Johnny Williams loves him some sixth intervals, I tell you what. There's also some Tchaikovsky that sounds eerily like John Williams music. or, you know, the other way around.

Whatevs.

No, James Horner is definitely your Surrogates.

There was an excellent podcast by Film Score Monthly, called Opportunity Makes a Thief, where they laid out a ton of examples of Prokofiev, Rachmaninov, Britten and others showing up wholesale in the scores for Star Treks II & III; however, where the podcast was hosted seems to have re-organized and lost it.

I have a copy if someone wants to hear it, and it's definitely worth listening to if you are interested in the short-cuts some composers take.

My favorite is the Klingon attack fanfare (that's what I'm calling it anyway - French horns & brake drum) from Trek III showing up in Aliens when they are escaping the first encounter/fight with the aliens. It's been a while since I saw Trek III so it may not be quite copy & paste, just similar.

One of my fave Futurama jokes evar was a little throwaway gag where Leela finds Fry listening to gangsta rap and says "You can sit here listening to classical music all you want, but..."

Last time I re-watched Raiders I remember being a little uncomfortable with its presentations of race and culture. I mean, I know, but still, I felt it had a gentle racism that I guess was inevitable given the period in which it was made. I'm not sure what to do with that - I mean clearly it's sort of a museum piece, but introducing it to people who have not seen it requires a lot of explaining.
Any thoughts?

Last edited by TheGreg (2012-08-31 10:35:13)

Nazis and racism? No way

I'm not really sure it's about when it's set - I mean, it would be possible to make a film set in the 30s without that. What bothers me about it is that all of the non-white characters are either punchlines to a joke or painful stereotypes. Yes, Temple is worse. But everyone, from the comical Nepalese, the naive Indians, the comically jovial or bungling Arabs etc etc are shamefully shallow. The Germans are, of course, all scheming villains, but I can forgive that.

Is it possible for a film set in the 30s not to have racial stereotypes in it? Especially one based on the old serials and pulp novels of that time? Actually can you name a film either from the 30s or set in the 30s that doesn't have a racial stereotype of some sort? Genuinely curious.

Like I mentioned, I'm not saying 80s films didn't have racial sterotypes and some dodgy material but I think the setting in Raiders for example it kind of makes more sense. I cringe at some racism and homophobia in 80s films (Soul Man step on up, you too Sixteen Candles) but it doesn't bother me in Raiders because of the period setting.

Erm, I think so - Road to Perdition, O Brother Where Art Thou?, They Shoot Horse, Don't They?, The Color Purple spring to mind.

Yes - I mean, I get that on one level Raiders is lampooning or homaging pulp comics and cheap tv shows of the era, and that's fine, it's just that I think that if that's what you're doing you've got to be a little careful that you really are doing it ironically, not just doing it.

I feel like if you're going to do that (LOEG with Yellow Peril) then you really have to make sure that you hang a lantern on it or subvert it in some way. Simply wallowing in nostalgia of a period when racism was more acceptable seems a little, well, I don't know, inappropriate.