Adam S.

It would be funny if it were something like referencing the basket sequence from Raiders in Temple. If it were using other material in a I"m-too-old-to-do-write-this-much-music kind of way it would be slightly sad and disappointing. Though it would be funny if AOTC action music showed up like in Chambers of Secrets. - Adam

Iriina's theme might contain the dark Russian type of music that would be good to hear so I'll say that though there are quite a few tracks that sound like they have the potential to be highlights. - Adam

In fairness, the person making the faulty argument turned out to be the antichrist which probably really does limit options. And I can only imagine the stigma that must carry with it. I'm inclined to cut him some slack and ponder the significance that the antichrist feels at home posting at JWFan.net. - Adam

I don't think whether or not the guy accepted the other guy's invitation to eat at his house was supposed to have much of a point or represent some sort of payoff in the movie. It was just part of the storyline of Avner wanting to break his ties to his former life. And I think, rightly or wrongly, Speilberg wanted to provoke questions rather than give pat answers which is why the speechifying goes in different directions. That seems like a legiimate way to approach the subject though I don't think it did a very good job of presenting all the issues. But that's something different. I thought it was a little weird, and this is reflected in the score, how it tries to be a political thriller type of a movie at times and at other times it tires to be a serious exploration of the eficacy of violence and Israeili policy. Its like two different movies and, as a result, two different scores. Still, I thought the movie was compellingly done for the most part though very misleading and limited in the political framework it presented. - Adam

I remember that podcast and Doug Adams makes the mistake of equating the soundtrack with the score. The soundtrack has a lot more melodic material and is sequenced every other track more or less. The actual score has most of the melodic material at the end of the movie and its a lot less than is on the soundtrack. And that's when Avner is dealing with doubts and guilt and the music is underscoring that. I was struck by how sparce the score was. There's the short opening title sequence with the voice and a small guitar part for the dinner montage and there's not much at all except for the conspiritorial music for pretty much the whole first 2 hours. Then the final 30 minutes or so is when the melodic material has a chance to make some impact. And, even then, the finale, for example, is a very restrained piano version where JW talked about wanting not to get in the way of the audience as they think through the issues - the opposite of your conclusion which is interesting. - Adam

Well I was being somewhat glib. Technically, if the Soviets don't play a huge role than it wouldn't make sense to have a huge concet theme that blows it out of poportion. But supposing for example, this movie were actually a jingoistic Cold War fantasy movie than maybe it would be appropriate and I certainly wouldn't call it a waste of CD space. It would probably be quite good even though on political grounds I hope its not what I just described. Sounds like it prablably isn't. - Adam

I suppose it stands out in the sense that its one of the few tracks that doesn't make much of a nod to Japanese music. But I thought it worked great. Has a more dignified, aristocratic feel to it, along with the undercurrent of sadness. I'm not sure you capture all of that and still make it sound Japanese or if that's even desirable in this case. - Adam

I like the Italian flavored action of Escape from Venice in the first minute or so. But the Shanghai piece probably wins on overall points for me.

I have to admit, March of the Soviets sounded like the most promisng JW piece to come along in ages. Williams in evil Russian mode, stretch it into a full-fledged concert piece (unlike the more perfunctary Nazi themes) and that has the making of a great theme. Maybe we'll still get something like that. - Adam

I'll go by pure listening experience since they're all top-notch with respect to serving their films : Artificial Intelligence HP and Prisoner of Azkeban Revenge of the Sith HP and Socercers Stone Memoirs of a Geisha Minority Report Attack of the Clones War of the Worlds Munich Catch me if you Can Terminal The Patriot HP and the Chamber of Secrets

Hi, Adam, haven't seen you for awhile. Always enjoyed your thoughtful posts. - Alan That's nice of you to say, Alan. I could say the same for you. I should have been posting here more but lost my password on my old username with an email that I don't have or something. Anyway, my only postings have been very sporadic at FSM, usually butting heads with some of the more gigantic egos over there in spectacular displays of futility. Anyway, now that I have my password issues and so forth figured out (a new username - aren't I a genius!), I should be around here a little more. - Adam

This year's was very cleverly done and part of me was willing to accept the change as permanent. That's not to say my admiration for Giacchino is anywhere close to that of Williams but my film music interest has regressed to the point that these two composers are the only ones that I find myself consistently wanting to pay attention to. - Adam

I think POA and PS used to be very close but POA seems to be the soundtrack I go back to more than the others now so POA it is.

One factor was that, if I had to guess, the scene was temped with the propulsive music from Henry V, a score that seemed to be used heavily in the temp track. There's also moments in Henry V where you get pretty string writing which goes right into that intense, propulsive music and I think that's probably what JW had to model in this scene though JW definitely gave it its own unique character and direction. The reason I thought of mad scientist is that the words leading up to that brass motif are something like "how did you do this?", Hammond - "I'll show you" and the music comes in with an intensity and maniacal flair to it as the audience's attention is turned to the idea of how makind could come with such a creation or recreation I guess. The music doesn't have to be uncontolled or undisciplined necessarly to give convey that idea. It comes through to my ears, particularly in the last couple measures of the motif. - Adam

The main theme, as I interpret it, is closely connected to the main character, Macon. Its the more forward-looking theme that represents his moving on in his life, his relationship with the quirky Geena Davis character - but more linked to him than his relationship. The secondary theme is the simple, four note, repeating motif which I think is loosely connected to the idea of the weight of the past or at other times the familiar, comfortable side of life that often keeps him from moving on. The final cue has these two themes playing off eachother to operatic proportions in one of my favorite JW cues. The four note motif is presented in a very tragic kind of way as he is reminded of his late son and we also get very conflicted statements of Macon's theme. Then finally, we get a redemptive version of Macon's theme as he sheds all his baggage (literally and figuratively) and decides to to be with the other woman. There's also the minor-key, melancholy theme that appears in several cues which isn't completely clear to me but seems to relate to the weight of the decisions that he has to make in his life and the way the tragic past still haunts him. I think its a very good example of JW's ability to write very direct, simple themes that are put to sophisticated effect in the sense that JW goes beyond scoring it as a tradtional love triange with competing love themes or something like that. He gets to what the "themes" are in the movie and finds a way to give the ideas musical expression which is no easy task, I would think, though he sometimes makes it seem easy cause the solutions he comes up with work so elegantly. - Adam