47 replies to this topic

[Jason LeBlanc]

I think "The Dash Across No Man's Land" (whether you go by the FYC/film version or the longer OST version that appears in the second half of track 13, your choice) is THE BEST action cue to come out in a long time. Probably the best since either the LOTR trilogy or Azkaban.


It sounds so fresh and original to me, but also sounds EXTREMELY WIlliams-y. Like it has his trademarks of 40 years of writing action cues, but doesn't REMOTELY ape any of them - It's completely original. Like WIlliams took all his action writing experience and then threw it out and said "Here, I'm not done yet!"

This cue to me is a prime example of how there is and will never be another John Williams - no one else could write this.

I love it everytime I hear it, and it worked brilliantly in the film. However, I could have gone my whole life without ever seeing the film and enjoyed the music on its own all the same. Either way I have a vague image of a horse running across a battlefield in my head and not the specific images from the film.

What do you think of this cue?

[Incanus]

While I do love the piece to bits, it is a bit hyperbolic to call it THE BEST action track of 2010's yet.

You summed the piece up very well Jason. It sounds vintage JW but somehow very fresh and new at the same time. It has his trademark signature all over it but there is nothing quite like it in his recent ouvre.
It is thrilling and thematic and simply put riveting. One of the most striking action pieces in a long while for me.

[Datameister]

It very well could be. It's certainly the freshest bit of action music I've heard from the Maestro in a long, long time, and in a really good way. It caught my attention in the film, and it doesn't disappoint on album - pulse-pounding, expertly written, emotionally direct, and then there's that gut-wrenching conclusion. And the weird part is...it's totally at odds with the rest of the score, stylistically speaking, yet it works perfectly. Go figure!

Actually, all of the action music in War Horse (though there isn't too much of it) is similarly fresh. It's one of the things I really like about this score...it's wonderful to hear Williams simultaneously push ahead with new ideas and remind us of his younger days, when his musical voice was a little more direct.

[Greg1138]

I add another option to the poll....."The best action cue of the 2010's SO FAR..."...easily gets my vote....but to vote it the best action cue of a decade that we are only 13 months (out of, of course, 120) into? Impossible question.

[Jason LeBlanc]

Sorry, I thought it was implied that I meant "so far". I'll reword things

[SF1_freeze]

It definetly is the best action cue of the 2010's (only two scores there WH and Tintin) but i also think it is in the top three of the best action cues since 2000.

1) Quidditch Third Year
2) Chase Through Coruscant
3) No Man's Land (Album Version)

[Jason LeBlanc]

Some of the action material in the LOTR trilogy ranks as the best of the 2000s for me.

No Man's Land seems FRESHER to me than anything in LOTR though (Not to say that LOTR isn't fresh, NML just seems fresher)

[SF1_freeze]

Well, LOTR has some great action material but it doesnt beat my top three which only consist of JW . "Chase through Coruscant" as the pinnacle of JW's modern action scoring and "Quidditch Third Year" as the pinnacle of his recent "older style" action scoring. No Man's land rests comfortably somewhere in the middle...

[Faleel]

the percussion No Mans Land's reminds me of Star Trek II and III.

[Joe Brausam]

I think it's definitely the best so far. It's very direct in what it's trying to accomplish, very enjoyable. Both versions thrill me much more than any action music has in years...probably since LOTR, as Jay says.

[Blumenkohl]

It's up there with the Khazad-Dum and African Rundown of the last decade and quarter or so.

[Jason LeBlanc]

Khazad-Dum remains incredible to me to this day. I have not ever gotten tired of that track even when I needed to give the rest of FOTR a break for a little while

[Incanus]

Khazad-Dum remains incredible to me to this day. I have not ever gotten tired of that track even when I needed to give the rest of FOTR a break for a little while

True. What a powerhouse of a track that runs the gamut of a wide spectrum of emotions.

[Greg1138]

Sorry, I thought it was implied that I meant "so far". I'll reword things

Admittedly, I had read this poll after a very long and tiring nightshift....of course it meant "So Far"......me being dense

[Incanus]

Sorry, I thought it was implied that I meant "so far". I'll reword things

Admittedly, I had read this poll after a very long and tiring nightshift....of course it meant "So Far"......me being dense

I was deliberately obtuse myself in my comment.

The Dash Across No Man's Land is undoubtedly one of the best action pieces of 2010's as I said before. I would not say as Datameister did that it is radically different from all the other action material in the score. All the action pieces share a certain direct emotional and kinetic push that enhances the action as much as it does the emotion of the scenes.

[Datameister]

Khazad-Dum remains incredible to me to this day. I have not ever gotten tired of that track even when I needed to give the rest of FOTR a break for a little while

Even though I'm not a HUGE fan of the LOTR scores, I completely agree. That is some really fine scoring.

[Jason LeBlanc]

And the thing about it is, whether I listen to the shortened OST version or the complete TCR version, the impact is the same. Shore masterfully edited it down for album presentation. (Given the choice, I'd still take the longer one every time, of course)

But back on topic - what do you think about TDANML?

[Maurizio]

what do you think about TDANML?

Smnol!

[Jason LeBlanc]

I think you're a dickhead for posting this

[Incanus]

Acronyms and abbreviations, the plague of our age.

[dfenton85]

I have listened to this cue on a loop for the last 30 mins, and I have to say that I choose option 3. I still like it alot for its brute force and conviction, and it's certainly the best action cue of the OST, but I can't honestly say it even appears in my top 10 list of action cues from the 2010s. I enjoy all the action music from Tintin alot more. I suppose it doesn't help that I ALWAYS hear the Deep Space Nine theme during that powerful performance of the War theme in the middle of the track (especially at 2:50).

For example, I have listened to Pursuit of the Falcon dozens of times, and I am still amazed by the sheer creativity and energy exhibited by that cue. THAT cue certainly is one of the best cues (action or not) of the 2010s.

It seems most of you are hearing in No Man's Land what I hear in Pursuit of the Falcon. Being a huge JW fan, I feel a little left out by this, but to each his own I guess. Everything you have all written about No Man's Land here I would apply to Pursuit. I still love the War Horse score though and No Man's Land is an excellent track.

I have a question - is the fanfare that occurs at 3:17 a statement of a theme or is it specific to that cue. I chose to wait to listen to the OST until I saw the film (which was released here in Ireland last week) so I'm not very familiar with the score's themes yet.

[Richard Penna]

This cue to me is a prime example of how there is and will never be another John Williams - no one else could write this.

Seriously?

It's one of the better action cues I've heard lately, but putting it on a level that other composers could only aspire to is just ridiculous.

I noticed Khazad-dum mentioned earlier, and I think that's on a level above this cue. Honestly, I think it's less about the skill, and more about what the composer is asked to write, and what will fit the scene.

[Chaac]

Awesome track, one of my favourites of the OST.

dfenton, I agree with you where Pursuit of the Falcon is concerned. Or that score in general.

[dfenton85]

This cue to me is a prime example of how there is and will never be another John Williams - no one else could write this.

Seriously?

It's one of the better action cues I've heard lately, but putting it on a level that other composers could only aspire to is just ridiculous.

I agree completely. I don't wish to diminish how much I enjoy that cue or the high quality I recognise in it, but it certainly isn't "the best action cue of the 2010s (so far)" or even a contender for that title.

[KK.]

Khazad-Dum remains incredible to me to this day. I have not ever gotten tired of that track even when I needed to give the rest of FOTR a break for a little while

This is a fantastic track and one of the big highlights of an already amazing set of music. The dynamic range is truly impressive. From the ritualistic, tribal chanting from the beginning, to the apocalpytic chorus, to the heroic moments of the Fellowship and finally to the beautiful elegy mourning for Gandalf (some of the most beautiful music in the trilogy). This track is simply a brilliant piece of music.

No Man's Land is also a great track. Truly fresh and original action music from the maestro. Its one of my favourite action tracks of the new decade, but it has some serious competition in Tintin to consider (ex. Pursuit of the Falcon)

Also, the accusations of any Zimmer sounds in this piece is ridiculous.

[gkgyver]

Just to clarify, what track are we talking about?
Because track 12 on the OST is "Death Of Topthorne", which has no chase music.

[indy4]

I wouldn't say it's the best...although it's only competition are other cues from War Horse, plus "Sir Francis and the Unicorn" and "The Adventure Continues." I also love "Charge and Capture." Short, but very effective.

[steb74]

Just to clarify, what track are we talking about?
Because track 12 on the OST is "Death Of Topthorne", which has no chase music.

Just a mix up I think ...

The two tracks are -
OST 13 - No Man’s Land
FYC 16 - The Dash Across No Man's Land

I still prefer the OST version simply because of the trumpet break at about 2.43, it still takes my breath away!
It's so gorgeous and exciting the way the strings give it a little shove just before it comes piercing through ......love it!

[gkgyver]

Well, in this case, that IS one of Williams' best action tracks in a long time, with some clarity in the structure that I missed in a lot of his post-2000 action cues.

As with anything in War Horse, I adore the warmth to it.

The music speaks from a composer who doesn't need to worry about getting work or his future carreer anymore, and writes music that he likes.
A fact that is both sad and beautiful at the same time.

[Datameister]

Also, the accusations of any Zimmer sounds in this piece is ridiculous.

Not at all - the similarity is there, objectively speaking. Does it sound like Zimmer wrote it? Not at all. It's clearly a Williams cue. But there's a Zimmer motif whose variations are heard in Pirates and Drop Zone, among others, and it bears significant melodic, harmonic, rhythmic, and orchestrational resemblance to one of the musical ideas heard in this cue from War Horse. Whether that's bad is purely a personal opinion, but the similarities are there. They're quantifiable and objective and concrete. And personally, I think they help make this cue all the more amazing.

[publicist]

Not at all - the similarity is there, objectively speaking. Does it sound like Zimmer wrote it? Not at all. It's clearly a Williams cue. But there's a Zimmer motif whose variations are heard in Pirates and Drop Zone, among others, and it bears significant melodic, harmonic, rhythmic, and orchestrational resemblance to one of the musical ideas heard in this cue from War Horse. Whether that's bad is purely a personal opinion, but the similarities are there. They're quantifiable and objective and concrete. And personally, I think they help make this cue all the more amazing.

There's a much bigger similarity to mid-90's Horner and Newton Howard (meaning LEGENDS OF THE FALL and WYATT EARP) than to anything Zimmer would ever do - harmonically and texturally.

And i find the 2 minutes of orchestral grandioso a bit slight for Williams standards - there isn't much more than a general 'gee it's big and exciting' feel - to elevate it above truly original pieces of last year, say Beltrami's SHARK ATTACK from SOUL SURFER.

[Datameister]

I haven't heard any of the scores you've mentioned, so it's possible I'd agree entirely. But regardless, I definitely heard the slight Zimmer-ish-ness the very first time I heard that cue (while seeing the film), and it definitely doesn't bother me. I wouldn't necessarily rank it among Williams' best action music of all time, but that says more about how much I adore some of his action writing than it says about this cue.

[Hlao-roo]

Shakuhachi and all, I find Horner's "Samuel's Death" a more elegant and compelling listen than "No Man's Land," which makes somewhat interesting use of the BotFoJ-style motif as an action riff but is otherwise melodically pretty flat by Williams's standards.

In the film, I think "No Man's Land" is a complete misfire -- I think an instrumentally sparer approach without all the MV/RC-informed machismo would have been far more arresting.

[publicist]

Misfire might overstate it, but i too wondered how easily people get aroused these days. And you're right, it's one thing to have Brad Pitt swashbuckling his way through german troops and let the music cry 'Bravado', a disoriented and frightened horse running through the trenches might have benefitted from a more anguished piece.

[Hlao-roo]

It's one thing to have Brad Pitt swashbuckling his way through german troops and let the music cry 'Bravado', a disoriented and frightened horse running through the trenches might have benefitted from a more anguished piece.

Yeah, my thoughts exactly.

[Faleel]

I am sure the album would have been boring if that happened.

[lostinspace]

It is a very good track. But IMHO all of the action material in War Horse though fresh still uses all the techniques we have already heard (minimalist motifs, odd meter writing). In a way similar to Letter Bombs from Munich. Not that there is anything wrong with that!!
I do feel though now having watched the film that unfortunately the music placement in the film ( particularly the first half) is awful. It has far too big a role. The second half of War Horse music (in conjuction with film) is top-notch, I would say as good as Prisoner of Azkaban. It's a real let down when reading all the critics degrading JW "overbearing" music...

[Pasi Tiitinen]

Its not even Williams'.

[KK.]

Its not even Williams'.

You lost me there...what exactly isn't Williams? The No Man's Land track? It most definitely is.

[indy4]

Well, it's definitely better than "Charge and Capture"...