John Barry 'Beat Girl'

Would I be correct in thinking that John Barry's 'Beat Girl' (1960) is the pivotal soundtrack that marks the passing of the old guard composers in the UK? I can't name an earlier score composed (here) in the UK which acknowledges the influence of 'Rock'n'Roll'. Unlike their counterparts in the US, France & Italy, composers in the UK seemed resistant to change. I guess it was partially down to the style of UK films, costumes,war & Ealing comedy but when you consider 'A Streetcar Named Desire' was composed in 1951, it seems amazing that how little influence, if any, it had on composers here. I know that 'trad jazz' made a brief appearance in British film. If there are any early examples of Jazz based scores composed for UK films pror to 1960 I'd love to hear about them. 'All Night Long' comes to mind but it came after Beat Girl. Any suggestions or discussion would be most enlightening.

Thanks
Dominic


dljmann, June 5, 2008; 7:24 PM