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So there’s been a lot of bald-faced bullshit posted on this board in the last few months concerning Danny Efman’s upcoming score to RED DRAGON. I’ve mostly stayed out of all the arguments, but I thought it was high time that someone laid down the smack as to what’s real and what isn’t.
Firstly, here’s what we know for sure:
1) The score will record August 5th – 11th on the Newman Stage at 20th Century Fox.
How do I know this? Debbie Datz — the music contractor — told me herself earlier this week. Elfman went into this picture shortly after completing MIB 2 and, to my knowledge, has made _no_ official statements as to what the score will be like (more on that later). He’s been way too busy to do so. Dan Goldwasser (from http://www.soundtrack.net) asked him if the score will follow in the tradition of Howard Shore’s and Hans Zimmer’s music and he simply replied, “No.”
2) The soundtrack will be released through Decca records.
It’s on the recent trailer. No release date for the CD has been announced, although late September is rumored.
As far as the facts go, that’s pretty much it. Here’s what various jackasses posting to this board have made up:
1) There is not a tracklist and there are no track times available presently.
The score is likely still being written and will inevitably undergo some changes as its being recorded. There’s no possible way that such information would or could be available. In addition, the idea that “In the Hall of the Mountain King” or _anything_ from Peer Gynt will be on the soundtrack is ridiculous beyond words. I will bet the original poster of the tracklist 10,000 dollars (USD) that the music does not appear anywhere in the film or on the album. Also, as Ryan pointed out, the track times, when added up, blow the 80 minute limit that CDs which exist in reality usually have to stay under.
2) The interview from Entertainment Weekly that Michael posted here on July 3rd.
Lots of people read it. Some people believe it. In truth, it’s a total fabrication. Someone with a disturbing amount of time to kill coughed that garbage up and has been trying to pass it off as real. No one has even SEEN THIS ARTICLE IN PRINT. It does not exist and did not happen. Read the interview again with a critical eye: Elfman says things that he would never actually say. Here are some of the highlights:
The interview has Elfman talking about his “synthesizers” a lot. In truth, he uses samples of live instruments (usually performed by him himself) which are later sequenced onto a midi track that plays along with the live orchestra as it records. Sounds a little more sophisticated than synthesizers.
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> Let’s assume, for a moment, that such a thing is true. Why would Elfman ever admit to it? My understanding is that he uses samples because he gets off on the interesting sounds and textures they provide — not to cover his ass. Throwing out whole themes because an orchestra can’t perform them seems pretty damn unprofessional, wouldn’t you say?
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> Okay, so now Elfman is telling us that he basically just slaps these things together? When has he ever said anything like this in the past? In a recent Film Score Monthly article, he says that he went back and redid some of the music on SPIDERMAN when he realized that the “responsibility” theme was needed to make some of the scenes work. In every interview previously, he’s come off as a perfectionist and a workaholic.
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> I don’t even know where to start dismantling this one. RED DRAGON had a large chunk of time? When? In case you haven’t noticed, Elfman’s done three enormous movies in the last 12 months (not counting RED DRAGON) in addition to providing the themes for one or two others. He took a short break after MIB2, but then got into DRAGON pretty much right away. So let’s get this straight: Elfman took time away from SPIDER-MAN or PLANET OF THE APES to write music based on pages of a book (which may or may not have any correlation to finished film) and which will be virtually useless anyway as nothing will be timed up properly and there will be no sync points. That seems like an awful lot of work and wasted time for the fun of “IMPRESSING” a director he’s worked with before and who’s already hired him to do the music anyway.
All that aside, in dozens of interviews in the past, Elfman has stated that he can’t write a single note until he sees the rough cut. Around the time that MARS ATTACKS! came out he said that you can give 10 directors the same script and you’ll end up with 10 completely different movies. It was like EDWARD all over again? What? How? What the hell is that supposed to mean?
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Well, I’m glad to learn that Elfman’s written and will record songs for this movie. Can’t wait to hear the duet between Hannibal and Will Graham.
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DE: Well… Wojchiech Kilar’s Dracula meets… well… (laughs) Dolores Claiborne. Also I’m working with very classical motifs, much like Hanz Zimmer did on Hannibal.>>In the past, Elfman has made it a point to mention that he’s frequently inspired by old masters of film music who are dead and gone. Why he suddenly doing the same for someone who’s alive and working? (Unless something’s happened to Kilar that I’m not aware of.) Also, why would he admit to writing a score that sounds like another one of his own compositions, particularly when it’s well know that he’s sensitive about that very thing? Let’s refer to dozens of early interviews where the moderator presses him about his scores sounding alike, and he gets defensive about it. And he’s using Zimmer’s score as model? Wow.
I could go on further, but I don’t think I really have to. The interview is completely bogus. Make your own decisions, but I think it’s pretty obvious.
There are two bits of unfinished unresolved business concerning RED DRAGON still on the table.
1) The alleged cover art from the CD. It could be close to what Decca will eventually come up with, but I’m guessing it’s fake. No proof either way, but it seems highly unlikely that Decca would put it together so far in advance If it were leaked in late August or something, I might be fooled, but it appeared on-line over a month before the score was set to record and a solid three months before the film’s release. Seems fishy.
2) The description of the main title as posted by Robert on July 8th:
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> I do not receive the Sci-Fi Insider and thusly did not see the article myself. I suppose it _could_ be true. Frankly, I’m skeptical. Robert was also the one who supplied the definitely bogus tracklist and the probably bogus artwork. I wouldn’t believe this one until you see it for yourself.
So anyway, that’s the reality of what’s happening with RED DRAGON. We don’t know much at all, really. Everyone here likes to hear news on upcoming Elfman projects. When I’m privy to some of it myself, I love posting it. What’s the point, though, of making stuff up and trying to pass it off as real? It may get people’s excitement going for a few weeks, but ultimately, the info will be revealed as being fraudulent and you’ll look like an untrustworthy @!#$. Posting a fake interview won’t turn you into the next Harry Knowles, and Entertainment Weekly won’t contact you asking to buy the material or to hire your services. Decca Records will not hire you to design the real artwork for the CD. Elfman himself will not revert his style to what it was like earlier in his career or start writing meaningless music based on pages of a book.
In short, it’s an amazing waste of everyone’s time — particularly yours — and it pisses me off. Let’s stick to “real” news in the future, okay?
Thank you, John, for giving us all a bit of “closure” – if you can call it that – to this whole, sloppy ordeal. To use a line from Dobbs, I’d like to grab “the torch and pitchfork” and go after whomever the idiot was that wrote that pile of @!#$, but I won’t bother wasting that amount of time. Again, my gratitude goes out to John Mullin for putting a lid on the “Red Dragon” mess.
An immense thank you,
ErikaI agree with Erika.
Applause, John. Good summation, and well written and informative. Now why hadn’t you posted that BEFORE I wrote my bit about the Red Dragon score, based on an interview I didn’t know was fake at the time?
. Hang on Erika, I’ll grab MY blowtorch and be right with you
Oh @!#$..i forgot —
GRAB YOUR TORCH AND PITCHFORK ANYWAY! You can DO it!Man, you know, the fact that he’s scoring Hannibal Lecter doesn’t entice me as much as Men In Black did, mainly do to the fact-a-roonie that I just can’t indentify with a cannibal..but that’s just my take. Therefore, ill
just be waiting for it in a coma.Oh no! The pod people have gotten to John Mullin too!!!
Run! Ruuuuuunnnn!!!
Note to John only (so don’t anyone else read it):
Thanks John, the plan is progressing nicely.
Aaaahhhhaaaaaaahahahaha!you’re all suspect.
I guess I just never get worked up until I’m actually looking at a disc by Elfman in the CD store, so all the hub-bub over the fact or fiction behind all of the Red Dragon stuff did nothing to or for me.
Why can’t more people be like me?
Humbly…
Brian
Pitchforks…torches…hmm…reminiscent of “Deliverance,” perhaps?
Brian – more people aren’t like you because they’re too busy trying to copy me. It’s okay, most will fail. It’s nearly impossible to duplicate greatness…
(Yes, that was my sarcastic bitch comment of the day),
EMessage to John Mullin : Thanks John, for your message – very informative indeed and a very good read. I respect your knowledge and well written opinions on this interesting subject.
What I do NOT respect however, is the way you labelled me as a “Jackass”.
As I have stated on *numerous occasions* on this board, the information I posted was put there in GOOD FAITH. I personally had no involvement with the “production” of the track list or original artwork and at the time had no reason to suspect that any of it was false. I am no more interested in “fake” information than the next man – it does no-one any favours.
Of course, since the news about the recording dates has appeared PLUS the genuine Decca artwork (which you may recall I also posted first on this board, with proof), it’s 99% certain that the track list is baloney. Fair enough. I can believe that too now.
I too am pleased that you posted your message as “closure” to this. I just felt saddened by being labelled as a Jackass by a complete stranger, so I had to speak up.
Regards to all,
JohnDon’t care much about rumors–just interested in the fact that Danny’s doing the score! That’s really the only information I need–all the other stuff (made-up or not) really doesn’t count. I’m just waiting to get the score–like everyone else! The end product is all that matters!
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