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Everything posted by SteveMc
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The Force Awakens Rey's Theme – John Williams' Best Theme Yet?
SteveMc replied to BLUMENKOHL's topic in JOHN WILLIAMS
I really can't form an opinion on it. Perhaps I could if I knew what it was about, on a deep level. Its not Williams's best though, by any standard. -
After listening to some of the score again, I have some new thoughts. It ranks right up there with Images and Rosewood as one of Williams's most unusual scores. With Rey's Theme and the Jedi Steps, he breaks entirely new ground. The comment made by a contemporary musician about Beethoven's last quartets, that "we know that there is something there, but we do not know what it is" may very well apply here. Even in the rather dull and loud action sequences, there is a great energy. Williams seems to have found he has something new to say and is eager to say it. We should expect great things from this new period in his work.
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The Force Awakens The Force Awakens SPOILERS ALLOWED Discussion Thread
SteveMc replied to Jay's topic in General Discussion
Is it really a Star Wars film if Lucas is not the author? Cinematic history will decry Disney and Abrams's Harry Potterization of Star Wars. -
The Force Awakens The Force Awakens: What would you change and how?
SteveMc replied to leeallen01's topic in General Discussion
Pardon me, but how about this for a first act: Film opens with Daisy scavenging on Jakku, finding a strange capsule of valuable material. Inside is a map in unintelligible script. She is about to toss it away, but pauses, and keeps it. Next we see the massive Nazi-esque rally on the First Order's capital planet, with pageantry, a propaganda minister making an expository speech, and cheering subjects. We zero in on Poe, disguised as a local. Now we shift to a spacecraft somewhere in deep space, where Leia, 3-PO and general Hux are discussing terms for a possible cease-fire in a highly secret meeting. They seem to be getting close. We cut back to the rally, where the First Order's new leader, Supreme General Veers is preparing to address the crowd. Kylo Ren forcefully protests against the cease-fire negotiations. Veers goes out onto a balcony, and is assassinated by Poe, who runs off. We now see a scene of Finn in the stormtroopers's barracks, being caught with illegal material about Luke Skywalker by a bunkmate. Finn says he does not know who or what to believe anymore. They are interrupted by a call to action. Hux receives word of the assassination calls off the peace talks. Poe is captured on his way to a special stealth X-Wing. But, BB-8 sees this and goes after him. Leia meanwhile is furious at Resistance military leader General Jerrjerod, for ordering the assassination and is upset at Han Solo for planning it. Jerjerrod wants to use serious measures on the Order. Leia is afraid of the loss of life that would ensue. Finn realizes that he will be reported, so he aids in Poe's escape, which BB-8 sets in motion. They steal a spacecraft and escape detection. They go into hyperspace with Jakku as a random destination, crash land in their now disabled ship, and are found unconscious by Rey, who eases BB-8, and takes care of the other two. -
Will John Williams score episodes 8 and 9?
SteveMc replied to #SnowyVernalSpringsEternal's topic in JOHN WILLIAMS
I know. I just don't think Desplat will deliver the kind of sound Star Wars needs. -
Will John Williams score episodes 8 and 9?
SteveMc replied to #SnowyVernalSpringsEternal's topic in JOHN WILLIAMS
You know, I wish Williams would score Rogue One. Is Desplat right for Star Wars? We shall see... -
The Force Awakens The Force Awakens SPOILERS ALLOWED Discussion Thread
SteveMc replied to Jay's topic in General Discussion
Real plots grow out of dynamic characters and unusual situations. Not out of a desire for toy and ticket sales. Oh god, we need prequels now to explain everything! They are evil fascist groups who were Empire sympathizers and want to take control over galaxy. Karol I was thinking the same thing. -
The Force Awakens The Force Awakens SPOILERS ALLOWED Discussion Thread
SteveMc replied to Jay's topic in General Discussion
You know, that's not too bad. Knowing screenplay structure, though, I can tell you that your third act has to be divided. There making it to Luke has to be the midpoint. But, really, your plot is a real plot. -
Perhaps because it is a villainous theme. Williams did call the Resistance a "radical group" in the Tavis Smiley interview. Perhaps Abrams told him something about Episode 8. It would be great to hear an extended, fully developed Williams Fugue for Orchestra, or a prelude and fugue for piano. He did mention Bach prominently in the interview...
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The Force Awakens borrowed from the whole OT, in a nostalgic fan fest Star Wars is back kind of way. Episode8 will be original, hopefully, and will aim to be on par with TESB, with a shocking revelation ending that will challenge everything we know about everything. Or something like that.
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The Force Awakens The Force Awakens SPOILERS ALLOWED Discussion Thread
SteveMc replied to Jay's topic in General Discussion
What if? BTW, will somebody tell me why I, who thought he cared nothing for the Han Solo character, find myself hating Kylo Ren for killing him? -
The greatest legacy of this soundtrack will be, or at the least should be, that the real way of film scoring can still be compatible with the modern cinematic style. I hope it inspires some young classical music students to bring their knowledge and write traditional symphonic music for Hollywood, a la James Horner
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Nice interview. John's spirits are up, has energy, especially when compared to the Book Thief interviews. Did you notice how he called the Resistance "the radical movement that wants to bring the Jedi back to power"? That would explain the powerful quality of the March he wrote for them. Interesting also how he says he likes to write a finale first- that would explain a lot about his music. And it shows JJ gave him a challenge. (p.s. is Williams grooming Dudamel to be his successor?)
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Alright, I just finished listening to the OST and here are my first impressions and thoughts. First, in the big picture, the score is quite good, but not one of the greats. That said, it is a very impressive achievement for Williams, considering his age and recent health matters. I also thought it flowed together better than I expected. Now for the details. The first thirty minutes sounded like Tintin after a couple of weeks at the gym. The opening was not as effective as it could have been and I found the music for the villains to be rather dull and generic throughout the score. Rey's Theme puzzled me. It sounded a bit out of place for a Star Wars score, and I couldn't really latch on to it. (Also, parts of it reminded me of the theme to the HBO John Adams miniseries, for some reason.) There were moments of enjoyable energy, though. Now, throughout the first half of the film, I noted the echoes of the old Star Wars themes. I especially liked the Force Theme statement in The Starkiller. It occurred to me that Williams was letting the images on the screen tell most of the story, with the music only occasionally foreshadowing what was to come, how the characters were going to be drawn in to the larger saga. Well, starting with the March of the Resistance, the music awakened and the score became a Star Wars score. The new themes began to merge with the old, and they all started to propel forward. Even Rey's Theme started to make sense. The Scherzo is the best use of Luke's Theme in the whole saga, outside of the Main Titles. The Force Theme statement near the end was perfect. The final sequence of tracks was very, very satisfying, the end titles almost brilliant in places. My overall score for the score would be 7 out of 10.
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Perhaps an explanation for the usage of Leia's Theme in such a context would be that it is more than a simple leitmotif for the Princess. If you listen to the concert arrangement, you find that it (the concert piece) is portraying a tragic love story. There is no tragic love story in the first Star Wars film. But, there is one in John Williams's life, which happened only a couple of years before he wrote the piece. The theme then may very well be serving a reflective and personal, as well as practical purpose.
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The Force Awakens The Force Awakens SPOILERS ALLOWED Discussion Thread
SteveMc replied to Jay's topic in General Discussion
Thanks. And yes, I'm new. Hope to stay long though. -
Tomorrow, American Public Media will be streaming all Star Wars soundtracks on their website. They might include The Force Awakens soundtrack as well. Here's the link: http://www.yourclassical.org/story/2015/12/16/star-wars-music-marathon
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The Force Awakens The Force Awakens SPOILERS ALLOWED Discussion Thread
SteveMc replied to Jay's topic in General Discussion
Not sure how to respond to that. -
The Force Awakens The Force Awakens SPOILERS ALLOWED Discussion Thread
SteveMc replied to Jay's topic in General Discussion
Then again... All rewarmed material, so old it is now tasteless. Can't wait until all this mess is over and we can get back to our normal lives. -
The Force Awakens The Force Awakens Disney Records OST
SteveMc replied to Not Mr. Big's topic in JOHN WILLIAMS
For anyone that hasn't heard the soundtrack and/or won't get the cd, American Public Media might stream it, or at least some of it tomorrow afternoon. http://www.yourclassical.org/story/2015/12/16/star-wars-music-marathon