The MTV aspect of the show gets pumped up too much imo

[Vincent Hanna]

The only thing that was really MTV was the montages but that was only like 3 minutes out of a 45 minute episode.

 

Michael mann and the film like quality were more important to the show than the flashy editing.

[Spyder]

Anthony Yerkovich even said once how the music montages were used to cover up holes in the stories that a better-written show with better scripts wouldn't have had. And this is coming from the show's creator! I never found the music to be that much of a centerpiece on Vice ... it was present in the background and in key scenes, but the show was never choppy like an MTV video as much as people like to make it out to be.

[miamijimf]

Of course it was much more than MTV cops.  But music was an important part of the show.  In my book I wrote, "But in a way it was MTV cops, the scenes were cut to accompany the music instead of using the music just as background which was the norm in movies and TV." My source for how the scenes were cut is a Michael Mann interview but saying "in a way it was MTV cops" is my own interpretation. Also It was the first TV show to incorporate pop hit songs.

Edited November 6, 2014 by miamijimf

[pahonu]

 Also It was the first TV show to incorporate pop hit songs.

 

That's what I remember most about the music in the show.  I was in high school when it first aired, and their use of popular hit songs was very unique.  I remember lots of friends who had the Miami Vice soundtrack, and not just for Jan Hammer's theme song.

[alleycat]

Not sure MTV pumped the show up maybe a small part but it was the people can't forget them.Take the cars and clothes and fancy locations and expensive speed boats and etc...what is left is the people remember that and that what made Miami Vice a fantastic creative mix of very badass and intelligence and cool storylines.I miss that.

[Kavinsky]

Anthony Yerkovich? wasnt he only tied into the first season? Also from a logical standpoint, what makes time go down easy? Movies and Music naturally

 

which have been mixed for years, just never in TV up until that point outside of Insturmental music made by Lalo Shifrin, hell just look at the james bond series, I mean why isnt that called MTV Spies with John Barry's Famous Scores and the Theme music of the latest pop stars?

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tV8v697SBY

 

plus even then John Barry would sometimes take cues from the pop songs themselves with films like the golden gun and The Living Daylights, to give it that kind of a theme, and implement it into the score

 

 

so it really begs the question, why has bond avoided this critismn, yet Vice has not? plus they never turned Crockett into a senseless block headed killer with the charm of a sledgehammer while trying to turn him into some Christopher Noland Creation

 

unless you count the 06 movie I guess?

Edited November 6, 2014 by Kavinsky

[Vincent Hanna]

I think the 80s is one of those time periods that were so outlandish and surreal that looking back at that Fashion, Music, Cars, Movies is harrowing for some people. Where others like us embrace that kookiness and enjoy it for it is.

 

The early james bond films had improved upon that classic Hitchcock adventure style like North by northwest from the 50s. They were very conventionally shot compared to the stuff in the 80s with the weird camera angles, lighting, fashion etc. In general some fashion ages better than others. The traditional business suit with hat that Sean Connery wore in the first few bond films was one of the most popular clothing choices for decades before hand, so we think of 60s cinema as having that timeless design. But then you look at Madonna, Parachute pants, Those weird synthetic materials people wore and Synthesiser driven music by contrast hasn't aged so well.

 

"Thunderball" was shot in the 2.25:1 aspect ratio like most modern day movies. The Movie industry had eschewed the full frame ratio for over 30 years before Miami Vice aired so now watching it on a widescreen tv shows it's age a little.

That track from the "living daylights" score is one of my favourites though.

 

Movies since the 70s had been using popular music in the soundtrack. I believe Mean Streets was one of the first to popularise it.

 

Miami vice was one of the few tv shows to have it's own unique style, They brought in up and coming directors to bring life to the show. Michael Mann brought that Professionalism and Production values that was unrivalled in television at the time and only recently with shows like Mad men, Sopranos have they matched it.. And lets be honest, You probably couldn't have a white and black cop team with equal billing before the 80s lol

Edited November 7, 2014 by thedeparted94

[Kavinsky]

Yeah that's true about the billing, I mean the closest you really got to seeing anyone in a promenent role like that before was Adam 12, where they had a black female commisioner on, and they had them play normal people who helped the cops, not spat at them, or caused trouble on constantly.

 

actually that in of itself is a rather interesting thing that never gets brought up, and Lethal Weapon was what? 1987? Ditto with Die Hard that was 1988.

 

I mean about the earliest I remember seeing a black dude as a good guy cop was Albert Powell in the Fourth Dirty Harry Film as Horrace, after playing a Villian in the first two, and a sympathetic criminal in the third one,

 

 

 

 

 

 

and they even played up the fact that he always played a villian during the automag scene, when he's introduced along with it.

 

 

 

and other films where they were in possitive roles as in trading spaces, and Ghostbusters with Eddie and Earnie Hudson.

 

actually all of those films and tv shows that had black people play promenent and worthwhile roles were in the 1980's, in the 1970's closest you got was the old Blacksplotation films that Pam Grier, Jim Kelly, Fred Williams and issaic Hayes was in, like Truck Turner, which Had Uhura playing a Villianess of all things lol

Edited November 8, 2014 by Kavinsky

[miamijimf]

Clarence Williams III (Tale of the Goat) had a big role as a good guy in the Mod Squad (68-73).  Don't remember too much about this show but I don't think there was anything like the close personal friendship with the other actors that you see between Sonny and Rico.

Edited November 8, 2014 by miamijimf

[Vincent Hanna]

some of you guys replied to my topic before the site was taken down and the posts didn't save for some reason.

 

I didn't get a chance to read them so don't know what they were