David Shore's Nostalgic, Sexy, Sad Musical Theme

In 1974, composer David Shore gave a subway hijacking thriller called The Taking of Pelham 123 one of the great 70's thriller scores: a chugging locomotive beat(emulating a subway moving down the line) with that Shaft-style 70's rhythm and funk. Perfect.

I recently watched the 1975 Phillip Marlowe thriller Farewell My Lovely with Robert Mitchum. Imagine my surprise to learn that THAT film's exquisite, perfect opening theme was by: David Shore! That's two great scores, two years in a row.

Farewell My Lovely came out the year after Chinatown -- one wonders if the project went into production BECAUSE of Chinatown. I must say that Chinatown has a great, nostalgic, sad musical theme too -- courtesy of the great Jerry Goldsmith. I won't call Shire's music "better" than Goldsmith's ...but it is just as powerful in a slightly different way.

I'd say that Goldsmith's Chinatown music, like the movie it serves, is more "profound and prestigious" than Shire's score for Farewell My Lovely.

But because Farewell My Lovely has none of the political or landmark sexual themes of Chinatown, the music can afford to be a bit more ENTERTAINING. Over colorized shots from black and white scenes of downtown LA and Hollywood in the 40's, Shire's theme starts with a mere piano and "flowers outward" into a lush, sad orchestration.

In some ways, Farewell My Lovely is too "B and pulpy" to deserve that credits theme; in other ways, the movie in general, and Mitchum's performance in particular, rise to meet what the music promises.

And Mitchum walks off screen to that music at the bittersweet end.