The late, great John Barry remembered.
Reminiscence of the legend- John Barry.
It’s the most famous title sequence in cinema; A white circle bobs across the screen, the camera reveals we’re looking down a gun barrel before 007 strides across the frame shooting the unfortunate owner and as the blood drips down the screen, those famous swinging orchestral chords blast out rising to a stacato climax – ‘Dun! Dun! Duhhh! Dun! Dun! Duhhh!’.
The music is arguably as iconic as the man in the Tuxedo himself and the ‘James Bond Theme’ would be used in every film until Casino Royale. However the theme was only meant to be used for Dr. No and it was only considered to be used again for From Russia With Love at the last moment, fortunately for the many generations of James Bond fans.
John Barry was born in York (where, incidentally, James Bond star Dame Judy Dench is from as well) in 1933. Immersed in films from a young age by his father who owned eight cinemas in the city, Barry was classically trained in the piano and trumpet. He formed his own big band the ‘John Barry Seven’ in 1957 and managed to produce some hit records, but as rock’n’roll started to invade the airwaves he found himself scoring for film and television instead.
After the success of James Bond, John Barry was soon in high demand from film producers. He eventually bagged five Academy Awards for Born Free, The Lion in Winter, Out of Africa and Dances with Wolves. His scores were typified by grand, soaring strings and heavy use of brass inspired by the bands of his native Yorkshire.
Although being influenced by the composers of the classical era such as Bernard Herrmann, John Barry was simultaneously an innovator, being one of the first to incorporate synthesizers into his scores, and he also regularly included pop songs best exampled by the use of Harry Nilsson’s ‘Everybody Talking’ in Midnight Cowboy.
John Barry died of a heart attack last Sunday in New York, a city that fittingly owed it’s namesake to his home town.
