonstrating my thought "process"
One of my personal holiday traditions is listening to Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker - the full score, not some watered-down Suite. While listening today I was struck by the resemblance between a part of "The Battle" and James Horner's score for Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. I am ashamed to say I do not remember when it occurs in the film given its place in my favorute movie hierarchy. That reminded my of the additional resemblance between the score for Khan and Prokofiev's score for the battle sequence of Aleksandr Nevsky, another of my favorite films.
Curious, I checked a couple of reviews of the score to see if anyone else noticed. This somewhat goofy review notes Horner later borrowed from themes devceloped in this movie and in Battle Beyond the Stars (aka John-Boy in Outer Space), which is not worth watching, let alone re-watching, for any reason whatsoever. John Williams, anyone?
Another review also refers to a '4-note danger motif' apparently subsequently overused by Horner, and also notes Horner makes an (uncredited) appearance in Khan as an Enterprise crewmember. But no mention of possible borrowings from Russian composers.
Chekhov, of course, would have had the simplest answer: "All music was inwented in Russia." No, not that Chekhov, this Chekhov.
Umm, anyway, Happy Holidays!
3 comments:
If I had your thought process I would not advertise it on a blog. Why don't you get tanked on egg nog for Christmas like everyone else? Oh, excuse me, get tanked for Holiday like everyone else.
You don't know that I don't. Actually I prefer to get tanked on vodka gimlets for Christmas.
For a minute there I was worried you were Bill O'Reilly. That was close.
Whoa, whoa, whoa! Star Trek was a movie, too?
What a country!
Meanwhile, on Horner: apparently these sorts of charges are frequently lobbed against him.
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