MovieChat Forums > Ladyhawke (1985) Discussion > Leave the music ALONE!

Leave the music ALONE!


Good God people, just drop the whole music thing. So what if it's not 13th century music? Worse things have been done in movies. The movie is absolutely beautiful, the characters are amazing, the scenery breathtaking and the music is amazing and fun too. It is sad and and romantic when it has to be and adventurous and fun during parts too. It's actually a great CD to listen to on its own....It would be a crime to do any kind of remake to this classic!!!!

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Who bashed the music?

TELL ME NOW!

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I do now.
It was disturbing and when I first heard that 80ers synthesizer music in this rather medieval movie I was like 'wtf, srsly?'. Did they have leftovers from Beverly Hills Cop they got for free for this movie? xD :| :( ;_;
Talk about most unfitting music in a movie - lol.

Period.


P.S.: Tough that didn't influence my rating but dropped my re-watch value to none. I don't ever want to hear such music again in such a context.

---
Lincoln Lee: I lost a partner.
Peter Bishop: I lost a universe!

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lol Churlyrya! Exactly, who could possible dislike the music when, in reality, is the very soul of the movie?

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You're right it isn't 13TH Century music, Its bad 80's music....I'm watching it now, and its SOO dated :(

Such a great movie ruined by its score!....(well at least I think so, I know you don't.)

And actually its really only SOME of the score, the orchestral parts are great! but when it breaks into bad synth and drums I want to kill myself :P



Official Bleeder

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I saw this movie back in the 80's FOR the music. I'm an Alan Parsons fan. I watched it again recently, and the music didn't bother me at all. Alan Pasrons music has always been described as "cinematic".

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jimsband-1,

You said it!: "Cinematic".

I totally agree. If the film being scored was American Anthem, Footloose, or perhaps an episode of Knight Rider, Magnum P.I., or the A-team.

It's crap. And to be quite frank Ladyhawke didn't amount to much in my opinion regardless of the scoring.

Thematically it has some merit. It's a story of unattainable love. Okay, that can stand on its own, especially when the lovers are cursed to inhabit non-human forms. But seriously, Matthew Broderick is a dope. Rutger's talent was stymied by a poor script, and Michelle Pfieffer is smokin' hot. 1 out of 3 doesn't keep my interest long, unless 1 is naked a lot.

Disappointed there as well...

Cheers

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[deleted]

It's not about the music in itself, it's about the context.

Put it in Beverly Hills Cop and no-one complains as it fits perfectly... but to a middle age movie - roflcopter

fail, so fail


Well, some ppl like to put raspberry jelly on their ham sandwich. So there must be ppl who like synth music in a medieval movie.
I have an idea now of nice techno music in a Roman empire movie.


---
Lincoln Lee: I lost a partner.
Peter Bishop: I lost a universe!

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That's because Ladyhawk is a FANTASTIC fantasy movie and Beverly Hills Cop is an instantly-forgettable Eddie Murphy POS that no one watches today. I pull Ladyhawk off my library shelf every couple of years to enjoy the great story, but the alleged music makes me cringe (also Matthew Broderick). Where's Jerry Goldsmith when you need him?

The music in this film just sucks heinie.

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I saw it for the first time today and I was LOLing at the soundtrack. It's not even 80s music, as most posters seem to suggest. It's very bad late 70s DISCO music. *Splutter* Hilarious!

--------------------
Duty Now For The Future

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[deleted]

Wait for another 10 years and your current music is "dated" while the music used for this movie might be retro. What do you propose, maybe dubstep? ;)

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Just watched the movie (for the first time). I noticed as the credits scrolled by that the music was created by one "Alan Parsons". That wouldn't by any chance be the Alan Parsons of the Alan Parsons Project would it?

Edit:
Never mind. The answer is a solid "Yup!". Wikipedia had it:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Alan_Parsons_Project

Search for "Ladyhawke" in the article. Thought I recognized the sound.

Cheers,
Dave

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I watched LadyHawke for the first time tonight, and I loved the music. It was a nice change from the scores that usually accompany such films. I prefer that type of music anyway, it has intensity, and rythym, it really fit in scenes where Navarre fought, because it matches the ferocity of the character. Why should it be dated?
I thought it was really cool.



I am WIND in his hair
Cant you see I am NOT AFRAID of YOU?

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Worst. Score. Ever. Deal with it.

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You obviously got no idea how bad movie scores really can get, huh? Why is it that people always have to use superlatives when they don't like a score, movie or whatever?

I really like the music. It's part of the movie. And the movie is one of my most favourite movies.

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You obviously got no idea how bad movie scores really can get

Then give us an example of a quality production with a worse musical accompaniment than this.

Yes, there are worse cinematic scores out there. I think the problem here is that this dire (and more importantly, inappropriate) score is shown up for what it is by being played against an otherwise wonderful film. This point is supported by the amount of discussion the subject generates, both in here and elsewhere on the web. If the film was crap, no one would give a stuff about the score.

Whoever matched this film to this music was in the wrong business. It could have been much better served by handing the pre-release to an established score writer who knew his game, rather than lifting some pop-music of the day off a shelf.

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Anna, you are spot on that there are hundreds of other movie scores that make this film sound like the Jupiter Symphony. The issue is, and I think you would agree with this, that Ladyhawke is such a very, very good story (a better story than it seems to have been a script, but who knows what the studio did in post-production?), that there is an inequality between the narrative and the music. As a touchstone, I compare the difference between the theatrical release of Ridley Scott's fantasy, Legend, with a studio-ordained score by Tangerine Dream (yeah, I know, by who? By a synth-addicted hair band) with the director's cut, which had a score by Jerry Gioldsmith, the high priest of scoring movies. In my view, the STORY told by Legend isn't half of the story told by Ladyhawke. I think Ladyhawke, with Hauer's bravura performance, Michelle's magnetic presence and star power and so simple yet so clever premise (hawks and wolves mate for life, yet this couple can never be together) deserved a more harmonious (yes, pun intended) score. Nonetheless, I will always treasure this film.

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A lot of people like it, deal with that! ;-)

-VM-

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No the music was not bad. The complainers need to keep in mind that this movie was shot in the 80's and geared towards the audience of that era. Plenty of other movies have gone without true period scoring so why all the hate for this one? Case in point, "A Knight's Tale." Is rock music correct period scoring? How about the rap music for just about every film that comes out these days. <roll eyes>

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The problem is, for a lot of viewers, the music sticks out like a sore thumb and detaches them from the story. Had the movie had an orchestral score, it's unlikely anyone would be complaining "You know, this movie could be great if only it had some 80s synth-rock, drums, and bass."

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"A Knight's Tale" has the 2nd worst score ever, after Ladyhawke. I SAW it in the 80's! And thought the score is crap, even then. Agreed on the rap, terrible.

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Wait, there are people actually bashing the movie for its soundtrack? lol

Yeah, so what if its not 13th century old music? Is it really that big of a deal?

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[deleted]

To begin with- It should have been 14th century music.

"I say,open this door at once! We're British !"

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[deleted]

aaaand if this were a modern fantasy being used with equally bad pop music, you'd be moaning like Jacob Marley.

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[deleted]

Yeah what abour "A Knights Tale" with Heath Ledger. All the crowd is rockin to "Queen", give me a break!!!

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[deleted]

[deleted]

I just watched this again this weekend and I have to say I hated the music for the most part. There were a few scenes where it seemed to fit. But for the most part, it really drew me out of the movie, which I love. For the most part, the music just doesn't seem to fit and it does date the movie.

I don't think the music had to be 13th century, but it definitely could have been better than what it was.

I would be into a scene that didn't have music and then all of sudden it would start blaring and would jar me out of the mood of the scene. I started putting it on silent and watching with captions on at times.

Scenes where the music didn't jar me: when the hawk is flying across the water with its wings touching the water; the fight scenes; when they are trying to touch each other as the sun rises.

There's something here that doesn't make sense. Let's go and poke it with a stick.-Doctor Who

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