Jump to content

THE POST - SCORE Thread


1977

Recommended Posts

57 minutes ago, filmmusic said:

 

Pretty typical Bouzereau featurette, but I loved seeing all that scoring stage footage!  Some sweet stuff there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Found this in an interview with Spielberg in the latest Empire magazine with a section on The Post. It's a variation on what Williams has said before but I wanted to share it nonetheless.

IMG_20180621_150446.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 months later...

Finally got around to listening to this. While some have mentioned similiarities of Nixon, Sleepers and Presumed innocent, I was much reminded of Black Sunday, with the short repeated Motivs and low staccato flute tones generating suspense. By the way, has anybody listened to the FYC for comparison? Are there any leaks?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Of course people have listened to the FYC.  There's a whole thread abou it including a comparison spreadsheet here:

 

http://www.jwfan.com/forums/index.php?/topic/27983-the-post-fyc-for-your-consideration-album/

 

And I'm unaware of any session leaks, but between the OST and FYC I doubt there's much recorded that we don't have

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 12/20/2018 at 11:03 AM, Gurkensalat said:

Finally got around to listening to this. While some have mentioned similiarities of Nixon, Sleepers and Presumed innocent, I was much reminded of Black Sunday, with the short repeated Motivs and low staccato flute tones generating suspense. By the way, has anybody listened to the FYC for comparison? Are there any leaks?

With that much “Hey, this sounds like that other score he did”, I guess John Williams is the new James Horner!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 8 months later...
  • 3 months later...
  • 2 weeks later...
11 hours ago, Jay said:

Brilliant find, thanks for finding and sharing this!

 

I added the info into the google doc

 

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1GYa2ZnhT5zKiPuNJ7Gf-X_yzRkv7xGn-73cN_RSsWDw/

 

No worries @Jay. I notice in your spreadsheet you've allocated those two (presumably) source cue titles as the two included on the OST. Are you sure about that? The film is filled with unreleased source music (not just in the two restaurant scenes but also the party at Graham's house, which are presumably not Williams compositions?) so I figured those two new cue titles represented other source music Williams omitted from the OST, as the other two are represented in different entries. On a side note, the source tracks included on the OST are far shorter than their film counterparts, so they're heavily microedited.

 

You nailed that Richard The Base is actually the last half of Nixon's Order on the OST. I hadn't realised that track is comprised of two cues (seamlessly done by Williams).

 

As for Courtroom to Court Building, this is probably the (poorly titled) penultimate cue of the score. The complete cue is 1:33 long and it's partially included on the OST from 4:07 - 5:00 of The Presses Roll. The first 40 seconds is unreleased. It ends on the wide shot of the court building, hence the title (but it begins over a TV interview of the character who stole the papers).

 

I have two theories for More Courtroom:

  • It's Williams' cue title for Court's Decision and End Credits, and the latter is just the BMI entry for the OST track title (just like the entries for Nixon's Order, Mother and Daughter and Deciding to Publish, which aren't cue titles but OST track titles)
  • It's actually 2:52 - 4:07 of The Presses Roll (OST) as that music covers a montage of courtroom scenes in the film, and it seems pretty obvious Williams may have split two cues at that point (there's an obvious mood/rhythm change)
  •  

EDIT: Looks like I've found the Redo! Compare 3:47 onwards of FYC Presses Roll with 3:23 of OST Presses Roll. The latter builds to a far more bombastic ending, while the former (complete with obvious edit point) is comparatively subdued. Unless someone can confirm this is tracked music, it would appear to be an insert (and Williams included his original intentions on the OST while the FYC features the revised insert, so we have both versions!)

 

Sorry for the essay but if all my speculation is correct that means we're only missing one and a half cues from the score, plus whatever source music Williams recorded but didn't release.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I honestly forgot there was other JW composed source music in the film.  I fixed the doc.

 

I'm sure you're right about Courtroom to Court Building!  I forgot that was in that OST track.

 

I think the second supposition you have about More Courtroom is probably correct.  That 0:00-2:52 is Presses Roll and 2:52-4:07 is More Courtroom (and 4:07-end is Courtroom to Court Building).  No way to be sure of course.

 

As for your guess about Redo, I don't think that's right because the film/FYC version of Presses Roll tracks in the ending of Setting The Type starting at 4:05.  I can't listen right now to see if that's the same part you are talking about.

 

I don't think we have any possible way of knowing what Redo is until the sheet music or sessions leaks.

 

Do you have any idea what "McNamara Photo" refers to?

I saw the film once in theaters, opening weekend, and don't remember much about it

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 1/11/2020 at 8:29 AM, crumbs said:

 

Two titles struck me as the missing source cues. Anyone with a better musical knowledge who might understand what For Chester with Love is referring to?

 

 

This is a complete stab in the dark as I have not yet watched The Post, but I know that John Williams is very fond of the American patriotic tune Chester by William Billings, written in the 1770s around the time of the American Revolutionary War.  Williams actually conducted an orchestral arrangement of the piece (possibly his own) at one of his concerts with the London Symphony Orchestra, even though it was not listed in the programme.

 

Is there any piece of source music in the film which sounds anything like Chester?  Bernard Herrmann also quoted the tune prominently in his score for Williamsburg: The Story of a Patriot, as did William Schuman in the third movement of his New England Triptych.  Perhaps Williams wrote a similar tune or used it as a departure point and titled it accordingly?  A wild guess but you did ask!

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, Jay said:

Do you have any idea what "McNamara Photo" refers to?

 

Yes, this is a very short 25 second cue that accompanies a scene with Graham reading a newspaper article that mentions McNamara, then looking up to see a framed photo of herself with Ben on the shelf. Wouldn't be surprised if this is buried in the OST somewhere.

 

EDIT: Yep, knew I'd heard this before. It's in OST Setting The Type between 1:34-1:58. So this cue is released, albeit without a clean opening or ending.

 

8 hours ago, Jay said:

As for your guess about Redo, I don't think that's right because the film/FYC version of Presses Roll tracks in the ending of Setting The Type starting at 4:05.  I can't listen right now to see if that's the same part you are talking about.

 

Interestingly, this music (or something similar) follows McNamara Photo in the OST track Setting The Type... so Setting The Type is another composite track with multiple cues. The breakdown:

0:00 - 1:07   Setting the Type

1:07 - 1:36   Unused (I think, unless it's used elsewhere in the score?)

1:37 - 2:01   McNamara Photo

2:01 - 2:33   Another variation on that 'impending deadline' cresendo

 

Now that we've identified this track as a composite of multiple cues, I wonder if that last 30 seconds is actually 'Redo'? It's similar to the music tracked into the film during the court sequence that ends Presses Roll.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well that's substantially more comprehensive than the BMI database @BrotherSound! Thanks heaps.

 

Now I just have to work out if my calculations were correct about the OST being nearly complete. I might have been premature... Why are so many cues designated with an R? Surely there weren't that many revisions?! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 1/11/2020 at 9:29 AM, crumbs said:

Two titles struck me as the missing source cues. Anyone with a better musical knowledge who might understand what For Chester with Love is referring to?

 

Considering the source pieces are all jazz trios for piano, bass and guitar, I think it might refer to American jazz bass player Chester Zardis. It's just a guess, but it wouldn't be surprising, as JW is quite knowledgeable about jazz musicians.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20 hours ago, BrotherSound said:

For what it’s worth, “For Chester, With Love” is in the key of C and has this cryptic text at the beginning, where the tempo and style would normally be indicated: “Joe Comfort, Comfort”.

 

🤷‍♂️

 

Pretty sure it's a further reference to another jazz bass player, named Joe Comfort: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Comfort

 

It's probably an indication to his preferred bass player Mike Valerio to play in the style of Joe Comfort.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Btw, just found out that "A Booth at Chasen's" is a reference to a historic Hollywood bar/restaurant very popular with movie stars for several decades: 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chasen's

 

I guess it's the original title of "The Oak Room, 1971"

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 1/28/2020 at 6:45 AM, Jay said:

@BrotherSound does the OST track "The Oak Room, 1971" equate to 4M30 A Booth at Chasen's or 4M32 For Chester, With Love?  Or neither?

 

The OST track "The Oak Room, 1971" is "A Booth at Chasen's".

 

On 1/28/2020 at 6:40 AM, Jay said:

@BrotherSound is 6M55A Harry's Party source music too?

 

Nope, not source. It's a very brief cue with some sustained string chords and synth percussion. I don't believe it's anywhere on the OST or FYC.

 

On 1/28/2020 at 6:32 AM, crumbs said:

Why are so many cues designated with an R? Surely there weren't that many revisions?! 

 

Yep, the R is for Revised.

 

However, that often means just pretty subtle tweaks for timing or minor orchestration adjustments, not necessarily a true alternate cue like you might be thinking.

 

Side note: has anyone noticed how much "Two Martini Lunch" resembles a jazz version of Marion's Theme?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

54 minutes ago, BrotherSound said:

The OST track "The Oak Room, 1971" is "A Booth at Chasen's".

 

Nope, not source. It's a very brief cue with some sustained string chords and synth percussion. I don't believe it's anywhere on the OST or FYC.

 

Awesome, thanks!

 

So this means there's only 2 bits on the OST we haven't figured out:

 

OST 05 Setting the Type, from 1:07-1:34

and

OST 05 Setting the Type, from 1:58-end

 

Can you find these bits in the sheets? 

 

Maybe one of them is 2M12 Messenger Boy or 2M12 New News Boy? 

 

Maybe one or both passages is just more of 5M48 McNamara Photo that was dialed out of the final film?

 

Maybe one of them is End Fix?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 hours ago, Jay said:

So this means there's only 2 bits on the OST we haven't figured out:

 

OST 05 Setting the Type, from 1:07-1:34

and

OST 05 Setting the Type, from 1:58-end

 

1:07-1:34 is part of the same cue as written. I believe 1:58-end is just an edit of two of the previous build-ups (0:12-0:24 and 0:54-1:05) to extend the length a bit and give it a little more satisfying ending for the album.

 

'End Fix' appears to be an insert to replace part of the End Credits. I'll have to listen some more to figure out if it was actually used or not.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Are you saying 1:07-1:34 is part of 6M59RR Setting the Type or part of 5M48 McNamara Photo?

 

Because we know 1:34-1:58 is the part of 5M48 McNamara Photo that you can hear in the film.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 minutes ago, Jay said:

Are you saying 1:07-1:34 is part of 6M59RR Setting the Type or part of 5M48 McNamara Photo?

 

1:07-1:34 is the ending of 6M59RR Setting the Type, as written (apart from some sustained strings underneath the harp at the end that appear to have been removed). And 1:34-1:58 is the entirety of 5M48 McNamara Photo (a mere 11 bars).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 8 months later...

Just watched "Frost/Nixon" and Hans Zimmer's score really reminded me of Williams' "The Post". I'm not sure whether it is the style or the way it is used in the movie. But I can tell the thematic core of the movies is very similar too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 11 months later...

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Guidelines.