The official trailer doesn't really do it justice, and it certainly doesn't showcase its best asset - the soundtrack:
Do I save the best for last, eh?
On paper, it shouldn’t have worked, but the combination of utterly bonkers storyline and pulse-pounding soundtrack by Michael Kamen and Queen (surely as mismatched a pairing as Connery’s and Lambert’s all-over-the-place-accents) gained it cult status in a heartbeat.
Oddly enough, this is the only movie soundtrack I possess that isn’t actually a ‘real’ movie soundytrack. As Wikipedia points out: ‘While no albums specifically tied to the Highlander movie were ever released, Queen's 1986 album A Kind of Magic features most of the songs from the film, although sometimes in different arrangements, as well as other music on the same theme.’
And the single stand-out track has to be Brian May's 'Who Wants To Live Forever?'
And so ends this year’s look at some of my favourite film soundtracks. There were some that didn’t quite make the grade, hovering just outside the top twelve. Toto’s soundtrack for ‘Dune’, Graham Gouldman’s soundtrack for ‘Animalympics’, Tangerine Dream’s hypnotic synthesiser-based score for ‘Sorcerer’, for instance.
But not quite enough to make another year. So I think my focus will switch to…well, let’s wait and see.
Oddly enough, this is the only movie soundtrack I possess that isn’t actually a ‘real’ movie soundytrack. As Wikipedia points out: ‘While no albums specifically tied to the Highlander movie were ever released, Queen's 1986 album A Kind of Magic features most of the songs from the film, although sometimes in different arrangements, as well as other music on the same theme.’
And the single stand-out track has to be Brian May's 'Who Wants To Live Forever?'
And so ends this year’s look at some of my favourite film soundtracks. There were some that didn’t quite make the grade, hovering just outside the top twelve. Toto’s soundtrack for ‘Dune’, Graham Gouldman’s soundtrack for ‘Animalympics’, Tangerine Dream’s hypnotic synthesiser-based score for ‘Sorcerer’, for instance.
But not quite enough to make another year. So I think my focus will switch to…well, let’s wait and see.
Streets of Fire still No.1 for me although this does run a close 2nd.
ReplyDeleteBut no 'Local Hero' or 'Restless Natives'? I'm surprised.
Plus the other track on that album is from the even more bonkers 'Iron Eagle'.
ReplyDeleteDon't think that it was the soundtrack (good though it was) that justified the various film & TV sequels/spin-offs - not least since those that I saw didn't have a backing wall of sound...
ReplyDelete"But no 'Local Hero' or 'Restless Natives'? I'm surprised."
ReplyDelete'Local Hero' was one where I quite liked the music, but the film sent me to sleep! Will look up 'Restless Natives' though...
"Plus the other track on that album is from the even more bonkers 'Iron Eagle'."
Yup, another one that nearly made it into the top twelve! :)
"...not least since those that I saw didn't have a backing wall of sound..."
No, they just used the 'Princes of the Universe' as a theme and junked the rest.
Yet another example of frighteningly good taste Julia!
ReplyDeleteGreat film, great soundtrack, though the all the sequels are undoubtedly best avoided. Not least because none of the other antagonists come close to Clancy Brown's Kurgan.
'I've got something to say. It's better to burn out than to fade away".
"Not least because none of the other antagonists come close to Clancy Brown's Kurgan. "
ReplyDeleteIndeed! He makes an excellent villain (see 'Carnivale') and a pretty good quasi-hero too (see 'Earth 2').