Does Williams's 'War Horse' best exemplify emotional warmth or emotional pushiness?

[Hlao-roo 388]

Have at it.

[TownerFan 4,548]

I go for the first option, even though I'm aware sometimes Williams likes to push a little bit too much emotional emphasis.

However, we need to contextualise: from what I get, War Horse is, deep in its bones, an archetypal old-school Hollywood melodrama. What should we have to expect as a score for film like this? Santaolalla's guitar strumming? Synth drones? Heck, no. The music must follow the film's aesthetic accordingly. I know that today's audiences could react bad at an approach like this, but I appreciate Spielberg and Williams had the guts to go against their expectations in terms of musical accompainment.

[Brónach 490]

I think War Horse never goes overboard. In fact, I was bored in my first listens.

[crocodile 6,294]

I think it is neither. War Horse is just a very old-fashioned score for what looks to be a very old-fashioned movie. It doesn't strike me as all that emotional, actually. It's lushness and all that comes from its style. In fact, I'd say that it's much more reserved than I thought it would be. Even all the themes are restrained, as compared to what, say, Horner might write for this kind of a film. It's conventional, but not cheap.

If there was a time when Williams actually went a bit too far was in A.I. actually. There are a couple of scenes that just feel awkward in there and it's not the ending. I'm referring particularly to the scene in which Monica and Henry discuss whether to keep the artificial child. As brilliant as most of that score is, this felt fake fake fake.

EDIT: What I want to say is that wnything written in such an old-fashioned style will feel that way to people. That's why they're not using that kind of music these days. But I'd say War Horse is generally well balanced.

Karol

[Richard Penna 2,083]

The only cue where I feel it goes overboard is the end of track 12.

It's not just the emotion really, it's also the sound. 'Shrieking' strings at a high pitch is not how I really enjoy emotion. I prefer piano.

[TownerFan 4,548]

I think it is neither. War Horse is just a very old-fashioned score for what looks to be a very old-fashioned movie. It doesn't strike me as all that emotional, actually. It's lushness and all that comes from its style. In fact, I'd say that it's much more reserved than I thought it would be. Even all the themes are restrained, as compared to what, say, Horner might write for this kind of a film. It's conventional, but not cheap.

If there was a time when Williams actually went a bit too far was in A.I. actually. There are a couple of scenes that just feel awkward in there and it's not the ending. I'm referring particularly to the scene in which Monica and Henry discuss whether to keep the artificial child. As brilliant as most of that score is, this felt fake fake fake.

I agree with all you said right up here. I too always found those scenes in A.I. plagued with overscoring. Even though the music is delicate and nuanced, it gives a forced feel to the scene. It's one of those cases where Spielberg's and Williams' tendency to put music in most of the scenes worked against them. Otherwise, I find A.I. very compelling in its use of music--maybe a bit too much eclectic in some parts, but you can feel Spielberg and Williams trying to do something different.

[Brónach 490]

It's not just the emotion really, it's also the sound. 'Shrieking' strings at a high pitch is not how I really enjoy emotion. I prefer piano.

Funny, it's the other way around for me.

[Incanus 5,519]

I can't speak about how well the score works in the film or does it go overboard with sentimentality or if it is emotionally pushy since I have yet to see it but on the album the music very rarely pushes to overly emotional scoring. The music is more emotional and active than most scores these days but it was surprisingly restrained to my mind when it could have gone really for all-out saccharine. It will be interesting to see if Williams' music is a perfect match or too much for Spielberg's images and style of the film.

As I said before I felt the score is emotionally honest and resonated with me from the very first listen.

[publicist 4,484]

When the big inspirational theme breaks through at the end of PLOWING, i gladly believe that a VARIETY reviewer can feel the irresistible urge to sharpen the knife - it's a push someone like James Horner often used in his children films. There are enough of similar moments that i think it could be a hard sell in a film geared at adults.

People who are halfway knowledgeable about cinema should get the connection to old Hollywood melodrama, though.

[Quintus 5,391]

The options are tl;dr.

[Ricard 1,821]

on the album the music very rarely pushes to overly emotional scoring. The music is a more emotional and active than most scores these days but it was surprisingly restrained to my mind when it could have gone really for all-out saccharine.

Agreed.

It will be interesting to see if Williams' music is a perfect match or too much for Spielberg's images and style of the film.

I'm sure it'll be the former.

[indy4 152]

On it's own, I don't think there's anything wrong with the music's level of syrup. There are many other respected works, both film music and classical, that are far more dramatic than War Horse. I'd imagine the reviewers are talking about its function in the film. For me it's hard to judge that type of thing, because in most cases (and certainly for War Horse and Tintin) the music is more important to me than the film. Even when I'm watching the film, I'd guess that at least 60% of its impact will be due to the music. So the music's quality as music, rather than accompaniment, is what's going to made up my mind over whether it serves the film or not. And I've already decided the music is good.

If that makes any sense.