Sandor

The score for Episode III is not a critical failure, neither do most fans see it as his weakest score.

I have listened to the Episode III soundtrack a lot this past week; more than I ever listened to one John Williams soundtrack before in such a short period of time (with the exception of Schindler's List perhaps). Some 'new' things I heard. MAIN TITLE AND THE REVENGE OF THE SITH I really love the way the Force Theme is performed right after the main title. The sound of the brass is reminding me of Zimmer's Crimson Tide (take that any way you want it, but the performance of Roll Tide is very, very sharp). GRIEVOUS AND THE DROIDS In my review I dismissed this as 'standard prequel action music'. I take that back. The first 20 seconds or so are, but after that (like someone also brought out in this thread) it becomes very much like the action music for the ORIGINAL trilogy! It has some subtle old themes incorporated and a truly amazing brass motif. I took me some time to see the magnificance of this track, but now I view it as far superior to General Grievous (track 5). ENTER LORD VADER I'm starting to like it. My 10 favorite tracks are: 1. A New Hope and End Credits 2. Battle Of The Heroes 3. Anakin vs. Obi-Wan 4. Anakin's Betrayal 5. The Birth of the Twins/Padme's Destiny 6. Anakin's Dark Deeds 7. Main Title and The Revenge of the Sith 8. The Immolation Scene 9. Anakin's Dream 10. Palpatine's Teachings

I agree King Mark. And again; The Empire Strikes Back is also a dark film; it had a downbeat ending, but STILL it rounded of the End Titles with Luke's Theme, a positive, optimistic piece of music. Why? Because we all knew the "good guys" would win in the end. The same can be said for ROTS. Despite the horrors that has been displayed for two hours we end with the birth of Luke and Leia; the "new hope". In essence; that birth is a central plot element of the entire film. A triumphant version of the Force Theme is, for me at least, a logical conclusion (ESPECIALLY after Battle Of The Heroes!)

I really want to thank Neil, Ricard and Joe for all their effort in putting my review on the board. I won't forget that.

Hey I care for 100% of the album. I don't all the tracks show the same level of intesity or quality, that's true. I still love the score. I love E.T. or Superman too, but also on those albums I don't enjoy ALL the tracks on the same level. With Jurassic Park I love maybe only half the album, but that still makes me love the score.

There it is! Finally! There is a faith in Episode III that is beyond words. Look at the merchandising for this film! I mean Episode II stuff didn't sell that good, but still Episode III seems to be bigger marketed.

I tried it Joe. It didn't work. I found out it goes wrong with certain characters like - ' "

Yeah...didn't work either...

I really want to get it out too! But I've tried to copy and paste it. Maybe because it's a 5 page Word-document that it can't handle it or something. Getting very irritated here....

Yeah thanks dude!

Star Wars Episode III Revenge Of The Sith soundtrack review Before I start my review I would like to reflect on Saturday, April 9 2005. For weeks I had been waking up very early, made my coffee and turning on my computer to see if a certain score (or parts of it) had already leaked. I will admit; I am a spoiler junkie when it comes to Star Wars. Waiting for the trailer to come online, finding the sources to download it to my hard drive, collecting all the pictures available. This has been an awesome time. The soundtracks by John Williams are an integral part of my love for Star Wars and I was waiting for his score for the last film more eagerly than anything else. Every time my alarm clock woke me up at 6:00 AM the thought that could get me out of my comfortable bed was something like: -Wake up you goon! The soundtrack may have leaked!- For weeks; I did not find anything except a crappy ring tone except, a cool TV spot with a snippet of great music and a short, somewhat insignificant preview from the official site. But on April 9 2005 I felt that I won the jackpot! The score had finally found its place on the internet! The tracks came in all throughout the day and I was actively downloading, copying files to my mp3 player, making my own CD cover and all. Around 9:30AM CET about 4 tracks had made their way. I want to credit and thank Darth Psychotic from www.millenniumfalcon.com for this. That site has been my -place- for the last months and the spoiler-leakage from their sources has been amazing. While I was listening to the first tracks available (Main Title and The Revenge of the Sith, Battle Of The Heroes, Anakin vs. Obi-Wan and A New Hope and End Credits) I was following the reactions on MF.com and other Star Wars fan message boards. To sum it up: they LOVED the music. And so did I! As a long time devotee to JWFan.net I decided to visit the message board there to find similar praise and excitement I found at the aforementioned Star Wars message boards. To my surprise the first post contributed after the leakage was -Does anyone know anything about Clint Mansell-. It obviously had nothing to do with the Episode III score. There were only a few comments given on the board and these comments lacked the enthusiasm I found at other places all over the Web. And then it hit me: the fans of John Williams at JWFan.net have become Williams harshest critics. Don't get me wrong: I love this board. It has been my -home- for years. I highly value the opinions of most contributors even more than I do those of respected reviewers. But there is a small, very active, very vocal and very critical core to be found here. I'm not judging in any way; just observing. Well; I had to get that of my chest. Now my review (spoilers included!): I will just get it out in the open; I love Star Wars and the scores for all the films. It is, for me, the crowning achievement in any composers catalogue. The themes for Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, the Force Theme and so many more have been an essential part of my life. To me; it is perfection and in many ways simply stands beyond criticism. Although the prequel scores did not -reinvent- the musical legacy the way I wanted it to, nor are they necessarily -on par- with the scores for A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, they did add impressive themes and musical ideas to the body of work for the Star Wars saga. Duel Of The Fates from The Phantom Menace and Across The Stars from Attack Of The Clones are the most obvious selections. Admitted; I was initially disappointed by the score for Episode I, but in retrospect Duel Of The Fates in particular is an extraordinary piece of music. I always loved Across The Stars and its usage in Episode II. It is the kind of theme I wanted a Star Wars film to have. Battle Of The Heroes from the Episode III score works for me in the same way: it is the kind of music I wished to hear on a new Star Wars soundtrack. I love the score for Revenge Of The Sith. I expect the CD is lacking a whole amount of exceptional unreleased material (perhaps Sony and John Williams selected music with a Volume 2 type album in mind and saved many goodies for that. I for one cannot imagine that the duel between Palpatine and Yoda or the Calamari ballet sequence are devoid of memorable music). I am happy with the music that's presented on the soundtrack release though. I will go into a track by track analysis below. 1. Star Wars Main Title and The Revenge Of The Sith After the familiar Main Title theme we are immediately pulled into action. More than any Star Wars film before, the third prequel film opens with the most expansive action set piece; the Coruscant space battle. The music reflects this. The moment the Force Theme is performed in a militaristic arrangement shortly after the Main Title theme I knew this score was going to -rock- to use a popular term. This 7+ minute cue may be slightly lacking a thematic backbone, but I do love it's continues rhythmic energy. It's a great way to open any Star Wars score! 2. Anakins Dream The first minute of this cue truly shines! The melody that opens the piece, just one short melodic line before the Love Theme from Episode II is performed, is absolutely gorgeous. The Love Theme, with a counter melody played on violin, has never sounded better. The remaining of this cue is more atmospheric; the Love Theme returns, but the music remains more foreboding, unsettling and dark. The dream about the loss of Padme is essential in the film for it is the main reason Anakin feels obligated to join the Dark Side. The music perfectly captures this. 3. Battle Of The Heroes I LOVE this new theme! Like I said earlier; it is the kind of theme I always wanted to hear in a Star Wars film. The only thing I find a little disappointing is the arrangement which is not as well build up or fleshed out as either Duel Of The Fates or Across The Stars. The first time the theme is performed by chorus is a breathtaking moment; after the 9 note melody is repeated twice (with slight variations) Williams adds a third melody line which is among the best things he has ever written. That third melody line, derived from the 9 note theme is so brilliant it brought tears to my eyes the first time I heard it. Only Williams can write something THAT profound! The cue is very diverse, energetic, but I wish Williams would have given the piece a more formal structure. The piece includes a version of Force Theme with choral backing that is amazing. I love it! 4. Anakins Betrayal The opening of the piece, a sort of adagio with choral backing, is absolutely gorgeous. Is this the -Lament- that we heard about? The piece ends with the same music; even more rich. I love this track. Highly dramatic and totally what I expected Episode III to sound like. Something like the choral parts from Hooks You Are The Pan meeting Evenstar from Howard Shores The Two Towers without ripping of either. The first 4 tracks are brilliant. It is the best opening any soundtrack could wish for. The next four tracks however take a huge step back. 5. General Grievous An interesting soundscape, but more impressionistic than thematic and, honestly, does not really work for me. I love the orchestration of this piece; its -robotic-, -mechanical-, but I would have preferred a little more accentuation on melodic structure than on sound. The Force Theme shows up near the beginning; that is always good. 6. Palpatines Teachings The first minutes are very foreboding with low male voices (it reminded me of the Gyuto Monks music from Seven Years In Tibet). It takes a while before the music -comes to life-, but when the first fragments of The Imperial March are heard, followed by the Force Theme it turns out to be classic Star Wars. It ends with the Arrival At Coruscant music from Episode I in all its glory. 7. Grievous And The Droids Not really my kind of music. Similar to Jangos Escape and Bounty Hunters Pursuit from Attack Of The Clones, this cue has a lot going on, but does not focus on a thematic core. The last minute of it is more motif-orientated. Typical prequel action music. 8. Padmes Ruminations One of the most discussed tracks. The (synthesized?) female wailing is reminiscent of Minority Report and Gladiator and dominates the first part of this track. The music is dark and brooding throughout. These 4 tracks present some nice ideas, but are not nearly as strong as the first tracks on the album. From track 9 onwards is all glory (with the exception of one cue). 9. Anakin vs. Obi-Wan The best track on the album? Perhaps. It is certain to become a favorite among Star Wars music collectors. I love the opening orchestral translation of the Battle Of The Heroes theme, followed by the Clash of Lightsabers/Duel music from The Empire Strikes Back. Is it a direct copy? Almost, but it works so extremely well that I am glad Williams did not alter the arrangement too much. The final part of the music; the highly exciting choral driven part from Battle Of The Heroes truly makes this track shine! I can listen to this over and over again! 10. Anakins Dark Deeds The first seconds, a synthesized choral part, at first seemed to come straight out of The Fellowship Of The Ring score by Howard Shore. But thankfully Williams takes a different direction; the next part is relentless: a chorus singing aggressively over a highly dramatic orchestral score. The last part presents an entirely new theme which becomes very beautiful as it progresses. A great, great track! 11. Enter Lord Vader When I read the title I thought this track would -own- the soundtrack. It is, however, my least favorite piece on the entire CD! It has some nice ideas, but it has no focus, no direction. We move from slow, solemn music to fragments of marches and all. A little bit of everything, but nothing expanded or really fleshed out. The Imperial March pops up, but only for a few seconds. 12. The Immolation Scene A nice orchestral elegy which reminded me of Nixons more subtle music. Nothing spectacular, but I am sure in the film it will be do wonders! 13. Grievous Speaks To Lord Sidious An almost joyous fanfare-like theme opens this track with some choral backing near the 1 minute mark. The piece ends dark. Again nothing spectacular, but a nice track, which should have been put more at the beginning of the album. 14. The Birth Of The Twins and Padmes Destiny A fantastic track! The music for the birth is atmospheric, -alien- even, but it makes sense. The final part of this cue is a truly wonderful arrangement of the Gui-Gon funeral music. It is played twice and the last time the melody is performed it really soars. I was moved by the power and dignity this piece evokes. I love it! 15. A New Hope and End Credits A one minute and a half finale? How can that be good? IT IS! In fact of all the Star Wars finales I may enjoy this one the most! It is basically Leias Theme, Lukes Theme and The Force Theme played in a short time, but the orchestration is dead-on perfect! The very A New Hope like performance of Lukes Theme, the beautiful performance of the Force Theme. Magic. The End Credits are great too! Lukes Theme, Leias Theme, Battle Of The Heroes and The Throne Room. The Throne Room happens to be my favorite music of all time, but besides that, its inclusion DOES make sense. Episode III is not a film about despair, about a horrible ending, it is a film about hope. The birth of the twins is an essential part of it. The Throne Room is a majestic version of the Force Theme and it suggests that after all that has happened in this film the Force, the light side, the good guys if you will, WILL prevail. It leads perfectly to the next Episode which is rightfully called A New Hope. Even The Empire Strikes Back, a film that is regarded as a dark, relentless film end with Lukes Theme. To conclude: I LOVE this score. I LOVE Battle Of The Heroes and all the music developed around Anakin, his turn to evil and the things he does in order to save his beloved one. I cannot judge it fully, because, like I said earlier; I am convinced there will be a lot of very good music still unreleased in the film.

Nah, the melody reminds me of the theme heard in the opening track (Dear Clarice) on CD, when the chorus starts singing near the beginning, but I just heard it again and I take it back. It has a similar feel, but Williams' melody, albeit short, is much better. Sorry there.

My review comes tomorrow...but I did notice the similarity here (especially from the Crossing The Atlantic cue). Also: Anakin's Dream, the opening violin melody (just before the love theme plays) is ALMOST IDENTICAL to a theme from Hans Zimmer's Hannibal score. Was this already mentioned? And I'm NOT joking or anything.

I agree with everything Chris, except what you said about The Throne Room finale. I will explain in my review on monday.

Soon I will write my very detailed review for the ROTS score. ROTS is by far the best prequel score and that's the score I voted for.

It has a Celtic, Gaelic quality. I think that's what he meant. But don't forget that people are calling something "Irish"-sounding pretty easy these days.

But the Hardinger is a Norweigan instrument right? I think DOTF will be IN THE MOVIE, but NOT on the soundtrack album. Perhaps there will be a volume 2 or something. Obviousley Sony has high hopes for this film too. Maybe Lament will be the stand-out piece for the second album.

How come I saw Joe as the writer of the above post and later it was from Stefancos and then Joe again???? Edit: Oh, I see now.... hahahahaha!

http://www.millenniumfalcon.com/phpbb/view...opic.php?t=3856 credit to Fatboy Roberts: I could begin by doing the John Williams career re-cap, which even the most basic film fan has partially memorized, or I could wax poetic about the partnership between Lucas and Williams, which we're all probably sick to death of hearing about, or I could rail about the injustices done to the last two prequel soundtracks, which is just as overdone, although the ranting, in that case, is usually justified. Or I could just talk about what will most likely be considered the best of the three prequel soundtracks by far. The bombast? It's here. Williams can write stirring, bombastic, blow your eardrums action sequences in his sleep--and he's definitely been accused of doing that recently, but his action work here is inspired. The opening track, "The Revenge of the Sith" explodes as the main titles (the same rendition as in Episode I) start to peacefully wind down--and it never really lets up, all military march and horn blasts. The classic themes? They're here in force. Most of the complaints leveled at the previous two soundtracks held the opinion that the thematic elements that made Star Wars scores so great were getting VERY short shrift. Not this time out. Recurring themes pop up and play out in a large number of cues, from the Force Theme in the opener, to Across the Stars stashed amongst dissonant strings and woodwinds fighting each other in "Anakin's Dream," "Qui-Gon's Funeral" shows up during "Padme's Destiny," even "Clash of Lightsabers" from Empire Strikes Back gets a quote or two in "Anakin vs Obi-Wan." And of course, the Imperial March and the Emperor's Theme get their licks in, although not as much as you'd think in a movie called "Revenge of the Sith." There's hardly any major theme that doesn't get it's time to shine in this soundtrack. Even themes that don't seem to have any place in the movie. For instance--the End Titles, after "Battle of the Heroes" winds down, kicks into a regal recital of "The Throne Room" from the original Star Wars, and the rendition played is an arrangement that has only been recorded once--on the "Star Wars/Close Encounters" LP from 1978, conducted by Charles Gerhardt. And when the track closes out, it goes out not with a sad coda, as did the last two, but the huge, triumphant, drawn out crescendo from the original Star Wars. Even aside from the arrangement of the medley, and the heart the orchestra plays with, the sheer nostalgia of hearing those themes, and that ending fanfare, its' going to light up many a Star Wars fan. And the new stuff? "Battle of the Heroes," is a brassy, almost mean sounding track, with choruses wailing over the top--it honestly sounds less like John Williams, and more like Don Davis' work on "Matrix Revolutions." Imagine, if you can, a mixture between those two, but with quotes from Obi-Wan's/The Force's theme cropping up and making their presence felt, and a series of orchestra hits destined to be the score for almost every Star Wars Fan Film trailer in the coming decade. And "The Immolation Scene" is a strings-laden, melancholy, dramatic piece that stands on it's own with no help from the Imperial March, or the Emperor's theme. It's an evocative piece that underlines the brutality of what will be playing along onscreen very well. But the track dedicated to Palpatine is best described as "unnerving" with low, guttural mumblings mixed in with atonal moaning as the track builds to the familiar Imperial March. Almost all the new pieces, as a matter of fact, have a very emotional, unique feel to them, a feel that gives the overall soundtrack a tone that's not at all dissimilar to the score for the original Star Wars, even down to using that movie's end credit sequence in THIS movie's end credits. It just feels like something he'd have written in 77, to me. There isn't much in the way of him recycling his scores from recent movies, outside from a couple moments in "Grievous speaks to Lord Sidious" that apparently come straight out of a Harry Potter movie. Most of his new work in this movie is truly NEW WORK, especially "General Grievous" which seems to build off of where "The Conveyor Belt" wanted to go, but does it in a much smoother, almost jazzier way that still manages to fit perfectly into the soundscape he's crafted here. Sure, there's little nitpicks here and there--the soundtrack almost sounds a little OVER-produced to me, at times. Too slick and shiny for it's own good, a complaint that's been leveled by many at the movies themselves. There's an odd little transitionary bump in the End Credits that doesn't seem all that well planned out, and I would prefer the soundtrack be in movie-order, but Williams has always preferred to set up his soundtracks more as concert suites than as straight scores. And I can see complaints cropping up that his reference to earlier themes is more like simply re-treading old ground, as he doesn't really do much more than have a new orchestra play the old arrangements, something that actually started to nag at the back of my brain during a couple tracks--but I'd prefer Williams do his OWN cutting and pasting from his history rather than let his producer or Lucas track existing recordings into those spots. At least they sound seamless and complete this time out. But this score, make no mistake, is the operatic finale that a lot of listeners have been hoping for. It's a full, emotional, evocative score, filled with some of Williams' best writing since his brilliant "Catch Me if You Can." Film Score fans, Williams fans, Star Wars fans..it's not like you need to be told, but this is definitely a piece of work you should add to your collection as soon as possible.

???? The Imperial March I can understand, especially in the Miami Convention track, although it never becomes a carbon copy or anything. It's more similatities in the soundscape, the opening of the Nixon theme that suggests Vader's Theme. As for Across The Stars I can only give you the following thought-out, intellectual response: ????

What theme? Across The Stars?

No, no, no that Grievous track plays more at the beginning of the film (just after the Space Battle and all), when Grievous contacts Palpatine (hologram) and asks him about the POSSIBLE SPOILERS!!!! death of Dooku and Palpatine informs Grievous that he has already found a potential new Sith apprentice. Clearly the track titles are out of order (suprised anyone?)

No no, no... Can't Across The Stars just be Across The Stars? You'll always find some similarities between pieces (especially coming from the same composer!), but why do John Williams fans in particular have this obsessive need to claim that two different pieces are IDENTICAL to one another?

I just played them on the piano just to convince myself of something I already knew; those pieces are vastly different! I've heard people comparing Across The Stars to the Amazing Stories theme, to The Face Of Pan and others and although there are SOME similarities the idea that it is a 'carbon copy' is not true.

I'm just a very complaintive person.