Ladyhawke Rescored

This is my first fanedit and my first review. I was desperately searching for a re-scored version of Ladyhawke and stumbled across MusicEd921's version. He was very kind and friendly to communicate with. When I watched just the beginning fight scene I was floored with how much better this film is with the new score! It gave the film so much more depth without the cheesy 80's synthesized garbage they had originally added. I'll be replacing my original version with this re-scored one on my Plex server and will watch it with great love over the years. I am not here to critique the movie, the acting, scenery, whatever. You either already like the movie or you don't. My personal problem was with the score, and MusicEd921 did an outstanding job that I wish I had the skills to do (and I do edit videos and am a creative professional myself, lol!). Thank you MusicEd921 for giving this film the dignity it deserved.

I'm not against non-orchestral scores for fantasy movies - in fact, I'm glad to see composers trying different musical approaches than the standard late-romantic orchestral fare for this particularl genre (Alex North's screechingly atonal music for Dragonslayer comes to mind) I also enjoyed the synth scores for The Neverending Score and Legend well enough - so why did the original music for Ladyhawke not click with me at all? Maybe it's down to Legend being one of the most grounded, 'realistic' fantasy movies of the 80s (something as fantastical as Legend seems to lend itself better to synth music) - and because those other two scores left out the drum machines and pop elements that really jar with the movie.

Long story short - this edit fixes pretty much all auditory issues I have ever had with the movie. Jerry Goldsmith's score for Lionheart is used perfectly (only on two occasions did I spot the music fading out in the middle of a phrase - but that's a very minor quibble), to the point where the music has the emotional power to carry entire scences, such as the nearly wordless reunion between Navarre and Isabeau in the cathedral. One of the reviews of the movie's Blu-ray claims that script consultant Tom Manciewicz stated in his memoirs that no other movie was ever in as much need of a Jerry Goldsmith - well, here we are, and the movie is indeed so much more moving for MusicEd921's meticulous work. This is easily the definitive version of the movie.

Ladyhake is almost the perfect movie to see with kids or family, but the music definitely doesn't fit., it's good but the composer probably didn't see the film and the music doesn't fit the tone.
The new music is good and also fits the mood, the editor also went an extra step by removing some of the unnecessary scenes, unfortunately, he didn't remove the line when the bishop says "This isn't a prostitute place", removing it will make the film perfect and enjoyable for the whole family, but until he does, This is the definitive version of Ladyhawke.

I am one of those who actually enjoys the original soundtrack because I'm a huge fan of the Alan Parsons Project, so I not only own the movie, but also the 2-disc limited edition soundtrack as well. That being said, I recognize that the synth-pop/orchestration that Andrew Powell and Alan Parsons provided are at times an odd choice for this genre of movie.

So, I gave this version a shot after much consideration. First, this is FLAWLESSLY edited. The music score is appropriate for each scene and works surprisingly well. Everything works once the movie starts. I love the movie to begin with, so I was surprised how seamless this all sounded.

The only weaknesses worth noting is the main theme in the opening credits. I don't find this particular score particularly memorable compared to other works by Jerry Goldsmith and I don't know that it feels right with the opening credits. Maybe it would help with a hawk screech or two... if you watch the opening credits, you will know what I mean. Once the movie begins, everything works, but then again, I'm so familiar with the movie and the original music, this could have been me.

One more comedic observation is that the "riding" theme that is used bears a more than slight resemblance to the "...he rode a blazing saddle..." song from the Mel Brooks movie "Blazing Saddles." I couldn't help think about that every time it started up.

Anyway, this is a fabulous, flawless edit that works. I definitely recommend.

This score definitely compliments the tone of the movie more than the original score, it takes the forefront when it needs to and takes the backseat when appropriate. You can really tell how much care and effort went into this fan edit! Many kudos to MusicEd921 for this labor of love, it really breathes new life into this beautiful, underappreciated classic.

Full recommendations from me!