I remarked to a friend after seeing I, Robot that the music under the
closing credits could have been written by anyone - big, loud, portentous
stuff that was typical of the sort of film music that we get all too
often these days.  Although Jerry Goldsmith could write big, loud and
portentous better than the rest, his gentler scores were always worth
listening to, not just the amiable confection that passes muster from
lesser composers.  Like Bernard Herrmann, he was one of those rare people
whose film scores were identifiable as his.  As I understand it, Goldsmith
was the full package: he did the orchestrations and conducted the scores,
tasks which some other big names are content to leave to others.

One of my favourite Goldsmith scores was for The Boys from Brazil,
which I saw again recently.  The opening credits appear to a lush
Rosenkavalier-like waltz.  Much of the music uses a mock-menacing five-note
theme which suggests the composer saying, "I can't really take this film
seriously, and neither should you."

If the current crop of film composers is any indication, indeed we will
not hear his like again.

Richard Pennycuick