A Vision of Modern Noir
When director Curtis Hanson set out to adapt James Ellroy’s sprawling novel L.A. Confidential, he had a distinct vision. He wanted to subvert the clichés of 1950s film noir. Instead of a nostalgic, jazz-soaked throwback, Hanson aimed for a film that felt
both of its time and timelessly brutal. He meticulously selected period-specific pop songs to provide the public-facing sound of 1950s Los Angeles optimism. But for the score—the film's dark, beating heart—he needed something different. He wanted music that would underscore the psychological rot beneath the glamour, a sound that would connect the dots between the sunny pop tunes and the brutal violence erupting on screen.
The Legend with a Different Idea
To score his film, Hanson initially turned to a giant of the industry: Elmer Bernstein. A composer with a staggering resume that included The Magnificent Seven and To Kill a Mockingbird, Bernstein was a master of crafting iconic Hollywood themes. However, his approach clashed with Hanson's. Bernstein reportedly envisioned a more traditional, melodic, and period-appropriate jazz score, leaning into the 1950s setting. While a legend's take on classic noir sounds like a can't-miss proposition, it wasn't what Hanson wanted. The director feared a purely period score would feel like a museum piece, creating distance for the modern audience. He needed a score that was aggressive, tense, and psychological, not nostalgic. The creative impasse led to a mutual decision to part ways, leaving the film without a composer.
Enter a Master of Tension
With the film's musical identity in limbo, Hanson turned to another legend he had previously worked with on The River Wild: Jerry Goldsmith. Known for his incredible versatility on films from Planet of the Apes to Chinatown, Goldsmith was a master of suspense and complex, modernist sounds. Hanson’s pitch was specific: he needed Goldsmith to weave a thread through the existing pop songs, providing the tension and aggression the story demanded. Goldsmith took inspiration from the lonely, mournful trumpet sounds of Chet Baker, which Hanson had used as a musical touchstone. He blended this with a percussive, rhythmic, and at times brutally dissonant orchestral palette that felt more like a contemporary thriller score than a 1950s noir. It was a risky move that paid off brilliantly.
An Iconic and Controversial Score
Goldsmith's final score for L.A. Confidential is a masterclass in contrasts. It's lean, mean, and propulsive. cues like "Bloody Christmas" use pounding timpani and jarring orchestral hits to convey visceral violence, a world away from smooth jazz. He leaned into low-end piano rumblings and synthesized elements mixed subtly with the orchestra to create an atmosphere of sophisticated corruption and dread. The score provided the dangerous, modern edge Hanson was seeking, perfectly complementing Dante Spinotti's muscular cinematography and the actors' simmering performances. It earned Goldsmith an Academy Award nomination. Interestingly, some critics and listeners noted a strong thematic similarity between Goldsmith's main motif and Leonard Bernstein's (no relation to Elmer) iconic score for On the Waterfront, leading to debates about homage versus plagiarism, though Bernstein was never credited.
