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How important the timing of such music is can be seen in one example of the
work done for Runaway. A section of the music 54 seconds long had to
establish a complete change of mood by accelerating to a climax which comes
exactly on the last second.
“Although the music was difficult to play,” Mr Flynn said, “we were able to
rehearse and record the score in two days. The players were very co-
operative.” 27
Given the circumstances under which he had to work, it was inevitable that Maconie’s
music was insufficient to cover all of Runaway’s scenes and sequences.
Consequently Patrick Flynn also wrote some music for Runaway [which he described
as] “fill-in pieces such as the opening and closing music that are often necessary after
the film has been matched to the main score”. These sections were written for an 18piece
jazz band and recorded in Auckland by local players. 28
Maconie’s music for Runaway would receive few comments from critics. But it was
as notable in its own way as the camerawork of his friend Tony Williams. Maconie
went on to become a significant composer and a leading music critic in England.
When he wrote music for the film, his very lack of experience helped him to avoid
some of the stereotypes of film sound-tracks.
By the 1960s film music had established itself as a genre in its own right. Themes as
diverse as the soaring orchestral “Tara’s Theme” from Gone With the Wind or the
“Harry Lime Theme” from The Third Man proved extremely popular. Similarly,
songs from films were heard frequently on radio hit parades (such as “Three Coins in
a Fountain” and “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance”). Some films also became
associated with famous pieces of classical music. Such music had strong publicity
value. European art films had largely followed a different tradition, employing avantgarde
composers to create mood rather than melody. Chamber music replaced
orchestral scores, for artistic as well as economic reasons. Michaelangelo Antonioni’s
L’Avventura, for example, was very sparse in its music. Composed by Giovanni
Fusco who had many film soundtracks to his credit, it helped create a vogue in art