Since the 1970s, Basil Poledouris contributed outstanding music to over 50 films, as well as concert pieces, television series and IMAX documentaries.
Early Life, Studies and Career
Basil Konstantine Poledouris, though of Greek descent, was born in Kansas City, Missouri. Raised in the reverent atmosphere of the Greek Orthodox Church, music became an important part of his life from an early age as he sat in the congregation and listened to the choir.
He began studying the piano at age seven, and desired to become a concert pianist. However, when he entered college, he was unable to interest himself in modern piano studies, and he turned to film music, citing Miklos Rozsa as a major influence. He attended film school at USC, where he met John Milius, with whom Poledouris would collaborate very often in the coming years.
Director/Composer Collaborations
It was John Milius who gave Poledouris his first opportunity to score a film: Big Wednesday in 1978. The experience showed Poledouris to be quite adept with an orchestra, and the collaboration went on to generate such classic films and scores as Conan the Barbarian, Farewell to the King, Flight of the Intruder and Red Dawn.
Another productive collaboration was with director Paul Verhoeven, which began with the primal, powerful film Flesh + Blood. Poledouris’ score, a full-blooded work of resounding power, impressed Verhoeven to a great extent, and he hired Poledouris to score his films Robocop and Starship Troopers, both resulting in classic Poledouris action scores.
Famous Soundtracks
Conan the Barbarian was a work of such power and detail that it quickly became a classic score, and a collector’s item. It is widely believed that it was this score which single-handedly catapulted Poledouris to the level of A-list composers. Its lyrical, medieval style, along with thundering percussion and choir work, as well as lovely interludes of softer cues, make Conan a must-have for any serious film score collector.
Perhaps Poledouris’ most iconic work, however, was his score for the John McTiernan film The Hunt for Red October, a Russian-flavored score drenched in massive choir passages and spine-tingling synthesized action cues. The main theme, a Russian language cue titled ‘Hymn to Red October,’ is as recognizable as any major film score theme, and it is a stirring, inspiring tribute to the Russian traitors in the film.
Love of Sailing
In Red October, as well as in his scores for Free Willy, Free Willy 2 and Wind, Poledouris poured his love of the ocean and sailing into his music: indeed, his fascination with the seas was manifested in these and other scores to an astonishing degree. He was clearly inspired by the subject matter, and the rollicking, free-spirited results were some of his best-loved soundtracks.
Other Career Highlights and Television Work
Other fine works in Poledouris’ canon of outstanding music include his gut-wrenching music for Disney’s live-action adaptation of The Jungle Book, his classic Emmy-winning western score for Lonesome Dove, and his massively tragic (but unbelievably beautiful) score for Bille August’s dramatic adaptation of Les Miserables.
He also contributed music to the TV series The Twilight Zone, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and Amerika, among others.
Olympic Composition
In 1996 Poledouris was commissioned to write the theme for the Olympic Games. His work, “The Tradition of the Games,” is a majestic work for choir and orchestra which masterfully pays tribute to the history of the Olympics. In composing this work, Poledouris joined a very small group of honored film composers who have been asked to write for the Games, and his work is considered one of the best in the category.
The Later Years
In 2003, Poledouris scored his last film, The Legend of Butch and Sundance, another western score, an upbeat and infectious work which displayed his usual flair and beauty of composition.
He spent the last four years of his life in his home on Vashon Island in Washington State, next to the sea he loved so much. In November of 2006, he sadly passed away after suffering from cancer. He was 61 years old.
In Memoriam
Basil Poledouris’ career was defined by his amazing versatility and his uncanny ability to score the intimate, emotional heart of a film. Besides being an amazingly talented artist, however, he was also known as a man of remarkable affability and friendliness. His presence in the world of film scoring has been sorely missed, but his legacy is an enduring one, thanks to the many masterful pieces of music he left behind.
The work of Basil Poledouris is highly recommended to any avid follower of orchestral and film music.
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