Something for Thursday

I’m guessing this would fall under the category of “cultural appropriation” in some way, right? This is movie music by English composer John Barry, which he wrote for the James Bond film You Only Live Twice. The film takes place in Japan, so Barry tried to incorporate an “Oriental sound” into his score, which was the practice in 1967 but which now seems oddly disrespectful.

And yet, it’s John Barry, so the result is unquestionably beautiful. This cue underscores a false “wedding” in which Bond, disguised as a Japanese fisherman, takes a local “wife”, who is really an undercover agent working with him. The cue is lovely and delicate in a way not usually associated with Bond.

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