Jerry Goldsmith's score to 'Alien'

[@MrFreezeplug]

There's not a day that we don't miss Jerry Goldsmith. His music is very special with a unique feeling that no one can come close.

[@bloodymarvelous4790]

Jerry Goldsmith was unhappy with Ridley Scott. James Horner was unhappy with James Cameron. And yet, both movies and their scores were amazingly effective.

[@moviemaestro800]

He was only 75 when cancer got him. It really is a shame, because he has proven himself as one of the most versatile composers for a film that has ever lived, and managed to compose high quality scores throughout the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, and early 2000s.

[@kthx1138]

Leif: From what I saw, Goldsmith smoked like a chimney. Thank God Williams doesn't smoke!

[@jandreidrn]

@@kthx1138 yeah he does in the early days. Fate is just a funny thing.

[@sorartificial]

I was part in an orchestration class with a musician that recorded many of his scores in Hollywood, he mentioned that Jerry will take brakes to smoke like a pipe, sometimes even in the recording booth back then it was allow, it is sad that in the 60,70s people associate smoking with sexy.

[@domingopenaloza]

Well, I was born in 2004, but he will the best and the coolest!

[@riaaulfaa3346]

Hollow man best music

[@JBSmoke1]

Alien had a GREAT score! It truly enhanced the mood of the scenes.

[@erichulbert2631]

Jerry Goldsmith was one of the greatest... of not thee greatest composers of movie soundtracks of all time. He's my favorite!

[@Koldeman]

This illustrates the problem with temp tracks. Sometimes the director/producer falls in love with them and they can't separate it from the film, no matter how superior an original score cue might be. Danny Elfman is another outspoken critic of the process of temp tracks.

[@CaminoAir]

The problem is that we are also so used to the 'Alien' temp track from 'Freud' during the sequence where Dallas craws through the air shafts. Goldsmith's original music for that sounds strange for that reason.

[@bloodymarvelous4790]

@gordoncameron8222 Alex North. His original score for 2001 is available on Varèse Sarabande records I believe.

[@JustWasted3HoursHere]

On the other hand, music is such a crucial part of the movie going experience that it's hard to gauge how well it holds up as a film without _some_ kind of music present. Incidentally, if you watch the Forrest Gump episode of Netflix's excellent "The Movies That Made Us"* (highly recommended!) they talk about how the studio didn't want to pay the high cost of licensing all of those classic songs used in the film so the producers of the movie concocted an idea... Put all of the tunes that they REALLY wanted in the test cut, KNOWING that the studio will see how well it works together. And the gamble paid off: The studio licensed all of the songs that the producers wanted. * Made by the same company that made "The Toys That Made Us" series (also excellent) and Disney Plus's "Behind the Attraction".

[@kellinwinslow1988]

​@gordoncameron8222The original 2001 score was by Alex North. He would later go on to use a lot of the unused tracks for his later soundtrack to Dragonslayer. Ironically when Alex Norths original score for 2001 was released on CD it was conducted by Jerry Goldsmith.

[@cihatyildiz3565]

Jerry Goldsmith great composer.Alien soundtrack perfect classic music.

[@tyrantgregcagkaiju71]

Oh, yes! He's one of my favorite composers, along with James Horner, John Williams and Akira Ifukube.

[@DrQuagmire1]

@@tyrantgregcagkaiju71 uh, Alan Silvestri would like a serious word with you

[@tyrantgregcagkaiju71]

DrQuagmire1 Silvestri is up there, too, with John Debney 😎✌🏻

[@DrQuagmire1]

@@tyrantgregcagkaiju71 I would also put Marco Beltrami up there too, considering he was a student of Jerry Goldsmith and was good friends with him

[@rodolfogarcia1294]

@@DrQuagmire1 Jerry Goldsmith The Omen 1976, Marco Beltrami The Omen 2006

[@scottherrmann1358]

I think the timing of music the build up to scenes in the movie was done so well. The music truly draws the audience in. One of Goldsmith's best...

[@tiffsaver]

Much of the genius of a film composer is deciding when not to play any music AT ALL. When you watch many of the most terrifying scenes of "Alien," you'll notice that there is no music at all, only silence. Fantastic. Btw, one of my favorite small pieces of Goldsmith's music for the film was the sequence in which the first astronaut (John Hurt) wakes up from his artificially-induced sleep. Jerry Goldsmith was a National Treasure, no less.

[@TB1M1]

exactly, but what makes JG unique is he was masterful composer (counterpoint etc) but also placed music so well. Music is about interpretation and most composers are going to hit the wall with disagreements. But this is a great example because by doing so he is "advancing" the art form, trying different solutions to the problem!

[@boneeatingsilicate580]

It was the first scene i identified a monster in outer space to 2001 a space odyssey ideology

[@KreapOfficial]

Usually that's the director choosing when they want cues, they usually cut with temp tracks in scenes. Not to say goldsmith is not a genius and possibly chose when to start a cue or how it's going to interact with a scene. I think a director working with such a genius and experienced talent would feel pretty comfortable giving someone like jerry that freedom and would possibly learn a shitload from his input and how he handled the task after their pitch. I worked in the mixing side of films and modified scores quite often, just working on my own feel. We'd get the cues supplied in stems and quite often they're giving you more than you really need. I think I wouldn't have needed to do that with someone like Jerry because he's 20 steps ahead of everyone. I really wanted to meet him one day. RIP.

[@tiffsaver]

@@KreapOfficial Interesting!

[@PlugInKali]

That wasn't Jerry' Goldsmith's doing. For example, Jerry wrote music for this scene 2:45, but it was Ridley Scott the one who decided to use no music at all. They also decided to discard a lot of the score Jerry had written specifically for Alien in favour of the temp track they had been using (the soundtrack of Freud, also written by Jerry), of Béla Bartók's Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta and of Howard Hanson's Symphony No. 2. And not only that, but Ridley and Terry didn't tell Jerry what they were going to do and he only found out when the saw the complete movie. In a nutshell, they did him very dirty, which is why he didn't return for the sequel.

[@michaelwallace2487]

Goldsmith had the same problem with Oliver Stone, who didn’t communicate with him either on the movie Wall Street, and Goldsmith ended up getting fired. Goldsmith married film with music better than anybody, and he excelled at it because he understood each film was different and has its own center and voice which he has to find or he gets lost, and if the director doesn’t communicate with him, there’s going to be a problem. This is why Goldsmith created so many diverse scores. Unlike most film composers, you can’t just drop any of his scores into any film of his. Each score is too much it’s own animal. That was his genius and why I consider him the greatest film composer ever. To this day, I grow less tired of his compositions for that very reason, unlike many musicians who I will listen to for a few years... even decades, but eventually tire of.

[@northshore1000]

So, so well said! You delineated the affection I had for his music.

[@Panos125S]

Absolutely briliant score music job!! Jerry Goldsmith,thanks for this.

[@yuljohnson847]

Yes Jerry's score he created here for all fans of classical film music is definitely something to be thankful for!!!

[@kirsteni.russell5903]

I used to have an LP recording of a symphonic poem from Jerry Goldsmith's ALIEN score. It had an emotionally remote, haunting quality that was not quite like any other film music at that time--not like the big symphonic scores for the STAR WARS and STAR TREK movies. The ALIEN band would quietly seep into my consciousness, searching for hidden feeling. It was a hypnotic piece of music!

[@matthewakian2]

I think this guy is the greatest composer overall.

[@Tyrell-d6o]

The muffled horn that O'Bannon talks about is still in the film, when the thing kills Parker and Lambert. It's indeed very effective, an almost sickly sound that fits very well, not as an actual sound the creature makes but as a translation of an emotional primal response one would have to the alien. Works very well as a "theme".

[@boneeatingsilicate580]

I caught that, O'Bannons explanation fell flat.

[@TheNovelty8theory]

Well articulated.

[@DrWhom]

JG did a lot of avant-garde impressionistic stuff for the alien, and most of it is gone or nearly gone.

[@Omnicient.]

I notice that a lot of people who work on films often get so much incorrect and or mix up films they were involved with.

[@robrigler2903]

I like his original main title. The one that was used could've been used on the end credits

[@ghouston69]

The ironic thing is that Scott ended up using Goldsmith's music in Prometheus and Covenant.

[@kthx1138]

I think Scott felt a pang of guilt.

[@evanus]

Yeah, I feel like him using the original title music for the title reveal in Covenant was his way of saying sorry, and paying tribute to Goldsmith

[@Greggorious123]

Evan Schreuder Sorry for what? The title sequence we ended up getting for Alien was great, it was dark and ominous. As a composer for films you have to respect what the Director wants.

[@evanus]

@@Greggorious123 Of course, but Jerry was not happy with how they treated his score, including using the more cliche opening titles. So I think Scott used the original opening title theme for Covenant as a sort of tribute to Goldsmith.

[@evanus]

@@edglenn1433 Pffft, no right? Don't be so dramatic. We're just talking about a film franchise here, and it's been through far worse than Covenant.

[@KugleeKuglee]

Music same important then visual. That's why 70-80's films score much more memorable then nowadays, and more influence your mood to that films. (sorry my English)

[@jasonrattue]

Those moments of "slowness" is what makes this classic film perfect. The changes in pace is such an anathema to modern films where it's all about movement and nothing to do with consequence/drama/emotion.

[@kezadrone]

I just remember the score being astonishingly unique, but it's true, on hearing the full score clean on it's own some years later, I was actually surprised to hear how much of it is normal sounding orchestral material, really actually of it's time in the late 70's. Amazing what sound guys can do to bring out what they want you to hear and so on, because I certainly DO remember the more unusual cues. And I'd add they're even iconic now.

[@JRMTZD]

Thank you for The Omen, Jerry, my fave film.

[@dianalee3059]

Such an awesome score. For six decades I was blessed with a busy studio singing career during which I had the honor of working with Mr. Goldsmith. When recording for Poltergeist I mentioned to him how much I loved his score for Alien. He said it was not a happy time for him, that Ridley Scott was difficult. Also he didn’t like Scotts use of Howard Hanson’s Romantic Symphony music, and neither did Hanson. No matter, the movie was fantastic. Rest In Peace, Jerry Goldsmith, and thank you for sharing your brilliance

[@Pimsleurable]

I miss Jerry ;-;

[@jsrlasher4711]

You are not the only one!

[@yuljohnson847]

I miss him as well, especially whenever i hear his dynamic synthisized soundtrack Runaway and others such as secret of Nihm, the list goes on and on!

[@rolandh4947]

Goldsmith was a Mozart in filmscoring

[@CloudedIntentions]

Jerry Goldsmith is the greatest composer of all time.

[@yuljohnson1321]

Cant argue with you there!

[@matthewakian2]

Hear, hear.

[@jeffmilner8740]

Think of your statement again .. now if you have some intelligence…

[@jeffmilner8740]

Another dummy

[@jeffmilner8740]

Hear hear … you need to hear other music , get the dirt out of your ears 😂

[@jg2904]

I can't imagine a worse experience for any composer than working on a Ridley Scott film. I'm amazed Goldsmith agreed to do Legend after this, and what a debacle that was...

[@JafuetTheSame]

But strangely enough, in both cases whe wrote one of his best music.

[@ForceMaximus84]

And that score got rejected in favor of Tangerine Dream, so Jerry probably didn’t have a lot of love for Ridley in his later years.

[@JustWasted3HoursHere]

Geniuses often butt heads when working together. But the final outcome is usually, but not always, golden.

[@karanvirkooner1993]

Jerry Goldsmith’s score is outstandingly great

[@sanddab]

Goldsmith's score in this film is so elegant.

[@sgcim956]

When I saw Alien when it first came out in the theaters, at the climax, I stood up and shouted out HOWARD HANSON!!!!!! Symphony #2!!!!!! I'll never forget it!

[@JustWasted3HoursHere]

I was 12 when it came out, but I found that out later. Here's a video talking about the creation of the sound track for "Alien". I think a lot of people will be surprised to learn that A) Jerry Goldsmith didn't really care for the music they had chose and B) Much of it was taken from other works of his. Still fits the movie perfectly though, and that's the most important bit. kzbin.info/www/bejne/i2nFp2OHebF8ba8si=2pF4BiLknHj0Qbg-

[@invisiblemoviegeek]

I love Jerry Goldsmith’s music. I’ve always felt he’s never received the recognition he deserves. I really feel he got screwed over on this film. The musical score for a movie is just as important as direction, casting, script etc. Why in the world would you hire a master like Jerry Goldsmith and then second guess him?

[@timefilm]

I agree... totally underrated composer.

[@kthx1138]

Andrew: He sure received the recognition he deserved for The Omen, a truly chilling, evil score. I guess Scott and Rawlings fell in love with the temp music they had in place, felt it was exactly the emotion those particular scenes needed. With the exception of the acid test, "that crap's gonna eat through the hull", I happen to agree with them.

[@PungiFungi]

Even a master should listen to feedback and criticism.

[@jandreidrn]

@@PungiFungi He always did. It's just that Ridley and Rawlings didn't give him clear and precise feedbacks so Goldsmith just made music he thinks the director likes. Compare that to a similar situation in Star Trek: The Motion Picture which was made in that same year where director Robert Wise didn't like Goldsmith's original music for the Enterprise reveal scene because it had no "theme" so he had Goldsmith re-worked the music and that's how got the iconic music for that said scene. Goldsmith always stressed that he needs the feedbacks of the director. Unfortunately Ridley Scott does not communicate well. And it's not just an isolated case. Vangelis and Hans Zimmer all have experienced the same problems working with Scott.

[@ImVeryOriginal]

Making a film is very much a team effort. Goldsmith did amazing work, but if the rest of the team thought some of it should be modified or used differently, that's how it goes. Maybe they're right and it works better, maybe they're not. But that's part of the process of scoring a film - if you want to keep full control over the music, you should stick to composing standalone pieces.

[@BuzzKirill3D]

Very interesting. Especially Jerry Goldsmith's remark on how music shouldn't be visual. Thanks!

[@kthx1138]

Williams I would say DOES write visual, as well as emotional music. The trick when writing visual music is writing musical accents that "Mickey Mouse" specific visual cues, without being TOO cartoonish.

[@jandreidrn]

@@kthx1138 and that's why, ironically, I think Goldsmith's music proved to be the more "up-to-date" and would fit comfortably with today's modern scoring sensibilities in contrast with Williams' who still stubbornly cling to 19th and 20th century symphonic idiom.

[@nikosvault]

@@jandreidrn Williams did more than his "blockbusters sound". No 19th century stubbornness in scores like Images (1972), JFK (1991) or AI (2001).

[@cripplehawk]

I miss Jerry Goldsmith very much...

[@peloquin5652]

The soundtrack was a big part of the success, as it was for many other films Goldsmith was involved with.

[@robinblankenship9234]

A marvelous insight into how films get to be made.

[@BrianBellia]

Jerry's score is magnificent. In my opinion, it is the best feature of the film. Goldsmith is a genius - no question.

[@CaminoAir]

Yes, when Dallas is searching for the alien in the air shafts, the music is from various cues in 'Frued' ('Desperate Case' is one) and when Ash tries to surgically remove the face-hugger from Kane's face, only for the acid to bleed, the music is the main theme from 'Freud'. The first is probably the single best deviation from Goldsmith's score and the second is 50:50. It works, but it doesn't sound quite right.

[@theonemesis5217]

Great Master.... our grand respect for you, and our eternal love from Greece! We all (....all over the world) gonna miss you! May God rest your soul in peace....

[@Manic_Drone_Idiom]

My all time favorite soundtrack is Jerry Goldsmith's score to Twilight Zone: The Movie ♥

[@K.Straughan]

The music is perfect!

[@Zimtastic]

I'm a huge Goldsmith fan and I understand his frustration here, but I think Scott and co. made the right choices with Alien. The pieces Goldsmith composed for Alien that they used are brilliant. The use of his stuff from Freud was good, and the inclusion of the Howard Hanson piece at the end was perfect. Everything really came together wonderfully in the final product.

[@GregVD]

Zimtastic Goldsmith composed a romantic end theme that was not use because...it was (in Scott & co. words) romantic. But finally they used the Romantic Howard Hanson movement. And Freud music is out of context in Alien film. You can listen a clavichord in that passages!!! I think the approach and vision of Goldsmith with this music was the best!

[@MrCarpen7er]

+Greg VD They used parts of it only.

[@darkprose]

+Zimtastic I agree completely. The Freud tracks are weird and manic and unsettling in just the right way and Hanson's Romantic gave the movie an unforgettable ending. I think Alien introduced people to Goldsmith's Freud, people who might never have listened to it otherwise. Ditto for the Hanson.

[@mattwardpictures]

+Joseph Charles The Hanson piece works in the finale, but needn't have been reprised for the end credits. After hearing the original credits suite, I'm convinced that not only is it a better piece of music for the context of the picture, but it also would have tied the entire soundscape of the film together in a neat and dramatic bow, by sending filmgoers out of the theatre with the main theme's grandest statement.

[@darkprose]

Matthew Ward Well, it was. And for most people, it works. I don't care to waste time arguing about it.

[@donraid8277]

jerry goldsmith , hans zimmer , basil poledouris , outstanding composers !

[@jslasher1]

@Gerry Berry Couldn't agree more.

[@troyandrew6154]

John williams

[@timefilm]

I remember buying the soundtrack for alien and at the time trying to even remember if the film even had any music? I then listened to the cd on repeat and was amazed at how I couldn't remember any of this music I was hearing. This clears it all up. Who knows how the film would have been had it not replaced all his music. It's be cool to see an original cut.

[@jsrlasher4711]

What are you trying to communicate? "...had IT not replaced all his music...". Who is IT? The Alien?

[@timefilm]

No, your mum.

[@Valet2]

The original score is included with every Alien re-release on DVD and BD since 1999. Btw, I'm watching one right now :)

[@timefilm]

@@Valet2 1979 - 1999 was a long time without it. That would be like the Lord of the rings score only now being released.

[@yuljohnson847]

Very insightful and indepth interview on Jerry's iconic and smashing Alien score. Flawless score with every note being a memorable one and reflecting the dark and disolant environment of the Alien.

[@Pope6006]

This film reminds the still reigning champ of all,"ALIEN" still freightens the M&M's outta me!!!

[@one2teen]

Alien is such a good score. It’s Jerry Goldsmith’s second best score from 1979.

[@jaisonbrooks7957]

To The Best composer I have ever herd, with love He got me Hooked on Star trek The NEXT GEN, the Motion Pic

[@luckyman834]

Гениальный композитор. Один из лучших в истории голливуда.

[@scp3178]

Jerry Goldsmith - one the best film composers of the 20th/21st century (besides J.Williams, J.Horner, A.Silvestri) I firstly fell in love with his music listening to Poltergeist, just the first theme at the beginning of the movie. Wonderful. Star Trek wouldn't be Star Trek without Jerry Goldsmith's music. Jerry gave Star Trek his final theme (besides A.Courage's Star Trek theme of the original series).

[@AlexHevari]

Don't forget the one and only Elliot Goldenthal!

[@yuljohnson1321]

I feel really honored to have experienced such a remarkable composer such as Jerry in my lifetime and this is one of his many marvelous scores to justify that honor! Brilliant score that perfectly underlines beauty and darkness!! Alien has always been an amazing listening experience for me and definetly one of my alltime favorite scores. I was so thrilled when the legendary record company Intrada came out with the long awaited definitive edition of this incredible score as suppose to the original edition that left out so many key and memorable moments of the score!!

[@meisterlymanu5214]

Hand and glove the score and movie. I cant think of a more perfect combination (Morricone and J Williams scores acknowledged). The music lifts the film to another level, as it should, but JG got the terror, the scale of space, the monster closing in, down to an art form. Today, it still looks and feels and sounds as though it was made last year. 7 perfect actors, a director in his prime, and JG. What a mix. Id watch the 3 hour original cut if they released it. And that distress beacon, man, it redefines distress.

[@myfriendisaac]

14:19 I want to watch a version of *ALIEN* with Jerry Goldsmith’s soundtrack in full 🎬👽🎧

[@KevinBower-gy5be]

Sting, Stuart Copeland and Andy Summers reflecting on the success of 'The Police' - "It's not the music, or what you put into it - it's the bits in between, the silences, and the stuff you leave out. That's what really hits home".

[@fogelogel8642]

Ridley Scott finally used the main title in Alien Covenant!

[@nenemutante]

Thums up for Mr.Goldsmith's tie . Thanks for posting this , it's very interesting.

[@WolfySnackrib666]

Here here, bro. All credit to Goldsmith and Giger!

[@MNDHFilms]

The low humming drone sound of the main title is what space would sound like. Give us real imagination of the great mystery and scare factor that something is out there. Its just a remarkable piece.

[@veraevans6387]

The Howard Hanson piece they chose was pure Fate. It sounds so much like what Goldsmith could have done that until you read the credits, you will swear that he wrote it. It is such a powerful and hyper melodic extension of the original score's mood. The choice to use another composer's music here was a Kubrickian decision. It helped make the movie immortal.

[@darkprose]

+Vera Evans Well said. It fit into that movie like the last piece of a puzzle.

[@shihanUKS]

Kubrickian? I like it.

[@dq405]

Goldsmith knew exactly what he was doing, and it's unfortunate that Terry Rawlings couldn't see this. But for anyone who wants to *hear* this, I'd recommend the complete ALIEN soundtrack CD from Intrada. Not only does the score stand on its own as a fascinating work of music, but it shows just how much more it could have added to the film if Rawlings had only accepted the knowledge and hard-won experience of Jerry Goldsmith. It would have made a good film even better.

[@Danlovar]

I agree with you, the OST completely stands on its own, but even in that position you can feel the very concept of it does not quite match the concept of the film.

[@kthx1138]

Agree, the Intrada is excellent. Goldsmith was always designing his scores not only for the film but as a standalone concert presentation.

[@charleswinokoor6023]

A really enjoyable and informative clip.

[@stephenboyd3187]

Jerry was a giant in the world of film music. The echoplexed instruments for the alien planet theme perfectly evoke, for me, the biomechanical aspect of the Space Jockey and particularly the alien itself.

[@rodolfohernandezgarcia9487]

Genius Jerry Goldsmith, in fact Lionel Newman conduced this soundtrack

[@one2teen]

I just ordered the soundtrack CD 💿 for Alien and Aliens 👽 on Amazon. I have been looking for these cheap enough for a while.

[@rjmusicltd]

Like Angela Morley a true and rare unsung genius. Apparently he was known for his humble approach to work. Created an audio landscape which many occupy and develop now.

[@CrniWuk]

When you listen carefully you can hear some of the Music in Alien to be similar to Star Trek the Motion Picture which was also composed by Jerry Goldsmith. Both great science fiction movies.

[@jandreidrn]

CrniWuk not really. The last thing Jerry did is for both films of 1979 to sound the same.... Goldsmith was far more versatile than that.

[@TrekDelta]

KLINGONS

[@marcallen4532]

Thank god we have Goldsmith's score on the dvd as an extra. I think it is appalling what film makers do to composers with temp tracks. I think there is no question that film music as such has been diminished over the past 40 years because directors think they are better at film music than composers. Herrmann used to shut that shit the fuck DOWN or refuse to do the films.

[@seagrey75]

Amazing soundtrack indeed. I wonder what kind of gear he used to compose it.

[@r.hulsewe8353]

Can’t tell if you’re joking or not. The answer to your question is: a Moviola or similar device, a stopwatch, music paper, pencils, a pencil sharpener, erasers, possibly a ruler, possibly an orchestration reference book, probably a piano, and most important his own powerful, well-trained musical mind.

[@r.hulsewe8353]

One other bit of equipment clearly used in the final production of the score, besides all the usual stuff, is a tape-delay unit, for the fading-multiple-echo effects that are grafted onto the orchestra’s performance in certain spots.

[@tiffsaver]

Without Jerry Goldsmith's supreme score, "Alien" would have been just another scary scifi flick. The techniques he used were so cutting edge, so powerful, that this is the soundtrack by which all others are judged. Goldsmith will surely take his place beside such greats as Dimitri Tiompkin, Bernard Hermann, John Williams, and Alex North. He is quite simply, brilliant.

[@ayokay123]

Williams and Goldsmith. Goldsmith and Williams. Nobody else is close.

[@mjscorer]

Sadly missed his score for omen 3 has to be my favourite 👏

[@jandreid2023]

16:07 that's the problem with film music today: they don't have a life on their own. They are just factory made. computer generated monotonous noise that nobody will remember after the movie is finished.

[@nicholsonfile]

That's not true at all. Have you seen a modern movie?

[@jandreid2023]

@@nicholsonfile yes. Have you?

[@philipmonolagi269]

RIP Terry Rawlings (editor), who died today

[@SherlockHoles2012]

Guess he was wrong about the score!

[@xenomorphelv4265]

He won an Oscar for the Omen, 3 years before Alien. that's why the OST is so creepy.

[@williamsnyder5616]

He should've won the Oscar for "Patton." The opening sequence with the triplets of trumpets registering as something historical for Patton and then following with the organ playing like war was something religious for Patton was brilliant psychology for music.

[@jandreidrn]

William Snyder and also for Planet of the Apes with its otherworldly sound. And Chinatown for its memorable trumpet melody (which he composed and recorded in only 10 days!) And Under Fire for its ethnic Latin American flavor. And Basic Instinct which set the standard for any suspense thrillers to come after.

[@Njbear7453]

@@jandreidrn planet of the apes and Patton are incredible scores

[@markgriffiths8786]

How would have Terry Rawlings liked it if he came to the studio to find Jerry Goldsmith cutting the film !

[@jsrlasher4711]

Are you a composer, Mr Griffiths? Thought not. Mr Terry Rawlings is a pretentious arsehole. He reminds me of a quote by Alfred Newman, "everyone in Hollywood knows about their own craft -- and music".

[@markgriffiths8786]

J S R Lasher I am a Goldsmith fan and have been since 1976 and the Alien episode has given me pain for 35 years , although I am not a musician this qualifies me to comment on the subject !

[@markgriffiths8786]

J S R Lasher My comments were a slur on Rawlings !

[@RagedContinuum]

J S R Lasher mark griffiths I think in this case Ridley and Rawlings made the right decisions.. this is not to say that Rawlings isn't a d.bag, but it worked out in the end for this project

[@markgriffiths8786]

Mel Shivson There may have been too much music ( Scott should have discussed this with Goldsmith) , but the idea that Rawlings allegedly decided to drop the end titles because he knew something that sounded similar is a major travesty !

[@yellowcougar18]

I have to say I really like his theme for The Shadow.

[@everdriguestube]

Musically it was. Music is one of the major elements of a movie.

[@thomasley7178]

All in all, it worked out really well. I'm a big Goldsmith fan, but I'm glad they made him do another intro. To me it is not really spooky in that it warns me of the Alien. Rather, it's the perfect representation of the emptiness of space. Which, to me, is the truly scary thing about the movie in the first place: That they, this crew, are so enormously lonely out there. And in that sense I also think that Hanson is slightly better at the end. Goldsmith's original end titles are just a little bit too triumphalistic and complacent. Hanson's tune is softer and more introvert, especially in its last bars. To me that fits Ripley's mood better. Because when she goes under in her capsule, when she signs off, she doesn't really know if she'll ever be found. She just hopes to be found. It isn't a triumph since she lost all her comrades. She just survived, that's all.

[@loot6]

The part about the score doesn't really start until 6:42

[@ericpelote998]

In the end , both Prometheus and Covenant will be truly appreciated as they really should be !!

[@mykal.7424]

It's a truly great score ...Outland is very close to the Alien score and pieces of the Leviathan score sound like Alien as well

[@josephbyrnhopf2481]

The finished outcome was the only way it could have been. Unique within Goldsmith's uniqueness. This score is the seasoning, flavoring for something totally memorable and unrepeatable in film. The contrast of Horner's brilliant Aliens would not have been possible without this score creating the space for Horner's interpretation. Successful musical scores express and fill what dialogue and pictures can never accomplish; challenging the viewer to access his own conscience which only music can do.

[@porflepopnecker4376]

I like the way the patchwork score for ALIEN turned out, yet I think some of the condescending comments in the doc about Goldsmith are really insulting. I think the actual score that he wrote for the film is a masterpiece of sometimes beautiful, sometimes aggressively avant garde music. But at least Goldsmith didn't have the same problems James Horner had with James Cameron and Gale Anne Hurd on ALIENS. Those idiots wanted him to write music for scenes that hadn't even been edited together yet.

[@timefilm]

Not to mention they re-edited scenes he had already scored and then gave him a hard time about how his music didn't fit the film.

[@porflepopnecker4376]

timefilm Unbelievable! At least Cameron wised up enough for Horner to want to come back and do TITANIC for him.

[@CaminoAir]

I think that the condescending comments are probably due to uncomfortableness about the subject, although they shouldn't have been made. I'm a long time fan of Goldsmith's music by the way. I noticed a very similar reaction when Robert Wise was interviewed about the re-editing of 'The Magnificent Ambersons'. Wise was clearly very ill at ease discussing what happened and became a bit flustered (though not insulting or patronising). Also, the way the documentary is edited could make this seem worse than it might have been in the raw footage. I agree with you that some of the changes from the original Goldsmith score do work incredibly well, while some are clunky and some sound seriously misguided. But I will admit that Rawlings clearly has a very good ear for music. There should have been someone else arguing Goldsmith's point of view in the documentary though, because it does sound unbalanced as presented.

[@jsrlasher4711]

Why anyone would want to replace the end of the film with Howard Hanson's Second Symphony [don't get me wrong, it's one of my favourite symphonies] mystifies me still.

[@CaminoAir]

J S R Lasher I suppose (and I'm a big Goldsmith fan) that Scott and Rawlings felt that the Hanson music worked 'in the moment' during the end credits, but I always felt it was too much of an emotional release and that the end credits should have been more 'yes, it's over, but it'll leave lasting scars' in mood. Maybe the Hanson music is the equivalent of Scott's 'gorgeous' visual sense.

[@JustWasted3HoursHere]

I'd love to see the original 3 hour and 12 minute cut of this, though the theatrical version is basically perfect in my view. The things they cut obviously were not essential, but it would still be nice to see them. (I know the Director's Cut has some of this put back in but not an hour's worth!) Jerry's score is perfect because it fills you with loneliness and dread right from the very first frame. Actual music in the movie is sparse other than little accents here and there, which is why the triumphant tune when the alien is finally vanquished (which was taken from a different movie which I can't remember) is so impactful.

[@ForceMaximus84]

Jerry Goldsmith frankly got screwed by Ridley and the crew since they rejected most of what he did in favor of the temp tracks. It’s a shame because it’s one of his most underrated scores.

[@jsrlasher4711]

Jerry's second wife, Carol [we share the same birthday], bought that tie for him.

[@Hallinilla9]

O'Bannon is gone too. Kind of eerie looking at these old interviews and stuff

[@ildefonso1965]

Good. Thank you.

[@steveashawasegai1041]

I find it ironic. Scott aaks composers to uae Goldsmith's themes for Prometheus and Alien Covenant and also James Horner had a similar horrific experience for Aliens.

[@kthx1138]

Aliens went WAY overschedule and Horner didn't have time to adequately conform his score to the film.

[@RamBam3000]

They're right about the slowness. It's a tense, sinister, creepy build-up - to one of the most terrifying and shocking scenes ever. Now, in the AvP movies - they rush things and that effect - that sheer dread - is gone and you just get these teens you know nothing about and so you don't care when they get killed. everything's on fast-forward. " An article I read said "Alien" is Scooby Doo, but "Aliens" is 3rd person Shoot-Em Up. And that goes double for the AvP movies. .

[@CaminoAir]

One final thing: the original, unaltered Goldsmith music seems to have been written in several cues for scenes running longer than those in the final cut. Did Goldmsith score the 3 hour version? It doesn't seem that he scored the cut that was the final cinema release cut.

[@jandreidrn]

It's bullshit that Ridley and Terry failed in talking to Jerry Goldsmith in what they want with the music. Robert Wise was unhappy with Goldsmith's score so he talked Jerry in doing over and that's how we got the beautiful "The Enterprise" cue. If they have done the same, the score would have been more cohesive and consistent instead of using the Hanson piece and Goldsmith's own Freud score.

[@adamzanzie]

That's not what happened, though. Goldsmith admits in this interview that he and Ridley Scott had "major disagreements". So I think they *did* try to talk it out, but there was communication breakdown.

[@nicholassassatelli1359]

Jerry also had problems with Ridley on legend with Tom cruise.

[@MrWedge72]

Genius movie!!!

[@JB-dm5cp]

I recently discovered Allan Petterson’s Symphony no. 7. A same bleakness and loneliness.

[@loot6]

I have to agree, the music replacements they made were perfect, even including the opening titles and the use of Howard Hanson's piece at the end. The opening theme is so effective and quite similar to the opening Goldsmith did for Outland - which incidentally is also amazing and is a similar score to Alien.

You can totally hear the influence of Stravinskij on Alien's score

[@miketaylor3668]

Jerry Goldsmith is a God , planet of apes music is giant eternal !!!!!!!!!

[@Njbear7453]

Big time

[@karanvirkooner1993]

Jerry Goldsmith’s score would sound great in DTS-X/Dolby Atmos

[@adamzanzie]

I've always had mixed feelings about the music in Alien. A lot of the tracks do feel rather disconnected and inconsistent from each other, which is probably because it feels like at least half of the music in the film is really just a cut-and-paste job of Goldsmith's music from "Freud". One definitely senses that when Goldsmith's original music *is* included in the movie, his heart isn't completely into it.

[@nel1962]

Actually, there are only two sequences that use his Freud music. One, the brief scene where the facehugger's blood burns through the ship and two, the music heard during Dallas' search for the Alien in the air shaft. The rest was all original music written for the film (not counting the end title Hanson piece).

[@adamzanzie]

"Over 90%"... oh come on, that's a total exaggeration -- just like I suppose my comment about half the music being from Freud was also an exaggeration. If you think about it, there really isn't even that much music used in the movie. Many of the scenes play without music entirely. Yet the music which makes the most of an impression on me whenever I watch the film is a) the Freud music in those two key scenes, and b) the Hanson music which is used all over the finale. Maybe you could say 75% or 80% of the music in the movie is original Goldsmith music... but honestly, to debate over numbers like that is just silly.

[@Hunterx777x]

I love Jerry. So much more of a genius than Ridley.

[@tiffsaver]

+HunterHunter88 How do you compare a film director with a composer? Explain that to me.

[@Hunterx777x]

Both is an art form, Jerry connects more with human emotions through his work than Ridley does with his.

[@tiffsaver]

+HunterHunter88 You're a fucking idiot. Did you know that?

[@Hunterx777x]

Sounds like you're a little boy who is not used to being told no.

[@Hunterx777x]

and the irony here is...you are yet to say anything constructive or put your point across, thus making yourself to look like the idiot. Nice try projecting your own insecurities on to people though. P.S, if that's you in your DP, you're an old ugly fucking crypt keeper.

[@Veyron722skyhook]

What year roughly was this documentary made?

[@TruthSurge]

9:20 dude, sometimes... you're just wrong. Kind of need to admit that and move on. The whole lyrical/melody/star wars thing had been done.... uh, by you? So, clearly, atmospheric, atonal, dissonant, foreboding, mysterious, threatening, THAT'S what ya should have done first and that's why everyone likes the NON-original better. Put your ego on the shelf at least for a FEW MINUTES. You are an amazing composer but ... sometimes you're just wrong. Everyone can be wrong. The soundtrack to the Abyss... for me, it's really really good except eh... there's a few cliche moments in it. But the main theme and the intro.... that's what people remember. Everyone in the creative world should already have learned that the INTRO and ENDING has to be GOLD. The middle can be silver and that's okay but start and end with your best. It's just how it works.

[@TheTrueObelus]

Hmm I seem to remember the "honking" horns alien theme music in at least one scene of the film. Did I imagine it?

[@nielslauridsen2323]

Ronald Shusett (Executive Producer / Story) kinda sounds like Jay Leno