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Empire Of The Sun - La-La Land 2CD


Jay

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Maybe there were only 32 minutes of alternates?

Well, that's been annoying me since they said they needed Williams final approval for the release

So 32 minutes of alternates on top of the complete film score isn't enough? What the hell man?!!!

Were you still hoping for some kind of "early Indiana Jones styled draft" of the score to appear on the 2nd disc? Do you think John Williams somehow nixed this ghost of a potential "better" alternate score for us when there is no indication there ever was one, except in feverish fan dreams?

I would have been happy with just the complete film version of the score but this 30 minutes of additional music is just an unexpected blessing and a bonus. :)

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32 minutes of alternates is drowning - I rarely keep them myself, unless they are particularly interesting, or the alternate was specifically sought after.

Not ordered! (OST is more than I need)

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Still waiting for my shipping confirmation from LLL. Hurry up guys!

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Just a note, the liner notes mention the "Fake Reality" theory and discusses the relationship with Williams' score (and how it was used in film).

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Yea, I suppose it's time to bring that up.

The general thesis of Mike's liner notes is that the filmmakers deliberately used score (or lack of it) to enhance the idea that some of the things shown on screen are filtered through a child's eyes / rose-colored glasses. Basically everything Stefan brought up here :P

The notes are an awesome read, might be my favorite notes from MM!

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The tracklist shows a track called : "The Plane"...but doesnt indicate that its previously unreleased. However I don't see it on the OST.

What am I missing here people?

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It was called Toy Planes on the OST.

Mike Matessino's upcoming article will make everything clear.

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Yea, I suppose it's time to bring that up.

The general thesis of Mike's liner notes is that the filmmakers deliberately used score (or lack of it) to enhance the idea that some of the things shown on screen are filtered through a child's eyes / rose-colored glasses. Basically everything Stefan brought up here :P

HA!

Are you saying I was right?

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You should buy the release and read the liner notes Steef, you will really enjoy them.

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Yea, I suppose it's time to bring that up.

The general thesis of Mike's liner notes is that the filmmakers deliberately used score (or lack of it) to enhance the idea that some of the things shown on screen are filtered through a child's eyes / rose-colored glasses. Basically everything Stefan brought up here :P

HA!

Are you saying I was right?

Oh no! Now we'll never hear the end of it!

On more pressing news, my parcel was shipped yesterday! :)

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For further discussions, parts of Pauline Kaels review:

At the outset, this Steven Spielberg epic is so big and majestic you want to laugh in pleasure, and it stays that way for about 45 minutes—Spielberg takes over Shanghai, and makes it his city. But then, first in brief patches and then in longer ones, his directing goes terribly wrong. The story, taken from J.G. Ballard's autobiographical novel, is set at the outbreak of the Second World War, and it's about Jim (Christian Bale), an 11-year-old British schoolboy, who is separated from his parents when the Japanese Army invades the city, on December 8, 1941, and how he changes in order to survive three years of starving in a prison camp. It isn't told straightforwardly, though. Spielberg throws himself into bravura passages, lingers over them trying to give them a poetic obsessiveness, and loses his grasp of the narrative. For the sake of emotion—to have something to say, to give the picture some meaning—he pumps it full of false emotion. (That's what his poetry is.) The picture is a combination of craftsmanship and almost unbelievable tastelessness. Every time Spielberg tries to make a humanitarian statement, he falls flat on his face—not just because his statements are so naďve but because they go against the grain of Ballard's material. John Williams' editorializing music swells and swooshes, trying to make you feel that something religious is going on. Christian Bale is a fine performer, directed superlatively; also with John Malkovich, Miranda Richardson, Nigel Havers, and Joe Pantoliano. The adaptation is credited to Tom Stoppard (it was also worked on by Menno Meyjes); the cinematography is by Allen Daviau. Spielberg had permission to shoot in Shanghai for only three weeks; the settings were matched up and constructed in Spain and London. © http://www.empireofthesun.republika.pl/kael.htm

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You should buy the release and read the liner notes Steef, you will really enjoy them.

I hope the release last a while

I think 4000 units will last for a while unless there is a surprising legion of EotS score fans lurking about the interwebs.

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You should buy the release and read the liner notes Steef, you will really enjoy them.

I hope the release last a while

I think 4000 units will last for a while unless there is a surprising legion of EotS score fans lurking about the interwebs.

Without the extra 1,000 copies Hook had, I think this one will go rather quickly. From what I recall, Hook sold around 4,000 almost immediately and it was the remaining units that lingered for years.

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And lo! "Harken to me!" said the Messenger to his flock. '

Empire of the Sun shall not run out until the moment of derp, derp, derp.

3 is the count of these derps and the number of the derps shall be 3.

Thrice shall the derp ring before the Sun goes down on the empire and it runneth out.

-The Auguries of the Messenger-

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For further discussions, parts of Pauline Kaels review:

At the outset, this Steven Spielberg epic is so big and majestic you want to laugh in pleasure, and it stays that way for about 45 minutes—Spielberg takes over Shanghai, and makes it his city. But then, first in brief patches and then in longer ones, his directing goes terribly wrong. The story, taken from J.G. Ballard's autobiographical novel, is set at the outbreak of the Second World War, and it's about Jim (Christian Bale), an 11-year-old British schoolboy, who is separated from his parents when the Japanese Army invades the city, on December 8, 1941, and how he changes in order to survive three years of starving in a prison camp. It isn't told straightforwardly, though. Spielberg throws himself into bravura passages, lingers over them trying to give them a poetic obsessiveness, and loses his grasp of the narrative. For the sake of emotion—to have something to say, to give the picture some meaning—he pumps it full of false emotion. (That's what his poetry is.) The picture is a combination of craftsmanship and almost unbelievable tastelessness. Every time Spielberg tries to make a humanitarian statement, he falls flat on his face—not just because his statements are so naďve but because they go against the grain of Ballard's material. John Williams' editorializing music swells and swooshes, trying to make you feel that something religious is going on. Christian Bale is a fine performer, directed superlatively; also with John Malkovich, Miranda Richardson, Nigel Havers, and Joe Pantoliano. The adaptation is credited to Tom Stoppard (it was also worked on by Menno Meyjes); the cinematography is by Allen Daviau. Spielberg had permission to shoot in Shanghai for only three weeks; the settings were matched up and constructed in Spain and London. © http://www.empireofthesun.republika.pl/kael.htm

Kael was the greatest film critic who ever lived, but I have to disagree with her here. There's only one moment that the rings false for me, and that's the 'bringing them back' CPR scene. It just goes on for too long, and Williams's score becomes not just overpowering, but grating.

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Kael was the greatest film critic who ever lived, but I have to disagree with her here. There's only one moment that the rings false for me, and that's the 'bringing them back' CPR scene. It just goes on for too long, and Williams's score becomes not just overpowering, but grating.

Since much of her reaction seems to be tied to the score i wonder how a sparse musical approach would have changed her assessment. Kael was deaf to most scores as are most of her colleagues and i guess she would have been most comfortable with one of those subdued efforts such a movie would receive today. It's a fine line and Williams layed it on too thick with the heavenly choral stuff at some key points - it's not the most inspired choice for this material, after all. But if you take the score as an organic whole, there is a balance between this and more morose and dissonant stuff and it makes much more sense as a kind of tone poem. As music sans images i find EOTS much more successful.

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And now live is Mike Matessino's new article, somewhat of a companion piece to the essay he wrote for the liner notes of the release. It's available exclusively on JWFan.com. Check it out!

http://www.jwfan.com/?p=6871

He has also provided a complete cue list and information about the source music!

http://www.jwfan.com/?p=6800

Enjoy!

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I found this interesting:

The audience rating for E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial was not accidentally overlooked. I look forward to addressing this at another time.
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I found this interesting:

The audience rating for E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial was not accidentally overlooked. I look forward to addressing this at another time.

Indeed.

Really amazing article, thanks for getting that to the site Jay!!

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And now live is Mike Matessino's new article, somewhat of a companion piece to the essay he wrote for the liner notes of the release. It's available exclusively on JWFan.com. Check it out!

http://www.jwfan.com/?p=6871

He has also provided a complete cue list and information about the source music!

http://www.jwfan.com/?p=6800

Enjoy!

Amazing, Jason. Just read those. It's so cool Mr Matessino shed some light on the project. The album cannot arrive soon enough.

And I should also revisit the film. It's been a long time. I remember loving back in the early 90's (at the age of 8, I think?).

Karol

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Now comes the dilemma: should I wait to read the Matessino article in conjunction with the liner notes when they arrive? Can I wait that long?

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And now live is Mike Matessino's new article, somewhat of a companion piece to the essay he wrote for the liner notes of the release. It's available exclusively on JWFan.com. Check it out!

http://www.jwfan.com/?p=6871

He has also provided a complete cue list and information about the source music!

http://www.jwfan.com/?p=6800

Enjoy!

Such excellent write-up from Matessino. I can't wait to read his essay in the liner notes and hear the complete score! Thanks to Michael Matessino for his insightful and ever interesting comments on the release and again to Jason for his part in getting us this exclusive "making-of" look of the new EotS release. :)

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Also I want to give a shout out to our very own thx99 who made the great graphic that sits atop Mike's article. Great work thx!

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I knew we can have great writers, directors, composers, actors etc.

But "great critics"...?

Karol

Most certainly are not, but that also goes for directors, actors and composers.

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Also I want to give a shout out to our very own thx99 who made the great graphic that sits atop Mike's article. Great work thx!

I was actually wondering about that when I read the article. Nicely done thx! :thumbup:

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Well it's interesting that Williams did not insist all OST combined cues make it on this release

Maybe it means no more Indy Box type releases will happen

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Yea, I think this bodes really, really well for future specialty label expansions.

Hopefully the days of the ET, CE3K, Indy box and Hook type re-issues are behind us and the rest will be more like 1941, The Fury, Home Alone 1&2, and now Empire of the Sun

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Is there anything besides the prequel scores that warrants a release and had edits? HARRY POTTER was almost verbatim and all the older scores have been released at least twice by now or never had edits in the first place (JFK et al.).

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Is there anything besides the prequel scores that warrants a release and had edits?

Lots and none at all.

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