Stepmom (John Williams)

[Tom Guernsey 2,280]

On 07/04/2024 at 3:57 PM, Richard Penna said:

 

Nah, I don't think pearl clutching is warranted - this can hardly be compared to other cases of composers coming on late in a project and composing a massive symphonic score in a few weeks. It's a sugary family drama that quickly needed some fairly understated music which any good Hollywood composer could have done. Compare it to Rosewood where Williams provided an actual score (after that bizarre jazzy stuff which was never going to work) and delivered an excellent, thematic, celebrated score.

I only made my slightly tongue in cheek comment given that I'm posting this here and there are enough people who believe JW can do no wrong and not be bettered that I felt I should qualify my statement a little, albeit a bit whimsically! But glad I'm not the only one with such an opinion. And yes, Rosewood is a terrific score although it seems surprising that a more experience black film composer could have been engaged, I reckon Terence Blanchard could have written a terrific score. Or Quincy Jones... but then again his score to The Colour Purple sounds like Georges Delerue so who knows?!

2 hours ago, Not Mr. Big said:

Completely disagree with the notion that understated drama scores are inherently lesser projects with a "one size fits all" approach that any composer could fill.  Williams' fingerprints are all over stepmom and it contains some of his finest melodic work

I don't think either of us are saying it's a bad or uncharacteristic score, merely that there are some films where there are a number of other composers who could have written something equally as fine (the names I mentioned in particular) but there are some JW scored movies that pretty much only he could have written something as good.

[Richard Penna 3,669]

2 hours ago, Tom Guernsey said:

I only made my slightly tongue in cheek comment given that I'm posting this here and there are enough people who believe JW can do no wrong and not be bettered that I felt I should qualify my statement a little, albeit a bit whimsically!

 

I always try to keep my comments in the positive spirit of the discussion (hence bringing up the superb Rosewood as a replacement score example that Williams nailed) but I'm not going to restrict my words just to avoid offending a few people who are convinced that no one can ever write better than JW. The forum ceases to be a place of discussion and debate if every conversation gets derailed because someone is devasted at a suggestion tarnishing Williams' abilities.

 

This score is largely not my thing except for a few cues and The Days Between with the beautiful guitar melody. My overall prior point was that, apart from there being nothing I hear in this score that makes it overly special within Williams' ouvre, I honestly hope that the labels' attention and resources are being spent on scores that need expanding and properly presenting more than I think this score does.

[Tom Guernsey 2,280]

2 hours ago, Richard Penna said:

 

I always try to keep my comments in the positive spirit of the discussion (hence bringing up the superb Rosewood as a replacement score example that Williams nailed) but I'm not going to restrict my words just to avoid offending a few people who are convinced that no one can ever write better than JW. The forum ceases to be a place of discussion and debate if every conversation gets derailed because someone is devasted at a suggestion tarnishing Williams' abilities.

I try to take the same approach of positive discussion so appreciate that! However, agree that you can't always just say stuff people agree with. Guess it's nice to find a score where someone else feels that JW wouldn't be the final word in choice of composer!

 

2 hours ago, Richard Penna said:

This score is largely not my thing except for a few cues and The Days Between with the beautiful guitar melody. My overall prior point was that, apart from there being nothing I hear in this score that makes it overly special within Williams' ouvre, I honestly hope that the labels' attention and resources are being spent on scores that need expanding and properly presenting more than I think this score does.

Agreed, it's lovely, but doesn't stand out much against his other more introspective scores. I'd take Stanley & Iris over Stepmom any day, for instance. I would also agree that there are more interesting JW scores to expand. I guess Stepmom will see the light of day eventually as it'll still sell, but I don't imagine it'll be a revelatory experience!

[GerateWohl 4,326]

Independent of the amount of unpublished music there are two kinds of Williams expansions: The ones that reveal previously unpublished compositions like Star Wars, Indiana Jones or even Spacecamp, which just added 8, but particularly incredible minutes, and the other ones like Presumed Innocent or probably Stepmom, which wouldn't add any new themes but rather more of the same by slight variations or different arrangement or edits of the already published music. The second type of expansions is not very interesting musically but essential for completists.

[Not Mr. Big 4,639]

Stepmom doesn't need an expansion.  OST is already perfect 

[Tom Guernsey 2,280]

55 minutes ago, GerateWohl said:

Independent of the amount of unpublished music there are two kinds of Williams expansions: The ones that reveal previously unpublished compositions like Star Wars, Indiana Jones or even Spacecamp, which just added 8, but particularly incredible minutes, and the other ones like Presumed Innocent or probably Stepmom, which wouldn't add any new themes but rather more of the same by slight variations or different arrangement or edits of the already published music. The second type of expansions is not very interesting musically but essential for completists.

Guess that goes for a lot of expansions. There's obviously the improvements to sound quality where, even if the new material isn't much, you get to hear things anew with a far greater level of clarity and detail. Even if you don't get much music, it can still be quite an experience. However, with Stepmom, I can't imagine any new music would be of any great import nor is there any great scope for material sound upgrades.

[Tom 4,633]

13 hours ago, Not Mr. Big said:

Williams' fingerprints are all over stepmom

...

[pete 903]

I'm another who hears Williams fine craftmanship and sensibilities all over this. And since I play a little guitar - well, a normal sized guitar a little - I especially like to hear Williams writing for guitar. I certainly have a softspot for Taking Pictures and The Days Between arrangement which features more guitar. In my mind, they're up there with Williams most beautiful pieces. I hope Williams writes a guitar concerto one day. A nice one like Elmer Bernstein's - not a weird one!

[Miguel Andrade 1,260]

1 hour ago, pete said:

I'm another who hears Williams fine craftmanship and sensibilities all over this. And since I play a little guitar - well, a normal sized guitar a little - I especially like to hear Williams writing for guitar. I certainly have a softspot for Taking Pictures and The Days Between arrangement which features more guitar. In my mind, they're up there with Williams most beautiful pieces. I hope Williams writes a guitar concerto one day. A nice one like Elmer Bernstein's - not a weird one!

 

He wrote a wonderful little solo piece for the Christopher Parkening Prize, "Rounds", premiered by Pablo Villegas. The piece's score was published and Villegas also recorded it.

 

[Omen II 1,235]

22 hours ago, pete said:

And since I play a little guitar - well, a normal sized guitar a little.

 

I visit here for this sort of quality content. 

 

There is one bit of unreleased music from Stepmom which really struck me when I saw the film many years ago.  I swear that Williams briefly references the theme from The Towering Inferno in a shot when the camera pans over the World Trade Center.  The film was released in 1998.

[BB-8 3,461]

Any ideas why they chose translucent green?

[Toillion 213]

36 minutes ago, BB-8 said:

Any ideas why they chose translucent green?

I can't think of a color that really fits thematically with the movie. So it was probably just one of the options available and there is a lot of green on the cover. Or someone asked their stepmom what her favorite color is.

[Not Mr. Big 4,639]

6 hours ago, Toillion said:

I can't think of a color that really fits thematically with the movie. So it was probably just one of the options available and there is a lot of green on the cover. Or someone asked their stepmom what her favorite color is.

Orange/brown.  A quintessential fall movie

[Thor 7,463]

5 hours ago, Not Mr. Big said:

Orange/brown.  A quintessential fall movie

 

Agreed. Very autumny. Even if HowardL over on FSM somehow gets winter out of it. Either way, I adore this score. And the existing presentation is perfect as-is.

[Richard Penna 3,669]

The OST feels a bit overly long to me for the type of score and movie, given we're not dealing with large numbers of themes and concepts that need representing. I had the full album at one point and gradually lost tracks I never listened to, and it came down to Isabel's Horse and Buggy and one of the tracks with Parkening's extended performance.

 

I've seen the film and the score works well and it's perfectly fine as a nicely crafted domestic score, but for listening purposes The Village is more to my tastes for an Autumnal sound.

[Thor 7,463]

Well, to each their own. These days, I tend to prefer these types of scores. I don't need umpteen number of themes, oodles of action music and cymbal crashes and whatnot. Rather, these impressionistic, calm, beautifully atmospheric scores do it for me. It easily sustains its 58 minutes (56 1/2 if you take away the song), but I wouldn't want it any longer either. It's perfectly curated the way it is.

[BB-8 3,461]

8 hours ago, Not Mr. Big said:

Orange/brown.  A quintessential fall movie

 

[BB-8 3,461]

On 25/03/2017 at 12:29 PM, pete said:

I love this score. Especially the tracks that feature the guitar as well as the sprightly Horse and Buggy cue.

 

 

 

Is it only me, but the guitarist somehow seems a little tense. And why is his sheet music placed on the floor?

[Jurassic Shark 12,024]

He's far-sighted. 

[Joni Wiljami 1,206]

On 11/04/2024 at 12:34 PM, Richard Penna said:

The OST feels a bit overly long to me for the type of score and movie, given we're not dealing with large numbers of themes and concepts that need representing. I had the full album at one point and gradually lost tracks I never listened to, and it came down to Isabel's Horse and Buggy and one of the tracks with Parkening's extended performance.

 

I've seen the film and the score works well and it's perfectly fine as a nicely crafted domestic score, but for listening purposes The Village is more to my tastes for an Autumnal sound.

 

Oh! I must listen to The Village because it is so much better Autumnal score. Thank you. So many good scores not by JW that I almost cry, so emotional.

[Thor 7,463]

I agree, THE VILLAGE outshines STEPMOM as far as autumnal scores go, but only by a tiny margin.