Incanus

We definitely should have complete recordings of Prequels with Williams' own notes on the thematic material. This second guessing is irritating.

The quiet ones are always the worst. Don't be decieved LOL Who knows how much of an egomaniac Williams is in private. I can imagine their family at breakfast and his wife passes him a cup of coffee and says:"Here you go John dear." A long silent stare from Williams and finally his wife sighs and says: OK very well. Let's play your game. Here is your coffee your highness. Would the Maestro be so kind and take this cup of coffee? A small smile and nod of approval from Williams and a soft spoken " That's much better.Indeed I would love some coffee".

Der Untergang is one of the best films I have seen in a while and it is one of the few films that have left me speechless for a long while after the viewing. A thought provoking and powerful film and as you say praise sounds redundant. I urge everybody to see it.

I wish I had been around the time the "classics" came out so I could have experienced this historical feeling you mention. Nowadays not many of Williams' scores cause such feeling of history being made. Of course (and please do not bash this) the Prequels caused very much excitement among the fans and I remember the time around the release of Episode I being very spectacular for me. I felt that we younger fans were a part of the JW SW history as we saw the new trilogy scores come out. Still every Williams score is worth the wait and anticipation IMO. But one should always take time to hear every score more than two or three times casually and give them time to grow on you. And this applies to all film music. But if the music does not please then it just does not please and there is nothing anybody can say or do to change your musical tastes. I know sometimes we do not even give some music a chance because we are prejudiced against it in some way even before we hear it.

I agree that film music should not be uninspired or generic filler that has no artistic merit of its own. A composer who does faceless and generic music has to be very bored with his job or totally lacks ambition. I think composer should be a chameleon and be ready to conform his style to satify the needs of a particular film but still retain his/her musical voice in the process. And he/she should strive to create music that is also good music in general. Film music should be by all means more than filler that underlines action in a predictable way. Nowadays many scores have become a tool to state the obvious that is happening on the screen and many people find that insulting. Many directors simply do not know how to use music in their films but there are luckily few who can. If the music tells too blantantly how we have to feel and seems manipulative it can be detrimental to the film and the music. There are different films and the all have unique needs concerning music. For one film the obvious route might work and for some other film the same way of scoring would only make the music look over stated and patronizing. Good film music should in my opinion comment the film in some way. There are many ways to do that and not all fit all films. Psychological underpinnings in music might be wasted in an action film as would over the top scoring ruin the atmosphere of a domestic drama. Appropriate music for appropriate film. This mold can be broken of course and on the other hand the music should not get so stale that every action film has the same kind of music or a costume drama has the same predictable sweet violins. Inventiveness in film music is a welcome thing though paying conventions an occasional homage is not a bad thing IMO.

Thanks for pointing out the motif. I have never noticed it before. After listening the tracks you mentioned I must say I hear very little connection between the fanfare from the TPM and the two occurences in Episode II and III. Those latter seem to be more clearly connected than the TPM motif.

I was discussing about the basic function of film music with my friend the other night and after much debate we both decided that the first and foremost requirement of the score should be its funtionality in the film. Everything else should come second. As a basic premise a score is composed for the film and to serve the film even though it might be a result of deep collaboration between the composer and the film makers be they directors, producers or any other people and have independent artistic merit of its own. It should not have any life of its own by this reasoning. Of course time and time again we have been shown this is not true since many great film scores have become part of the popular culture and public consciousness. And of course film music is music like any other so people who take notice of it and are interested in it appreciate the music on its own. But many times we forget the main premise of a film scores when we discuss about them and review them. How well the score serves the picture? A good score can elevate a picture, even a bad one, and create a soundscape that encompasses the particular world of a film and on the other hand a bad or unfuntioning score can diminish a film and work agaist it distracting from the reality it is trying to create. Though I cannot say for certainty what makes a good film score. That depends as much of the requirements of a film and how well the composer has fullfilled them as about the way individual perceives the music in a film. For someone e.g. HP is distracting because of the level of the music (which by I mean sound or style) and some find score like Wag the Dog detrimental since the score are inaudible and it is still there without giving anything to the film. But still it should be argued that a good score is that which supports the film which it was written and enhances it. There should not be made any evaluation of the music on its own but as the supportive structure in the film when we decide is a particular score (the whole soundtrack/score) a good film score. As a secondary (for some people the primary) funtion of a film score should be seen is the music good on its own. As I said film music is like any other music and everyone can say whether he/she likes it or not. You can review a score after a score without seeing the films they were composed for but then you should not use phrases like "this is a great film score" or "this is a bad score". You can't say that before you see the film and hear the music in its context. It might be an effective film score but a lousy listening experience. Music in the context of a film should always be included in any review of a film score. You can judge music but if you do not have any knowledge where the music is written for it is not a review of the film score but of an independent album made up from the selected pieces of the score. It is like listening to any other type of album (rock, jazz, heavy metal etc. ). I think film music can be enjoyed on its own as a separate entity without taking anything away from it but then the music takes a separate role from the film and nothing should be said about the quality of the music as a film score. A score can work wonders for a film and be a weak listening experience or work wonderfully on the album but work badly in the film. Of course there are many scores that are both great in the film and work wonders as independent listening experiences. Those are the greats of the film music genre that have become classics. But there are as many tastes as there are people and the preference to hear a soundtrack in or outside the film differs from person to person. The fullest assesment of a soundtrack can be made in my opinion only after listening to the scoreboth in the film and on the album. That gives the most complete picture of a particular soundtrack.

Why is there no "I like both equally" option in the poll? I simply do not know which I prefer more since they are both excellent scores and contain similarities due to the Far Eastern nature of the both films albeit they are from different regions. I think that Williams succeeded in both creating a soundscape that is using both Western symphonic setting and Eastern ethnic setting very well and bordering between them. I have not seen the Memoirs but what I have heard here that the score works wonders in the film and I think it is the same thing with the music in 7YIT. It worked beautifully in the film. Williams succesfully integrated his score witht the actual ethnic Tibetan music and the sound scape drifts from the score to the ethnic with great ease IMO. So I can't choose (unless you choose to add that 3rd option that is )

Knowledge only adds pain.

Williams you dirty old montebanc! First the lewd photograph with the koto player in Memoirs and now this behaviour at the Late Night Show!

Requiescat in pace.

Here are the liners for the TOD. They are from the bootleg but they are the same as on the original album. TOD Liners It would have been nice if Empire of the Sun and TLW had had liner notes. I am interested in what Spielberg would have said about the scores (apart from the usual "greatest musical storyteller" thing). He has never commented those scores in any form as far as I know.

I think the arrangement was a great one. It send shivers down my spine to hear Williams and Yo Yo Ma perform it. Of course Williams took the accompanying role on the piano but what I could hear from the clip it sounded good enough. That cello line was so good I wish it had been on the album. Little disappointing Williams and Ma were not interviewed.

Thank you David! I have been waiting to see this.

Actually I didn't. First of all I am not that stupid and secondly Shore would not say asinine thing like that. As I said the context told alot but I wanted to make sure.

Thank you for clarifying that for me. I still learn new things about English it seems . I was thinking that it meant something in those lines what you said. It could be deduced from the context but I wanted to be sure.

Is that really a gift for him or for us.

A small question that has bothered me about the CR set. In the Seduction of the Ring theme analysis in the booklet there is a sentence in the end where Doug is quoting Shore's comment on the Death of Boromir and its connection to the boys choir used in the Seduction of the Ring theme and it reads(Page 8) :"Boromir's so sad and he knows he's not long, and you hear the boys singing again,"says Shore"... Perhaps I am nit picking but what does "he's not long" mean in that sentence. It feels like there have been a couple of words left out and the senternce is incomplete. Can anyone of you explain what that particular sentence means? Or am I the only one with faulty printing of the booklet? :?

That could be our affectionate nick name for Williams from now on. Or perhaps Ye Olde Geezer.

I voted for TPM, only because I knew it would tick off the prequel fans, LOL Great. It was a brave thing to admit it first. I stopped caring about this poll a while ago. No "best of Williams polls" for me.

Happy Birthday to John Williams the Maestro of film music!

My what a nice sense of humor you have my fellow Finn. That first remark made my day Believe it or not the movie is black and white because the 40's were actually black and white.That is why you can't see any coloured photographs from the period or before it. They invented the colours in the 50's though that is a well kept secret. Damn those government cover ups!

That's right. I forgot to mention that the main theme is a blantant rip off from Prokofiev. I think listening to those above mentioned pieces may only make you want to smash the CD and cry out in frustration because of Horner's inability to compose his own themes.

Schindler's List. A classic and truly a great piece of cinema. Liam Neeson would have deserved an Oscar for his performance. This is not to say other Spielberg movies are not classics in their respective genres but if I have to choose (the idea of a poll) then it is the above mentioned film.

Oh I do not think wild T-Rexes are worse than the domesticated variety. Worse table manners I guess. But pretty lame adversary for a soundtrack junkie in need of his yearly dose of JW. Now all I have to do is to see the movie which is opening this Friday here in Finland. I am still puzzled why the Memoirs of a Geisha is landing here so late (in March). Oh well one JW film at a time