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The Home Alone Conspiracy


John Dutton

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Okay, Home Alone has been a staple of HBO's programming the last few months. I find myself constantly tuning in since I love that movie and it's one of those flicks you can tune into at any time and you stick with it to the end. But it reminded me of a weird occurrence in this movie that I've never brought up, but always think about.

Halfway through the movie, there's a scene where the crooks are driving away in the van and encounter Kevin on the street. Kevin spots Harry's gold tooth and gives him a frightened look, then heads down the street. They slowly follow him, then Kevin turns around. They stop and attempt to look inconspicuous. Harry whistles what sort of sounds like Williams' theme for the crooks.

It is definitely similar. Unfortunately, I can't whip up a YouTube clip. But I've wondered if this was actually a part of the film's audio track during the spotting session and if Williams sort of took the melody and created the motif for the wet bandits. Maybe it's just crazy, but the whistled melody is similar to their theme.

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More likely it was added during the ADR sessions, and after JW already wrote a theme for them.

For outdoor shoots, very little of the actual sound recorded is used, usually everything, including dialogue is recorded afterwards.

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For outdoor shoots, very little of the actual sound recorded is used, usually everything, including dialogue is recorded afterwards.

Really? I never realized. Is it on the actor or the sound editors to make the voice sync up?

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For outdoor shoots, very little of the actual sound recorded is used, usually everything, including dialogue is recorded afterwards.

Really? I never realized. Is it on the actor or the sound editors to make the voice sync up?

Both. A lot of time spent in ADR is the actor doing retakes so what they're saying lines up.

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Almost every single line in a movie has the actors re-recorded dialogue synched and inserted for the finished product. Thesedays it is extremely rare for the original on set dialogue to make it into the movie, indeed even the indoor scenes are re-recorded.

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It's definitely not as much as what you guys are saying. Every line of dialogue? Please! Most extraneous noise is added later, but dialogue for the most part is kept. It's very easy to spot ADR, which is why it's hilarious in Zucker/Abarahams/Proft films.

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It's definitely not as much as what you guys are saying. Every line of dialogue? Please! Most extraneous noise is added later, but dialogue for the most part is kept. It's very easy to spot ADR

For some directors, ADR is virtually required with their films. I remember watching an ADR featurette on the "Fellowship of the Ring" extended edition, and the actors had to re-record most of their lines during post because of the intense filming schedule. Not to mention, quality standards are so high, you really can't distinguish ADR from on-set dialogue nowadays.

The only directors that try to avoid using ADR is Christopher Nolan and David Fincher. I remember Fincher applying a certain rule for shooting scenes: "If it's not an outdoor scene, we're not ADR'ng it." For the scene where Benjamin talks to Daisy in the restaurant in Benjamin Button, the extras in the background don't make a sound (they pretend to talk, eat, et al) while the actors are performing their dialogue.

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Okay, Home Alone has been a staple of HBO's programming the last few months. I find myself constantly tuning in since I love that movie and it's one of those flicks you can tune into at any time and you stick with it to the end. But it reminded me of a weird occurrence in this movie that I've never brought up, but always think about.

Halfway through the movie, there's a scene where the crooks are driving away in the van and encounter Kevin on the street. Kevin spots Harry's gold tooth and gives him a frightened look, then heads down the street. They slowly follow him, then Kevin turns around. They stop and attempt to look inconspicuous. Harry whistles what sort of sounds like Williams' theme for the crooks.

It is definitely similar. Unfortunately, I can't whip up a YouTube clip. But I've wondered if this was actually a part of the film's audio track during the spotting session and if Williams sort of took the melody and created the motif for the wet bandits. Maybe it's just crazy, but the whistled melody is similar to their theme.

:)

So according to your theory, Joe Pesci wrote the "Villain's Theme" from Home Alone? That he was the genius behind it? That's quite a conspiracy!

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It's definitely not as much as what you guys are saying. Every line of dialogue? Please! Most extraneous noise is added later, but dialogue for the most part is kept. It's very easy to spot ADR

For some directors, ADR is virtually required with their films. I remember watching an ADR featurette on the "Fellowship of the Ring" extended edition, and the actors had to re-record most of their lines during post because of the intense filming schedule. Not to mention, quality standards are so high, you really can't distinguish ADR from on-set dialogue nowadays.

The only directors that try to avoid using ADR is Christopher Nolan and David Fincher. I remember Fincher applying a certain rule for shooting scenes: "If it's not an outdoor scene, we're not ADR'ng it." For the scene where Benjamin talks to Daisy in the restaurant in Benjamin Button, the extras in the background don't make a sound (they pretend to talk, eat, et al) while the actors are performing their dialogue.

Well yeah with intense shoots, it's understandable. Most action films probably do it a lot. Speaking of Fincher and ADR though, all of Elle Fanning's lines in The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button were overdubbed with Cate Blanchett's voice. Very good ADR, but it's only noticeable because it's Elle Fanning with Cate Blanchett's voice!

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Yes, my crazy theory is that Joe Pesci whistled a melody that JW liked when viewing the rough cut of the movie and then built a theme around. In my defense, I've heard the similarity since I was 6 and I didn't even have the soundtrack yet, just from being familiar with the music. Maybe that's why I think I hear it, because I've heard it that way since a young age so I've made myself believe it.

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  • 10 years later...
4 hours ago, Jay said:

 

Mike Matessino just confirmed on the latest episode of Maurizio's podcast that this was in fact John Williams himself whistling the villain theme!

 

 

 

I always knew that Harry was whistling the Maestro's theme for the Bandits, but I NEVER knew that the Maestro himself provided said whistling; I always though it was Joe Pesci.

 

This is just like the moment in The Witches of Eastwick when Daryl (Jack Nicholson) is browsing in the ice cream store and he is whistling the Maestro's theme.

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15 hours ago, QuartalHarmony said:

How long before someone declares the Home Alone ‘complete’ edition incomplete and totally unsatisfactory until it’s rereleased with this snippet included?

 

Bonus points if it’s expressed in the form of furious rhetoric about how unforgivable the omission was and how their life will be unbearable until a properly Complete edition is released.

 

Mark

IT IS ALREADY INCOMPLETE! THE POLKA, THE POLKA! But seriously I want the polka, not the whistling. The first part of that theme is really unclear. He needs to whistle it again.

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1 hour ago, Holko said:

WHY DID YOU HAVE TO REMIND ME???

 

John Candy Deck the Halls polka :crymore:

There's also the chimes missing just after Kevin's parents have left. We're missing the bells mixed into Setting The Trap too. We're missing Mr Grinch as well. In short, a deeply flawed release.

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Thanks, chaps - I now have the answer to my question, and I think I can claim the bonus points too. One or two people really do seem to have had a self-awareness bypass, but I probably should expect that on any niche-interest forum. It’s all part of the fun!

 

Mark

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On 8/11/2021 at 7:16 AM, Holko said:

It's really cool but my brain won't click onto how/where that is the Burglar theme or what part of it.

I think it is this little passage 0:57-1:00:

 

 

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  • 2 months later...
On 12/08/2021 at 3:36 AM, Incanus said:

I think it is this little passage 0:57-1:00:

 

 

 

Thanks, I think you're right. I wonder if Williams whistled the entire phrase, and then in the final mix they only used the ending part in the film

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