WI: Hoist's "Mars" instead of Wagner used in Apocalypse Now?

Typo

Banned
Would "Mars" take place of ride of the Valkyries in pop culture if Kilgore blasts it out of his helicopters?
 
I think you are refering to Gustav Holst.

Mars really doesn't have the all out umph for use with an airborne attack that Ride of the Valkryies does. Also the helicopters in a sense are valkryies riding into battle with soldiers aboard.
 
Classical music is the last thing I know about, but I reckon Holst's piece has a nice, sinister buildup to the section we all know. It would be effective, if not as campily OTT as Wagner's music is in that movie.

Hmmm, but my favourite part of the compositon of Ride of the Valkyries we hear in 'AN!' is the synthesizer at the beginning, and I don't think old Carmine could throw any Moog into Mars.

I'm sure Holst's composition has been in dozens of soundtracks, but off the top of my head the only one I can think of is the old BBC Quatermass Experiment.
 
Hm, EV: Nova might have to find another intro theme, assuming butterflies don't stop it from coming into being. Er, I suspect Mars might take up part, but perhaps not all, of RotV's OTL position in pop culture.
 
Holst's "Mars" is a great piece, and elements of it have been shamelessly exploited by many film music composers, not the least of which is John Williams (Listen to the destruction of the Death Stare and tell me that isn't an imitation of the closing bars of "Mars"). It is wondefully sinister, but I'm not sure "sinister" is what Coppola was after. Also, "Mars"is written in 5/4 time which makes it rythmically odd to accompany galloping valkyries and their helicopters in "Apolocalypse Now". Plus the Wagner piece was iconic before the movie, while Holst's music is far less well know. My guess is that it is the juxtaposition of an extremely well known screamingly loud Wagner piece with the images of modern airborne destruction that make the scene work. Also, you can't forget the wider nazi-esh symbolism that Wagner provides.
 

MacCaulay

Banned
(Listen to the destruction of the Death Stare and tell me that isn't an imitation of the closing bars of "Mars"). It is wondefully sinister, but I'm not sure "sinister" is what Coppola was after.

Very good point. I don't know if "imitation" would be the right word, though. It's kind of like saying that everything in a genre is imitating each other. It was just so freaking good that it provided a baseline for people to use. There was Terminator, Star Wars, etc.

Also, "Mars"is written in 5/4 time which makes it rythmically odd to accompany galloping valkyries and their helicopters in "Apolocalypse Now".

I don't mean to sound gay or anything...but you're fucking awesome. Anyone else who knows that and knows what it means is fucking awesome. All hail the math rock!
 
I don't mean to sound gay or anything...but you're fucking awesome. Anyone else who knows that and knows what it means is fucking awesome. All hail the math rock!

Either that or he is a 60-year old man who spent his nerdy youth listening to 33 rpm LPs of classical music while following along with a copy of the score when he could have been getting laid. Guilty as charged.
 

MacCaulay

Banned
Either that or he is a 60-year old man who spent his nerdy youth listening to 33 rpm LPs of classical music while following along with a copy of the score when he could have been getting laid. Guilty as charged.

Ahhhhhh...see, I was playing snare to the music, so the 5/4 was shoved in my face. 1234-1,1234-1,1234-1...
 
I don't mean to sound gay or anything...but you're fucking awesome. Anyone else who knows that and knows what it means is fucking awesome. All hail the math rock!
I'm 16, and I know what it means. Does that mean I get "Fucking Awesome"hood?
 
I can't help but think that mars would work better with an army.

Rather. In fact, Mars seems to me to tell the story of a war, an arcehtypal war (I mapped its events out rather painstakingly in primary school, when it was by far the best thing ever to happen to our uninspiring music classes!), which is why its not nearly so appropriate to the scene, which doesn't contain any retreats, marshallings, escalating climatic battles etcetera. Ride of the Valkyries goes with it because, as others have pointed out, it pretty much is one. A ride, at any rate.

Giving Planets a listen now. Thanks, topic starter! :D *air-conducts frantically*
 
Also, "Mars"is written in 5/4 time which makes it rythmically odd to accompany galloping valkyries and their helicopters in "Apolocalypse Now".

I'm musically illiterate, but I'll go out on a limb and say I disagree about the timing of 'Mars' not being right for Coppola's helicopter assault scene (though I think you're right about the Third Reich overtones of Wagner being important.)

FFC uses rock music to great effect in AN!; he later made a truly great musical, The Cotton Club; I think he can make 'Mars' work in this scene through editing and pacing, even if it means the whole sequence ends up being different than what we've known.
 
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