God Awful Hamlisch Soundtrack - The Swimmer (1968) Discussion

[–] gnolti 17 years ago

It's a typically heart-on-sleeve Hamlisch score -- you either like that kind of thing or you don't. I personally thought it was appropriately elegaic, but sprang up at some very bad moments. This was more the fault of the film editor, I think, than of Hamlisch.

I am in a blissful state, so don't bug me.

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[–] wrose-3 17 years ago

"...but sprang up at some very bad moments."

Maybe I'm was being a little harsh, but it did seem particularly distracting. I kept thinking how much more I would've enjoyed it had there been no score at all.

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[–] tramky 13 years ago

Yes, the score was not particularly good. Distracting in places--intrusive. But this was such a good movie that can be forgiven. Even after the run through the valley and the encounters with the neighbors along the way, we aren't quite sure what the problem is.

Ned was away, but now he's back--suddenly. None of the people had seen him for quite some time--months? A year? More? Apparently his family was dysfunctional and had come apart. But that is not really clear or certain. Some of the people didn't seem to like his wife (ex-wife?), but that may have just been envy at work.

At the end Ned confronts the loss--the loss of his former life, the loss of the house, the loss of what had been his apparently nice life, the loss of his youth.

I watched this movie only quite recently, for the first time since its original theatrical release. It had quite an impact upon me at the time, and did again this time--with 40+ years separating the viewings. I recognize an element of Ned in myself. Things had not worked out like I thought they would. That is the human condition, and it was somehow painful to watch Ned make that discovery.

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[–] wrose-3 13 years ago

I wish I could have summarized the film as well as you did. Pretty much the way I felt. It's such a powerful piece of art that I'm afraid to watch it again.

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[–] kiwnz30605 16 years ago

Some of the saccharine music fits the saccharine suburbn setting, I think. This was Hamlisch's first soundtrack if I'm not mistaken.. I found an old vinyl copy still playable.

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[–] rogeride 16 years ago

I saw this film while I was in Viet Nam, in the outdoor theater we had. The 16mm projector that was in use had a compromised sound system, and this gave the music track (the voices weren't affected) a dreamy/woozy effect that was just what was called for! I'm glad I heard it that way first.

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[–] rock-golf 16 years ago

I heard the story behind this from a Marvin Hamlisch interview decades ago. At the time he had been invited simply as a piano player to a party that Burt Lancaster was attending. Somehow they ended up talking and Hamlisch indicated he was a composer and Burt described his upcoming film "The Swimmer". Hamlisch was asked to play one of his compositions, but the only hit he had written at that point was the Leslie Gore track "Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows". So he improvised on the spot. When asked what it was called, Hamlisch said "The Theme from The Swimmer".

He got the job.

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[–] freudified_n_funkified 15 years ago

I wonder if the score would have been less, well, "present" had Frank Perry actually finished the film. There just seem to even be some moments within individual scenes where one can identify what was Perry's and what Sydney Pollack shot or reshot.

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[–] smadera 12 years ago

Your account is close but not quite correct. It was at a party given by the film's producer, Sam Spiegel, that Hamlisch played, which led to his getting the job of scoring the film. A 1997 interview in which Hamlisch described what happened is being replayed now as I type on WQXR NYC.

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[–] smadera 12 years ago

And to be more precise, it was Spiegel, not Lancaster, who hired Hamlisch.

Hamlisch wasn't one of my very favorite film composers, although I think he was extremely good; but he was a wonderful Broadway composer and unsurpassed as an arranger, coach and accompanist. He was exceptionally well trained (at Julliard among others) and a very, very fine musician. I wish Broadway had been more remunerative than Hollywood for him; it was where he belonged.

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[–] wrose-3 11 years ago

Just recently saw your response. Extremely interesting with regard to improvisation. Thanks for your comments.

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[–] scotbpens 15 years ago

Maybe it's a generational thing (I was in my mid-teens when the movie was released), but I never found Hamlisch's score obtrusive or inappropriate to the film, though the music does occasionally call attention to itself. IMO, at worst, the score only places the movie firmly in its time, just as Burt Bacharach's music dates Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

All the universe . . . or nothingness. Which shall it be, Passworthy? Which shall it be?

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[–] marloweisdead 15 years ago

Ennio Morricone would have been a good choice, I think.

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[–] freakyfelix 15 years ago

I liked it.

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[–] Figbird 14 years ago

I liked it too.

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[–] kathy_hopkins 14 years ago

We loved this film, our only criticism being that the soundtrack was loud and intrusive. We didn't like it.

Caterina

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[–] Dejael 14 years ago

I agree, the Hamlisch soundtrack is maudlin and syrupy sweet at times, too sentimental and romantic sounding for such a somber subject. It gets distracting and obtrusive at times. Burt Bacharach might have done something better with it, or a straight soundtrack done by a crack Hollywood composer like Jerry Goldsmith or Lalo Schifrin would probably have been more appropriate.

Dejael

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[–] ssarag1138 14 years ago

I think at the time the film was made (1966, released in '68), the work that John Barry was doing at that time away from the Bond scores would have made him a superb choice.

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[–] joshua_carpino 14 years ago

although i think the film would have been best with as little music as possible,i would have loved for john barry to score this film(and i agree that the hamlisch score sucks).

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[–] jt1999 12 years ago

YOU suck.

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[–] the sphynx 8 years ago

Ennio Morricone, like Thomas Newman, is always a good choice.

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[–] edwstraker 14 years ago

Totally disagree. Can't even imagine this movie without the Hamlisch soundtrack. Bought the CD from Screen Archives. When I play it, I can see the movie in my mind.

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[–] ssarag1138 14 years ago

Don't get me wrong, I quite like the score as a stand alone piece of music. For a score debut its a strong effort. My point is that it hurts the film, its too overwrought and overly melodramatic for the material. The film deals with a very fragile state of mind inthe lead character, and music is meant to convey most of his internal feelings, with occasional glimpses of self realisation. The score is too literal, too heavy handed. It need a much more subtle touch.

As I say, nothing against the music, I play it often myself, I just don't think its the right fit for the film.

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[–] dawnestelladaly 9 years ago

Well said ssarag1138. Marvin is a great composer, but for this film I would have preferred something else, musically or no music at all. I felt that it hurt a good film. Also, being from Connecticut, it was extremely obvious to me, the re-shoots in California. I knew exactly when they were truly in Connecticut versus the California shots.

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[–] JohnFK 12 years ago

I think the fact that it wasn't a good fit made it very fitting.

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[–] rozklad 12 years ago

I find the music intrusive as well, though I agree it's "of its time". But this is a carefully plotted and thought-provoking film and it would have benefitted from a more subtle soundtrack.

I think it's worst at the very end. When I first re-saw the movie (if that makes sense!) I though the ending was overwrought. Having read this thread makes me realise that's mostly the fault of the score; watching the final scene with the sound muted (there's no dialogue so you don't need it) is such an improvement it has restored my faith in the direction, whoever it was here (Perry I suspect). Such a powerful scene as this does not need intrusive music to tell you how powerful it is.

Still a superb piece of cinema, one of the greats of the period, and woefully underappreciated.

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