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The Book Thief (2013) - New Williams film score!


scissorhands

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After seeing the trailer, I am not only more excited about seeing this film, but I am even more excited about hearing the Maestro's music to the film.

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Film looks alright, definitely a movie I would never have seen were Williams not attached. I'm sure now that he is I'll be seeing it in the theater

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Thanks. Looks like a film that's playing it safe, but the most important thing is what Williams can do with it.

Well, he could play it safe. Some would even say that is one of his fortes. ;)

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So, John Williams will begin recording sessions for the music in September? I am looking forward to hearing the soundtrack in November.

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It was good until the cheesy voiceovers near the end. I hope it's still narrated by Death, the added surrealism would allow JW to have a more prominent score I would think.

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So, John Williams will begin recording sessions for the music in September? I am looking forward to hearing the soundtrack in November.

Nobody knows for certain if the score's been recorded yet or not, but yes the speculation is that it will be recorded in September in between the Hollywood Bowl concerts and the San Francisco concert.

It was good until the cheesy voiceovers near the end. I hope it's still narrated by Death, the added surrealism would allow JW to have a more prominent score I would think.

Yes the narration in the trailer was not welcome

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It was good until the cheesy voiceovers near the end. I hope it's still narrated by Death, the added surrealism would allow JW to have a more prominent score I would think.

The quote below comes directly from the author, Markus Zusak's facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/MarkusZusak?hc_location=stream)

FIRST BOOK THIEF TRAILER: the Girl, the books & the voice of Death.

And so it is – just on eight years after The Book Thief was first published, here are Liesel, Hans and Rosa, Max and Rudy in the first official trailer for the film, and I can’t lie – I’m writing this with my heart still loud inside me. As I said to a few people close by after watching it: “I’m fine! I’ve just got something in my eye!”

It looks absolutely stunning, and it’s very hard to hold the emotion at bay.

Sophie, Geoffrey, Emily, Ben and Nico all look magnificent…and I will just say to all the loyal readers out there who might be wondering if Death narrates the actual film, as he does in the book:

The answer is an emphatic

YES.

Whilst I’m able to tell you that detail, I can’t say anything else just yet – except that I’m looking forward to seeing how Death enters the screen, and to hearing him speak. Whatever happens, I can leave you now with two small but certain facts:

Just as he does in the book, Death will help look after us.

And he’ll do his very best.

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Good news! And the voice in the trailer is not death, as the author said he was excited to hear deaths voice.

It would be awesome if JW previewed the theme at the SF concert

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Viewed the trailer a second time...the voice-over should have been replaced with written titles. It just does not do justice to what looks like a really good film.

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Don LaFontaine!!!!

That announcer is actually dead. Bunch of copycats now use a similar voice though. I must admit I had goosebumps during the extended TV spot for War Horse that used the Plowing theme with a voiceover saying "The greatest journey... is the one... that brings you home... War Horse... Rated PG-13" :D

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I'm about to finish the book, and is a quite enjoying read. Easy flowing, not to demanding -- afterall, is a recomended book for nine graders around here.

Anyway, watching the trailer was a major let down. The casting, mainly Rush and Watson seem perfect. But the trailer would never ever sold me the film -- or book for that mater.

The music on it is fine, but on my mind, while reading the book, I could hear Vaughn Williams and Britten. So in a way, one could say this is a perfect book for Williams... Film, I don't know yet... in a few more months one will know. Anyway, I'm sure this will be another wonderful work by Williams. At least for me, they always are :)

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The trailer looks like it's late 90's Weinstein oscar bait destined for lazy sunday afternoon viewings. I just wish they don't take a road too literal, so that at least the score has more to do than to remind us of the grim surroundings with pious heaviness. Something more like PAN'S LABYRINTH.

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I was enjoying the trailer until that stupid voice-over, and until it resorted to putting reviews of the book, which could easily be mistaken for reviews of the film.

But then I hate voice-overs/tag-lines generally, as they come across incredibly patronising to me. I don't care how inspiring/overcoming/heroic the studio wants me to think a character is - is the film entertaining/interesting?

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That trailer was way too cheesy. But I do hate trailers even more than alexcremmers. Nothing new there.

Otherwise it looked nice, I'm expecting a wonderfully delicate score and also a nice flick. I don't think the the film would be anything special.

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given that the book author has read the script and seems to approve, I think the actual movie will be much better than the trailer. It is hard to convey dramatic weight in two minutes. This will not be a feel good movie, even though the trailer makes it out to be. I did not care for the first trailer for Lincoln, but loved the movie. It had the same problem as a dramatic film. Either way, there is no real value in pre-judging; if the movie is good, great, if not, then we can complain.

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Always remember that trailers are handled by the movie studio's marketing department and made by external production companies (without the direct involvement of the filmmakers), which are usually given the order to sell the movie to the broadest audience possible. Also, this isn't a franchise/tentpole production and it doesn't feature superstar actors, hence they have to make the audience aware of what kind of film this is, hence they 'oversell' aspects that maybe aren't that important in the final movie. Of course this is a studio picture and it looks like to aim at a very broad audience.

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I wonder if this assignment was opened when Williams accepted to work on STAR WARS for a non-Spielberg director -- so either other directors finally realized he wasn't that out-of-reach after all, or Williams himself decided to go outside the Spielberg box a bit more after the long "rut". We're all creatures of habit, after all, and it's useful to shake things up a bit once in a while.

Or it's just coincidence, of course.

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Hard to tell. I think it could very well be that Williams offered his services because he read the book and liked it, as he did already in the past with Memoirs of a Geisha and Angela's Ashes. But it could also be that the filmmakers approached him in the hope he would be interested, he saw the film, liked it and signed to do it. I'm sure we'll get to know more once JW will be interviewed for this film.

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Always remember that trailers are handled by the movie studio's marketing department and made by external production companies (without the direct involvement of the filmmakers), which are usually given the order to sell the movie to the broadest audience possible. Also, this isn't a franchise/tentpole production and it doesn't feature superstar actors, hence they have to make the audience aware of what kind of film this is, hence they 'oversell' aspects that maybe aren't that important in the final movie. Of course this is a studio picture and it looks like to aim at a very broad audience.

Usually, but not always. Plenty of directors cut their own trailers.

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As if the voice over wasn't lame enough, they made an even more baffling move of saying "From the studio that brought you Life of Pi". You don't say? As well as hundreds of other flicks for the last 80 years!

This trailer crossed the line into Youtube mashup territory.

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As if the voice over wasn't lame enough, they made an even more baffling move of saying "From the studio that brought you Life of Pi".

Yeah, that sounded weird!

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You cant write silence in composition. Silence is the absence of music.

Silence is deafening.

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