J.K. Rowling didn't like JW because the music didn't sound English enough? Fact or fiction?

[Tallguy 3,359]

I heard this somewhere. I think she said he sounded too Russian?

 

Is this true? Or am I spreading baseless rumors?

[Not Mr. Big 4,639]

14 minutes ago, Tallguy said:

I heard this somewhere. I think she said he sounded too Russian?

I thought that was someone here

[Cerebral Cortex 3,357]

As far as I know, it's first and only mention is by this user.

 

[crumbs 14,287]

It was that Russian dance music for the Spider escape that did it.

[Not Mr. Big 4,639]

4 minutes ago, Cerebral Cortex said:

As far as I know, it's first and only mention is by this user.

 

A post which has since been proven right in some ways

[King Mark 3,624]

I never heard rowlings mention JW ever so may she didn;'t like the music

[bollemanneke 3,334]

Since she wanted the whole thing to be English, I wouldn't be surprised if she did say this. And she's right. Then again, the sound he created for HP1 is perfect in every way, so I don't see the problem.

[Arpy 4,145]

Grounds for cancelling JK, methinks.

[crumbs 14,287]

Rowling had terrible taste after the earlier books.

 

Crimes of Grindelwald made sure everyone knew it.

[GerateWohl 4,321]

I mean, Rowling thought (Goblet of Fire), that Bulgaria is a cold northern country where everyone wears fur hats.

What does she know about the rest of the world outside Great Britain?

One look into an atlas would have been enough to prove her wrong.

[bollemanneke 3,334]

45 minutes ago, Arpy said:

Grounds for cancelling JK, methinks.

She's already been cancelled, you transgender-ignorant human being unaware of Twitter meltdowns!

[Arpy 4,145]

7 minutes ago, bollemanneke said:

She's already been cancelled, you transgender-ignorant human being unaware of Twitter meltdowns!

Although your reply was in jest, I seriously don't recognise the authority of twitterarians or their ability to cancel anyone. 

[bollemanneke 3,334]

Oh, isn't Twitter hysteria usually stage one followed by companies trying to appease them.

[oierem 151]

24 minutes ago, GerateWohl said:

I mean, Rowling thought (Goblet of Fire), that Bulgaria is a cold northern country where everyone wears fur hats.

What does she know about the rest of the world outside Great Britain?

One look into an atlas would have been enough to prove her wrong.

 

Not true. Durmstrang isn't in Bulgaria.

But whatever.

[Smaug The Iron 510]

21 minutes ago, GerateWohl said:

I mean, Rowling thought (Goblet of Fire), that Bulgaria is a cold northern country where everyone wears fur hats.

That is not true. Viktor Krum is from Bulgaria but Durmstrang is located in Norway or Sweden. Durmstrang is a international school for anyone in Europe. 

[Arpy 4,145]

53 minutes ago, crumbs said:

Rowling had terrible taste after the earlier books.

 

Crimes of Grindelwald made sure everyone knew it.

Crimes of Grindelwald confirmed to me that what Rowling likes to write most is the sinewy, amorphous intrigue of stories like Half-Blood Prince where there's several mysteries wrapped in one. The problem when you translate this to something like Fantastic Beasts is that you prematurely suck the magic out of the story. The political/mystery elements of Harry Potter were rightfully developed much later in the story, not in the first book like what Rowling has attempted with Beasts.

1 minute ago, Smaug The Iron said:

That is not true. Viktor Krum is from Bulgaria but Durmstrang is located in Norway or Sweden. Durmstrang is a international school for anyone in Europe. 

And just to add to that, Wizarding attire is incongruous to the same of what Muggles wear in any period. 

[GerateWohl 4,321]

1 hour ago, Smaug The Iron said:

That is not true. Viktor Krum is from Bulgaria but Durmstrang is located in Norway or Sweden. Durmstrang is a international school for anyone in Europe. 

That's interesting. I didn't get that in the book.

Taken back.

 

Anyway, there is much that can be critizied about the movies. John Williams' music is probably the least of it.

 

[Holko 9,491]

1 hour ago, Smaug The Iron said:

but Durmstrang is located in Norway or Sweden

I guess all we know is it's somewhere North, I always just assumed Russia.

[Raiders of the SoundtrArk 2,429]

18 minutes ago, GerateWohl said:

Anyway, there is much that can be critizied about the movies. John Williams' music is probably the least of it.

Agreed. The best movies are the ones he scored

[SilverTrumpet 638]

The movies totally lost me after the fourth one...and I don't think it's JUST the lack of Williams music (book 5 was my favorite, btw).

 

I still don't know what "Lilly's Theme" is either. Don't bother, someone sent me a Youtube video actually called "Lilly's Theme" and I still could barely pick it out and forgot it immediately after the video was over.

[Raiders of the SoundtrArk 2,429]

Then I would say that your major issue is David Yates.

I've never understand how he did succeed to stay here for so long especially after the last Fantastic Beasts

[crumbs 14,287]

8 minutes ago, SilverTrumpet said:

The movies totally lost me after the fourth one...and I don't think it's JUST the lack of Williams music (book 5 was my favorite, btw).

 

I still don't know what "Lilly's Theme" is either. Don't bother, someone sent me a Youtube video actually called "Lilly's Theme" and I still could barely pick it out and forgot it immediately after the video was over.

 

It's all downhill after Cuaron's masterpiece -- truly the only standout of the entire series. It stands apart as a great film above all else, not just a great Harry Potter film.

 

It's probably a coincidence the series went to shit after Williams departed, but I certainly don't lose sleep over the fact he never returned to bring some energy to Yates' lifeless snoozefests. His films don't deserve Williams' talent, which would be wasted on those stilted duds.

[GerateWohl 4,321]

Despite their flaws I liked 7 and 8.

[Jurassic Shark 12,008]

Rowling was disappointed when John Williams didn't deliver a guitar-heavy score.

 

2 hours ago, Smaug The Iron said:

Durmstrang is located in Norway or Sweden.

 

It's only fiction.

[crumbs 14,287]

6 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

Rowling was disappointed when John Williams didn't deliver a guitar-heavy score.

 

 

[Datameister 2,034]

I've no idea if this rumor is true, but the irony is that parts of Desplat's scores (particularly the second one) sound more like typical modern Hollywood scoring than Williams does. And then the parts that don't sound that way remind me of Williams more than Doyle or Hooper. Not to mention the verbatim Williams quotes in Part 2.

[Arpy 4,145]

But Desplat ain't a Yankee. 

 

@SilverTrumpet There’s a way of saying 'This piece didn't stand out to me' instead it just sounds like you have a hearing problem you want the world to know about. You're like a devout vegan, only, John Williams is your pick-up line!

[Edmilson 7,367]

Rowling should give a call to Lorne Balfe and ask him (and his ghostwriters) to re-score the first three movies. After all, he's Scottish!

[Raiders of the SoundtrArk 2,429]

5 minutes ago, Edmilson said:

Rowling should give a call to Lorne Balfe and ask him (and his ghostwriters) to re-score the first three movies. After all, he's Scottish!

Don't give her ideas...

 

6 minutes ago, Arpy said:

But Desplat ain't a Yankee.

He's a frog so not sure that it's better either to her...

[Marian Schedenig 8,153]

6 minutes ago, Edmilson said:

Rowling should give a call to Lorne Balfe and ask him (and his ghostwriters) to re-score the first three movies. After all, he's Scottish!

 

Cue unisono Hedwig's theme with synth-soundalike cellos and EPIC CHOIR!!!11

[Tallguy 3,359]

Thanks everyone. These are way more of a response then I was expecting.

 

I guess I'll stop telling that story.

[Nick1Ø66 4,687]

3 minutes ago, Tallguy said:

Thanks everyone. These are way more of a response then I was expecting.

 

I guess I'll stop telling that story.

 

Mate, we have multi-page threads on aspect ratios and the love of jeans here. You're good.

[SilverTrumpet 638]

2 hours ago, May the Force be with You said:

Then I would say that your major issue is David Yates.

I've never understand how he did succeed to stay here for so long especially after the last Fantastic Beasts

 

It is. I was shocked he was asked to do more.

 

Maybe he's a yes man. As much as I like the world Rowling created, around 2005 she seemed like she got too impressed by herself. The books and movies at that point started getting lame and I haven't liked anything else since (like that dopey play and the awfully bland Fantastic Beasts films). 

[Josh500 1,615]

9 hours ago, Tallguy said:

I heard this somewhere. I think she said he sounded too Russian?

 

Is this true? Or am I spreading baseless rumors?

 

 

Not sure whether Rowling said it or not (somehow I doubt it), but that's definitely true.

 

Tchaikovsky was a major influence on Williams. That's common knowledge.

[crumbs 14,287]

1 hour ago, Nick1Ø66 said:

 

Mate, we have multi-page threads on aspect ratios and the love of jeans here. You're good.

 

Not to mention the thread entitled, "Does anyone else have a serious problem staring at women's breasts?" reached 14 pages... so far.

 

[Raiders of the SoundtrArk 2,429]

1 hour ago, Nick1Ø66 said:

Mate, we have multi-page threads on aspect ratios and the love of jeans here. You're good.

Aspect ratios are life

[Datameister 2,034]

1 hour ago, Josh500 said:

 

 

Not sure whether Rowling said it or not (somehow I doubt it), but that's definitely true.

 

Tchaikovsky was a major influence on Williams. That's common knowledge.

 

Lots of Stravinsky, too.

[Not Mr. Big 4,639]

I don't really subscribe to the "Harry Potter shouldn't sound Russian" belief.  Having a variety of cultural influences makes the world feel more fleshed out and intriguing (as opposed to it just feeling like a British boarding school movie)

[Jurassic Shark 12,008]

2 minutes ago, Not Mr. Big said:

as opposed to it just feeling like a British boarding school movie

 

But that's what it is.

[Not Mr. Big 4,639]

Just now, Jurassic Shark said:

 

But that's what it is.

It's a magic British boarding school movie

[Bespin 8,472]

JKR find that JW's music was not enough "binary".

[Jurassic Shark 12,008]

It was too gay!

[bollemanneke 3,334]

2 hours ago, Edmilson said:

Rowling should give a call to Lorne Balfe and ask him (and his ghostwriters) to re-score the first three movies. After all, he's Scottish!

English people aren't welcome in Scotland, though, according to yesterday's news.

NOTE: Not a political statement meant to be taken seriously.

[Edmilson 7,367]

I think the great question is: if she didn't like JW's scores, what did she thought about the non-JW ones? Maybe she stopped caring at that point with the music, which is why Yates could hire his collaborator Nick Hooper?

 

Actually, I think I read here in the forum that JK and/or Yates personally interfered so that JW couldn't score Deathly Hallows 2. Is it true?

[crumbs 14,287]

36 minutes ago, May the Force be with You said:

Aspect ratios are life

 

Are you more of a 2.35 or a 1:85 guy?

 

25 minutes ago, Not Mr. Big said:

I don't really subscribe to the "Harry Potter shouldn't sound Russian" belief.  Having a variety of cultural influences makes the world feel more fleshed out and intriguing (as opposed to it just feeling like a British boarding school movie)

 

Indeed. And the brilliant hodgepodge, off-kilter mix of cultures and heritage in Azkaban is the series at its highest point (brilliantly reflected in Williams' cosmopolitan score, which runs the full gamut of musical influences).

[Not Mr. Big 4,639]

I'm gonna hum Hedwig's Theme every time I think of JK Rowling, just to spite her

[Raiders of the SoundtrArk 2,429]

5 minutes ago, crumbs said:

Are you more of a 2.35 or a 1:85 guy?

2.35 in theaters because the 1:85 is so ugly with the black bars on the side (with few exceptions)

1:85 home with lot of exceptions

 

I also think some directors like Michael Bay should always filmed in 1:85, you can't see a thing with his 2:35...

[Jurassic Shark 12,008]

2 minutes ago, Not Mr. Big said:

I'm gonna hum Hedwig's Theme every time I think of JK Rowling, just to spite her.

 

I'm sure she's going to care.

[Not Mr. Big 4,639]

Just now, Jurassic Shark said:

 

I'm sure she's going to care.

She would much rather I hum something british

[Jurassic Shark 12,008]

1 minute ago, Not Mr. Big said:

She would much rather I hum something british

 

As long as it doesn't sound gay.