Reel Change: The Ostinato

Today is the first installment of Reel Change, an ongoing series of episodes in between films. To hopefully cleanse the palate and prepare for our next subject, this week we focus on a musical device relevant to all eras of cinema: The Ostinato. Join us on a brief exploration of this musical mechanism as we track its development in films from the golden age to the present. Off we go!

Listen to Reel Change: The Ostinato

Captain Blood - Erich Wolfgang Korngold - Warner Bros - 1935 (Michael Curtiz, dir.)
King Kong - Max Steiner - Radio Pictures - 1933 (M. Cooper, E. Schoedsack, dir.)
Scaramouche - Victor Young -  MGM - 1952 (George Sidney, dir.)
Peter Gunn - Henry Mancini - NBC - Official Films  - 1958-61 (Blake Edwards, creator)
The Magnificent Seven - Elmer Berstein - United Artists - 1960 (John Sturges, dir.)
Taras Bulba - Franz Waxman - United Artists - 1962 (J. Lee Thompson, dir.)
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly - Ennio Morricone - United Artists - 1966 (Sergio Leone, dir.)
Midnight Cowboy - John Barry - United Artists - 1969 (John Schlesinger, dir.)
-Everybody's Talkin' (Song) Performed by Harry Nilsson, Written by Fred Neil
Superman - John Williams - Warner Bros. - 1978 (Richard Donner, dir.)
Conan the Barbarian - Basil Poledouris - Universal Pictures - 1982 (John Milius, dir.)
The Terminator - Brad Fidel - Orion Pictures - 1984 (James Cameron, dir.)
Brazil - Michael Kamen - 20th Century Fox, Universal Pictures - 1985 (Terry Gilliam, dir.)
Total Recall - Jerry Goldsmith - TriStar Pictures - 1990 (Paul Verhoeven, dir.)
The Simpsons - Danny Elfman - 20th Century Fox Television - 1989-2017 (Matt Groening, creator)
Robin Hood Prince of Thieves - Michael Kamen - Warner Bros. - 1991 (Kevin Reynolds, dir.)
Sneakers - James Horner - Universal Studios - 1992 (Phil Alden Robinson, dir.)
Crimson Tide - Hans Zimmer - Buena Vista Pictures - 1995 (Tony Scott, dir.)
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace - John Williams - Lucasfilm - 1999 (George Lucas, dir.)
Finding Nemo - Thomas Newman - Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar - 2003 (Andrew Stanton, dir.)
The Dark Knight - Hans Zimmer/James Newton Howard - Legendary Pictures - 2008 (Christopher Nolan, dir.)
The Expendables - Brian Tyler - Lionsgate - 2010 (Sylvester Stallone, dir.)
Star Trek - Michael Giacchino - Paramount Pictures - 2009 (J.J. Abrams, dir.)
The Last Airbender - James Newton Howard - Parmount Pictures - 2010 (M. Night Shyamalan, dir.)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 - Alexandre Desplat - Warner Bros. - 2010 (David Yates, dir.)
Puss in Boots - Henry Jackman - Paramount Pictures - 2011 (Chris Miller, dir.)
MI: Rogue Nation - Joe Kraemer - Paramount Pictures - 2015 (Christopher McQuarrie, dir.)
Mad Max: Fury Road - Junkie XL - Warner Bros. - 2015 (George Miller, dir.)
Zoolander No. 2 - Theodore Shapiro - Paramount Pictures - 2016 (Ben Stiller, dir.)
Arrival - Jóhan Jóhannson - Sony Pictures/Paramount Pictures - 2016 (Denis Villeneuve, dir.)

For score reductions, additional links and more,
the discussion continues at: www.underscorepodcast.com