The Princess Bride Has a Really Terrible Score sez Richard Thompson…

[dustyvalentino]

https://media.fireside.fm/file/fireside-audio/podcasts/audio/4/41fbdc63-fc20-48c3-9518-7b59cb5acee6/episodes/2/2b05dc2b-69c1-46e3-b1d9-84ff1364c203/2b05dc2b-69c1-46e3-b1d9-84ff1364c203.mp3

25 mins into this podcast.

Thoughts?

[quizzaciously]

Never cared a lot about the score itself, "Storybook Love" is great though. I think the score is generally bad simply because it's all samples and electronic music as far as I'm concerned. And the mid-80s electronic music, I must add! But not a lot of people care, the same thing with all the Kemper discussions. Personally, I prefer movie soundtracks performed with an orchestra... Terrible? I don't know, I think it compliments the movie pretty well.

While the Local Hero soundtrack was 1000 times better than the movie itself, I think Mark learned his lessons and made "Princess Bride" soundtrack in the same league as the movie.

[dustyvalentino]

Princess Bride is just half assed.

As you note, the synclavier is crappy. And Storybook Love was written by Willy DeVille, so what did MK even bring to the party.

Got to disagree on Local Hero though, it’s a wonderful film.

[quizzaciously]

Princess Bride is just half assed.

As you note, the synclavier is crappy. And Storybook Love was written by Willy DeVille, so what did MK even bring to the party.

Got to disagree on Local Hero though, it’s a wonderful film.

I think Mark fully understands that it was a half-assed soundtrack, or else he won't leave it in this state, nor would he work on it with just four hands. On the other hand, he's not an accomplished film composer anyway, so what else you could really expect? Film music is a whole planet on its own, and MK is not a part of it.

Local Movie is great, I meant that the music seems to surpass the movie in terms of popularity and, frankly, quality. Imagine Local Hero without this music! That's right, the movie can't exist without the music, but the music can.

[dustyvalentino]

Agree to disagree, Bill Fosyth’s previous film Gregory’s Girl doesn’t have a good soundtrack but it’s another brilliant film.

[quizzaciously]

Agree to disagree, Bill Fosyth’s previous film Gregory’s Girl doesn’t have a good soundtrack but it’s another brilliant film.

Again, I love Local Hero, though as I'm not an avid cinephile anyway, and the language barrier also takes its toll on my enjoyment for the movies, so I'm really not the right person to argue about movies, especially beloved British movies like Bill Fosyth ones. If you say it's great, then I just silently agree.

But on Princess Bride OST, I never was a fan of it. Clearly, Mark did it to distract himself from rock, change pace and freshen up his mind. Not for the music!

[Banjo99uk]

I’ve never understood the obsession with Princess Bride, I don’t like the film or the fake orchestra. It sounds pants. Local Hero is a wonderful movie and just about as good as it gets for me. But soundtracks in general are not my thing.

[dustyvalentino]

Agree to disagree, Bill Fosyth’s previous film Gregory’s Girl doesn’t have a good soundtrack but it’s another brilliant film.

Again, I love Local Hero, though as I'm not an avid cinephile anyway, and the language barrier also takes its toll on my enjoyment for the movies, so I'm really not the right person to argue about movies, especially beloved British movies like Bill Fosyth ones. If you say it's great, then I just silently agree.

But on Princess Bride OST, I never was a fan of it. Clearly, Mark did it to distract himself from rock, change pace and freshen up his mind. Not for the music!

Yeah, I think Bill Forsyth films have a very specific Scottish type of humour that I would be surprised if they travel.

[Banjo99uk]

Unless its Young Guns 2, the only Bon Jovi album I own.

[quizzaciously]

I’ve never understood the obsession with Princess Bride, I don’t like the film or the fake orchestra. It sounds pants. Local Hero is a wonderful movie and just about as good as it gets for me. But soundtracks in general are not my thing.

I can step even further and say I don't like fairy tales and fantasy Shrek-style movies like that, but clearly we're not the right people to ask. The girl I played a lot of music with loves Princess Bride And I bet she doesn't care about synclavier, or even know what it is in the first place.

[MagicElliott]

I’ve never understood the obsession with Princess Bride, I don’t like the film or the fake orchestra. It sounds pants. Local Hero is a wonderful movie and just about as good as it gets for me. But soundtracks in general are not my thing.

I can step even further and say I don't like fairy tales and fantasy Shrek-style movies like that, but clearly we're not the right people to ask. The girl I played a lot of music with loves Princess Bride And I bet she doesn't care about synclavier, or even know what it is in the first place.

How can you not like Shrek?!? It’s genius on the way it appeals to different generations.
Anyway…I haven’t seen either film for years. I remember not particularly enjoying Local Hero but my friend who lent me the dvd said “the more times you watch it, the better it gets.”

I’ve just checked Amazon prime and The Princess Bride is on there. Might give that a watch soon.

[quizzaciously]

I’ve never understood the obsession with Princess Bride, I don’t like the film or the fake orchestra. It sounds pants. Local Hero is a wonderful movie and just about as good as it gets for me. But soundtracks in general are not my thing.

I can step even further and say I don't like fairy tales and fantasy Shrek-style movies like that, but clearly we're not the right people to ask. The girl I played a lot of music with loves Princess Bride And I bet she doesn't care about synclavier, or even know what it is in the first place.

How can you not like Shrek?!? It’s genius on the way it appeals to different generations.
Anyway…I haven’t seen either film for years. I remember not particularly enjoying Local Hero but my friend who lent me the dvd said “the more times you watch it, the better it gets.”

I’ve just checked Amazon prime and The Princess Bride is on there. Might give that a watch soon.

I never said I don't like Shrek, in fact, Shrek came out when I was 10, and I remember watching it in English classes in school in the original with subtitles. It's a cultural phenomenon and fairy tale covered in mature jokes and some major satire, and cool music and memes. Can't not love that! I guess, the same thing with Princess Bride for the prior generation was like Shrek was for me growing up.

Local Hero, combined with this unbelievably beautiful music, gives a very pleasant aftertaste. The movie is so cosy and beautiful, the scenery is phenomenal!

[qjamesfloyd]

Mark will be the first to admit he is not good at soundtracks, however, he can't be that bad after doing the amount he has. I can't agree that The Princess Bride score is terrible though!! I think it works well for the film, but as with most things, it's subjective.

[Jules]

I read somewhere, maybe the Cary Elwes book, that Reiner wanted the soundtrack that way to fit with the way the film was made, with that kind of special effects, that contributed to the film to be funny with not specially good effects, like it was a kind of joke film.

Reiner liked the synclavier approach for the music.

[dmg]

I’ve never understood the obsession with Princess Bride, I don’t like the film or the fake orchestra. It sounds pants. Local Hero is a wonderful movie and just about as good as it gets for me. But soundtracks in general are not my thing.

Pretty much on par with you here.  I've watched bits of it but it's just not the genre for me anyway so I can't get into it.  The soundtrack is simply boring and unless a soundtrack is outstanding, such as LH, they aren't my thing either.