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Born o/t 4th Of July: Williams most underappreciated score?


Sandor
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I know this score is receiving some harsh opinions (especially on this board), but I honestly feel it is one of Williams very best scores. It works fabulous in the film and as stand alone music, especially the concert arrangments that graced the original soundtrack, it has a power and identity all its own.

What Georges Delerue couldn't do for Platoon, Williams did for this film (although not an honest comparison considering the fact that Georges was askes to compose a virtual rewrite of Barber's famous Adagio For Strings).

I love the three central themes from BOT4OJ. They are all very good and have a melodic and harmonic beauty hardly achieved by any composer.

Any other "fans" of this score?

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Count me in.

I love the string writting and the solo trumpet.

It's so very touching, with all his hope and despair, and eventually resolution.

By the way, I do believe that Barber's Adagio shines trought this scores, but Williams was able to write his own music, without being just too derivative, and probably that's the reason why he didn't had his music replaced as it ended up hapening with Delerue -- a shame if I may say so.

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Well Doh! As if this isn't one of Williams best scores.

I love the score, and the film too! Oliver Stone rocks.

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Roald why do you think this score is not appreciated? I have not heard any bad comments about this score from anyone.

Personally I love this score. It is a Williams masterpiece which contains some of his most lyrical and passionate writing ever. It has such a soul to it. It is truly one of the most affecting Williams scores. The string work on this score is amazing, both the lyrical and the dissonant. The trumpet solos are played with special gracefulness by Tim Morrison. The music supports the film perfectly and works on its own evoking powerful emotions.

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It's not only wonderful score , it's also good evidence that Williams doesn't need

a full orchestra for every film he scores.It's enough to have string orchestra and some

wind instruments to create such an intimate and charming music.(special notice for T.Morrison again)

There was a time , that suite(Music for Stage & Screen)was the music I most listened to.

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no Roald its not, its nothing more than a mediocre score to a mediocre film with a mediocre director, and a mediocre actor.

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Roald why do you think this score is not appreciated? I have not heard any bad comments about this score from anyone.

Well,

no Roald its not, its nothing more than a mediocre score to a mediocre film with a mediocre director, and a mediocre actor.

More will follow...

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The theme is a bit too stringy,as it's been said.I tend not to listen to the full score but pick out 3 or 3 of my favourite vesion of the theme.

k.M.

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I am about to listen to the full score soon, then I will form an opinion about the whole recording. I love the main theme, though. It is spectacular.

If I were choose JW's most underappreciated score, it wouldn't be "Bot4thoJ". I would say "Jaws II" - people don't listen to it generally, because the movie was a failure. On the other hand, JW has a great number of such scores, which are worthy listening but hardly known ("Sleepers", "The River", "Cinderella Liberty", "Rosewood"....).

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I love Cinderella Liberty. Really a great score -- a lot of music in the film is still missing a proper release.

Born on the 4th of July has two "complete" bootlegs, but many music is misslabled.

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this is one of the most heartwrenching scores he's written, in my opinion. it made the film so much more powerful, and i remember the theme just hanging in my head for days after i saw it. when i finally found the soundtrack at Barnes and Noble and listened to it for the first time i nearly drove off the road it was so moving!

i love it! and i've heard complaints that the complete score is too repetitive, which i won't entirely disagree with. but there are still an awful lot of nice unreleased cues on that boot.

this should have won an oscar.

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I should have trusted Joe to make that critisizing comment ;)

its not a masterpiece.

everything John does is not a masterpiece, and those of you who act as if they all are, are foolishly lessoning the value of his work.

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It has a beautiful main theme, I love Williams main use of strings in the theme.

The rest of the score is varations on the theme so it can get a little repetative.

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I can hear elements of Adagio throughout this score, much like how Platoon used the actual piece. Loved Platoon, btw. Would have been interesting to see what Williams could have done with that.

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everything John does is not a masterpiece, and those of you who act as if they all are, are foolishly lessoning the value of his work.

Joe, I agree 100% with your statement. However; I don't think people who consider BOT4OJ a "masterpiece" do so, because they consider EVERY Williams score a masterpiece. I don't.

I consider BOT4OJ a fantastic, masterful score. But I have a very reserved opinion on many other Williams scores.

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everything John does is not a masterpiece, and those of you who act as if they all are, are foolishly lessoning the value of his work.

Joe, I agree 100% with your statement. However; I don't think people who consider BOT4OJ a "masterpiece" do so, because they consider EVERY Williams score a masterpiece. I don't.

I consider BOT4OJ a fantastic, masterful score. But I have a very reserved opinion on many other Williams scores.

I agree with both of you. I admit that not all JW scores are masterpieces. And it is the personal tastes that matter here. If I think some score is a masterpiece and express my opinion it should not be such a problem. If you do not think so Joe I am OK with that. I know that I come off as an ultimate Williams fan who can't see anything wrong in his work but mostly we are discussing scores that happen to be meaningful and special to me and so I praise them. If we were to discuss about his early 60's comedy scores I might not give such good comments. There is no ultimate truth about the value of music. Some people might treasure something you might consider utter trash.

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There is no ultimate truth about the value of music. Some people might treasure something you might consider utter trash.

Right on, Incanus. Right on. ;)

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I have finally listened to the "Bot4thoJ" complete score and I am impressed. While I'd prefer fewer repetitions (but not so few cues that are on the regular album), it is still an extraoridinary thing. The grand main theme is one of his best and their variations reflects such a great range of emotions only enhances music quality.

I love Cinderella Liberty.

Me too. One of my favourite JW's scores but almost completely unknown among score fans community.

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