Saving Private Ryan

[pi 0]

I have been on this WWII researching kick after reading "The Longest Winter" about the Hitler's desperate offensive in Dec '44 and "Band Of Brothers" about the triumph of the legendary E (Easy) Company of the 101st airborne. Also a month back or so, while watching Ken Burn's World War II thing, my grandfather declared to me that he fought at Iwo Jima. He had never mentioned anything my whole life, I knew he was a pacific marine, but he had kept that secret, my mother didn't even know.

It all lead me to watch Private Ryan again, which in actual history steals elements from the 101st story - and the battles in Holland and Belgium and France. This score is SO good. It is quiet and out of the way, but I think this might be JW's best story telling score. Listen to Omaha Beach - and then watch the scene preceding this cue. It is damn perfect, his chorale-like military writing. Pan diatonisism (Copland - Americana). The music has a sense of honor and sadness - and I find it to be both sad and happy at the same time. A strong sense of duality - representing how the soldiers must have felt, parts of the theme have 2 part writing. All hitting your sub conscience in a way that you never think of. Its just so good. Excellent film also of course. Go back and give it another chance if its not a favorite of yours.

Rant ended.

[Trumpeteer 302]

After "The Empire Strikes Back," this is the score most robbed of the Oscar.

[Miguel Andrade 1,264]

After "The Empire Strikes Back," this is the score most robbed of the Oscar.

Yes, it is.

[Josh500 1,615]

It all lead me to watch Private Ryan again, which in actual history steals elements from the 101st story - and the battles in Holland and Belgium and France. This score is SO good. It is quiet and out of the way, but I think this might be JW's best story telling score. Listen to Omaha Beach - and then watch the scene preceding this cue. It is damn perfect, his chorale-like military writing. Pan diatonisism (Copland - Americana). The music has a sense of honor and sadness - and I find it to be both sad and happy at the same time. A strong sense of duality - representing how the soldiers must have felt, parts of the theme have 2 part writing. All hitting your sub conscience in a way that you never think of. Its just so good. Excellent film also of course. Go back and give it another chance if its not a favorite of yours.

That's what I've been saying all along, couldn't agree more. Omaha Beach is one of my all-time favorites.

For me, the scores most robbed of an Oscar are still Memoirs of a Geisha and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, though.

[MAG-SI 10]

My favourite JW score!

[Ollie 1,059]

After "The Empire Strikes Back," this is the score most robbed of the Oscar.

Not the most robbed but it did deserve the Oscar.

[pi 0]

This score can also be used to refute an argument which claims John Williams is too flamboyant a film composer.