James Horner remembered 1953-2015

[cinemabon]

As I have repeatedly stated on this glorious website for over a decade, music is a vital and important part of the cinema experience. What would "Glory" be without that beautiful choir and drumbeat in the background? How can we soar with Jake Sully over the breathtaking background of Avatar without that same soaring music? How could we experience the grandeur of a ship like "Titanic" without a score that can match its majesty? Would we be as fearful of Khan who threatens the Enterprise if that pounding score and crashing cymbals didn't rouse our blood? All of those movies would be poorer if James Horner hadn't added his brilliant and compassionate musical queues to their spines, giving them form, purpose and emotion we can all identify in a personal way. Film music is all about the emotional connection between filmmaker and audience. Since the time movies began, music has played a vital role in making film more than just the flash of images on a screen. We are pulled in by the sound of music. We are taken on an emotional ride without our being aware. Music lifts us up out of our seats and carries us away in moments that enliven screen images. Of all the composers over the past four decades, one of the most prolific and continuously best in terms of original score has been James Horner.

On June 22 of this year, Horner died when his plane crashed in the Los Padres National Forest. He was 61. When we see other composers, such as John Williams still making fresh music at 84, it disturbs the sense of possibility that Horner had more great scores left in him and what a terrible loss we've incurred. Born to Jewish immigrants who came to America in 1935, Horner was a product of the post-War baby boom in America. Originally from LA, he started playing piano at age 5. We went to London in the 1960's where he attended the Royal College of Music. Later, he obtained his BA in music from USC and went on to earn his masters and doctorate degrees from UCLA. During this time, he developed a great love for flying (that would eventually lead to his premature death).

James started work with Roger Corman (who taught many filmmakers their craft) and scored several B pictures. Horner scored his first major work with "The lady in Red" in 1979. However, it wasn't until he scored "Star Trek II - Wrath of Khan" that Horner came to be recognized by other composers that he had a great talent for creating original work. Horner went on to be nominated ten times for an Academy Award, winning for "Titanic" and for Best Song that year, "My Heart Will Go On." Here is a partial list of his great work.

1982 - Star Trek Wrath of Khan
1982 - 48 Hours
1983 - Something Wicked This Way Comes
1983 – Brainstorm
1983 – Testament
1983 – Gorky Park
1983 – Uncommon Valor
1984 – Star Trek Search for Spock
1985 – Heaven Help Us
1985 – Cocoon
1985 – Volunteers
1986 – Aliens
1986 – The Name of the Rose
1986 – An American Tail (also song, “Somewhere Out There”)
1987 – Project X
1987 – Batteries Not Included
1988 – Willow
1988 – Red Heat
1988 – The Land Before Time
1989 – Field of Dreams
1989 – Honey, I shrunk the kids
1989 – In Country
1989 – Glory
1990 – I love you to death
1991 – Class Action
1991 – The Rocketeer
1992 – Thunderheart
1992 – Sneakers
1992 – Unlawful Entry
1992 – Patriot Games
1993 – A Far Off Place
1993 – House of Cards
1993 – Searching for Bobby Fischer
1993 – The Pelican Brief
1994 – Clear and Present Danger
1995 – Braveheart
1995 – Apollo 13
1996 – Courage Under Fire
1996 – Ransom
1997 – Titanic
1998 – Deep Impact
1998 – The Mask of Zorro
2000 – The Perfect Storm
2001 – Enemy at the Gates
2001 – A Beautiful Mind
2003 – House of Sand and Fog
2004 – Troy
2006 – All the King’s Men
2008 – The Spiderwick Chronicles
2009 – Avatar
2011 – Day of the Falcon
2012 – Amazing Spiderman
2016 – The Magnificent Seven (Posthumous)