Composer David Shire talks for nine minutes about his exceptionally driving and dynamic score for "The Taking of Pelham One Two Three." Shire reveals that the score was composed in Los Angeles and initially thought of the film as a good B movie. Shire describes the sound he was after for the score as a New York montage that's chaotic, yet controlled. Moreover, it took two weeks for Shire to finally devise the theme while experimenting on a piano and admits a key influence for him was a conversation with fellow composer Paul Glass on atonal music. Shire points out that he used the twelve notes of the chromatic by building the music on a tone row with a definite jazz influence. In addition, Shire decided to have low instruments playing both above and below the rattling noise of the subway train. Shire closes the interview by stating how gratified he feels about his score achieving cult status.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews