MovieChat Forums > Hotel (1983) Discussion > Anachronistic theme music

Anachronistic theme music


Don't get me wrong! I absolutely love the theme song to Hotel. In fact, I like pretty much all of composer Henry Mancini's work. But does anyone get the impression that this theme song might be a left-over bit of music that Mancini composed in the 70's? Or could it be borrowed from an earlier source? (The theme song to the fictional Howard Beale Show in the 1976 movie Network comes to my mind when I hear that initial brass section.) I mean whenever I hear Hotel's theme I always second-guess the fact that Hotel started airing as late as 1983. By the theme song alone, the show sounds like it could very well be from 1973.

As if that weren't enough, after the visuals transition between the aerial shot of San Francisco and before the regular cast is introduced you see that mirror from the grand ballroom situated on a crimson marbled background. (The regular cast members are pictured therein.) Again, there's something decidedly dated about this. THe film stock just does not seem to fit with 1983. It almost looks 50's or 60's.

What are your thoughts - especially about the theme music. Anyone know if it was written earlier (or borrowed from an earlier source)?

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