Jurassic Park turns 30 today!

[crocodile 8,017]

 

Karol

[Thor 7,517]

Crazy to think it's been 30 years. My alltime favourite film and my alltime favourite score, and a crucial part in defining my whole identity. I feel like I need to write a lot about my connection to this score, but as I wrote on FSM, it would probably be boring to everyone else to read a long, self-absorbed post here. Instead, I might write an article at some point during the year to celebrate this most important score in my life.

[Jay 37,371]

One of my earlier memories of seeing a movie in the cinema.  Boy, what a thrill!

 

The Fugitive that summer stands out as well

[Naïve Old Fart 9,551]

I distinctly remember not liking JURASSIC PARK, when I first saw it. Still, that didn't stop me seeing it five times at the cinema, that Summer .

Of course, I've come to love it, over the years.

There were, however, big issues with the sound. At that time, most cinemas in the UK did not have DTS installed (only a handful had Dolby Digital), so the soundtrack was incompatible with what was already being used. This created great problems for a lot of movie theatres. Eventually, Dolby Stereo compatible prints  were made and sent out.

 

Ps, the effects in JP are still the best of the series.

[Edmilson 7,466]

46 minutes ago, Jay said:

The Fugitive that summer stands out as well

You also saw The Fugitive in theaters as a kid? 

 

JP is one of the reasons sometimes I wish I was born ten years earlier than I did. Imagine being 10 in 1993 and seeing in theaters Jurassic Park and Aladdin (which was released in my country in June of that year, seven months after the US)!

[Jay 37,371]

3 minutes ago, Edmilson said:

You also saw The Fugitive in theaters as a kid? 

 

I was 13 in the summer of 1993

[Naïve Old Fart 9,551]

There were several decent films released that Summer - THE FIRM; MANHATTAN MURDER MYSTERY; THE LONG DAY CLOSES; LAST ACTION HERO - but, like the Summer of 1982, it will be remembered for one film.

[Edmilson 7,466]

So one of your first experiences in a movie theater was at age 13? 

 

When I reached that age I had already been to the cinema like dozens of times... lol. But that's because my dad's favorite program with his children was to take me and my brothers to the theater, even when the movie was crap (like the Eddie Murphy Haunted Mansion movie or that horrendous Dr Seuss adaptation with Mike Myers).

[Faleel 5,359]

My first Cinema experience was either around 4 or 7 with TPM or AOTC.

[Jay 37,371]

18 minutes ago, Edmilson said:

So one of your first experiences in a movie theater was at age 13? 

 

No, just one of the first ones I remember well, and thinking I was now seeing something beyond the G and PG fair I had been taken to see before then

[JTN 2,036]

30 minutes ago, Jay said:

I was 13 in the summer of 1993

I was 11 1/2. And when I saw JURASSIC PARK with my Dad in the theater, I actually thought that the dinosaurs were real. Back then we didn’t know or understand what computer generated images were and they looked (and still look) totally real. It took me some time to realize and actually believe that they were in fact CGI visual effects. 

And naturally hearing John Williams’ score for the first time was just like seeing the dinosaurs, it had its own life. 
JP was one of the last films that wasn’t just a film. It was an event. An unforgettable experience that changed filmmaking forever. It was great to be a kid in 1993.
 

And later that year I saw SCHINDLER’S LIST, again, with my Dad. But that’s another story. 

[Bespin 8,484]

I was 19 in 1993 and still virgin... of a Dino movie! Ah hum!

[Brónach 1,302]

Obviously I didn't to the cinema in 1993.

[Tom 4,666]

4 hours ago, Thor said:

 it would probably be boring to everyone else to read a long, self-absorbed post here. 

Most of us will be happy to read such a post.  Remember, we paid to watchThe Fabelmans.

[Edmilson 7,466]

Yeah, I'd love to see more "personal stories" type of post here. I am endlessly fascinated with the formative experiences one youngster can have, whether this with movies, games, comic books, sports or, you know, just regular life experiences.

[Bellosh 3,419]

The build up to the T-Rex breakout scene is still unmatched.  It's a shame blockbusters can't set that tone anymore.

 

The effects in this movie are still some of the greatest of all time, considering the time.

 

'Journey to the Island' is probably in the top 5 greatest cues in existence.

[Datameister 2,044]

16 hours ago, Edmilson said:

Yeah, I'd love to see more "personal stories" type of post here. I am endlessly fascinated with the formative experiences one youngster can have, whether this with movies, games, comic books, sports or, you know, just regular life experiences.

 

Ask and ye shall receive …

 

I was a little young when JP was released, even if my parents hadn't been on the overprotective side, God bless 'em. So I missed it in theaters. But I do remember them saying they'd seen a movie about dinosaurs. I was enthralled. They told me it was too scary—there was even a girl that gets sneezed on by a dinosaur. Later they even told me that the dinosaurs eat people. I steered clear. 

 

In middle school, one of the symphonic bands played "Theme From Jurassic Park"—my first exposure to the music. I remember a flautist warming up on the main melody. She kept playing that rather tense and unexpected A flat as an A natural. Out of context, not knowing what I was hearing, I thought it must be from a classical piece. Later found out it was Jurassic Park, by this composer I'd been getting really into.

 

I made my first trip to Universal Studios shortly thereafter. There was this adventurous orchestral music playing on a too-short loop near the Jurassic Park ride. I got to know it pretty well because I was holed up in the bathroom, developing some pretty unpleasant Pavlovian associations with it. Still, in the weeks that followed, I found myself wanting to hear it again. Someone told me it was the theme from Jurassic Park, which confused me because it was different from what I'd heard at the band concert. That was how I learned that the film essentially has two unrelated main themes.

 

Through all this, my interest in the film kept increasing. Not long after, our family borrowed a friend's cabin in the woods for a brief vacation. Turns out they had a huge TV … and Jurassic Park on VHS. I don't remember exactly how the conversations went, but somehow we decided to watch it together as a family.

 

I will always treasure the memory of watching the movie on that big CRT television set. We dimmed the lights and the dark, unfamiliar forest outside almost became an extension of the mise-en-scène. My mood wavered between creeped out and terrified. Sometime around when the T-Rex breaks through the Jeep's moonroof, Mom and Dad paused the tape to reassure us that the kids survive. I guess my wimpy ass wasn't playing it as cool as I hoped.

 

But I loved it just the same. The effects, cinematography, writing, performances, and—yes—music lit up my brain in all the right ways. Come to think of it, that was probably the film that set my cowardly self on a road toward enjoying horror films. I bought the soundtrack soon after, and it joined the growing body of works by John Williams that I couldn't live without.

 

Today I'm in my mid-thirties. I still listen to the score often, and every time I watch the film, there's a part of me that's transported back to that cabin in the woods, facing my fears with my family all around me.

 

P.S. After watching the movie that first time, I went right to bed. There was a near-full-scale cardboard cutout of a velociraptor in the bedroom. That definitely complicated my efforts to fall asleep. That's a fond memory as well now.

[crocodile 8,017]

All great stuff guys, thank you for sharing.

 

My first experience watching this film was less glamorous. I was 8 at the time and a neighbour of hours somehow obtained a pirated VHS copy of this not long after it was released. I remember this was subtitled. We watched it with the family one evening and I distinctly remember hiding under the table with my sister and our friend. I can't remember if it was because I was afraid but I do remember it made a big impression on me. And, of course, there was the music which I loved instantly. Think I've seen that tape dozens of times.

 

Karol

[Brónach 1,302]

I don't remember the first time, maybe it was on tv, maybe a pirated it

[Jurassic Shark 12,080]

12 hours ago, Edmilson said:

comic books

 

What about cooking books?

[filmmusic 1,837]

Pity that such a film like Jurassic Park doesn't have the definite release on physical media.

The UHD is plagued with DNR.

Fortunately there is the 35mm scan around, which I may have to watch tonight in honor of one of my favorite movies, that I too watched at the cinema at the age of 13.

[Tom 4,666]

Jurassic Park was the first movie I went to as a fully conscious Williams's fan.  So, in a sense, it was my first time watching a new movie as a John Williams's movie.  I must admit, outside of the fanfare played during the helicopter ride and the final T-Rex scene, I was not all that blown away.  I bought the score and then I realized its brilliance from start to finish.  I also began to understand that it is really hard to appreciate a score the first time out, particularly when watching the film.  

 

As for the film, the found it distracting that Newman was in it but otherwise, I had a blast.  

[Naïve Old Fart 9,551]

"Newman"?

[Jurassic Shark 12,080]

Newman!

[Edmilson 7,466]

47 minutes ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

"Newman"?

Yeah, I didn't know Thomas Newman had a cameo on JP either! Who did he play, one of the raptors? 

[Thor 7,517]

I'm not sure if I had started watching SEINFELD at the time (probably had), but it was thrilling to see Wayne Knight in a different role.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

And still looks better than any of its contemporaries

[Tom 4,666]

I was in high school at the time.  Seinfeld was the biggest show for us.  Wayne Knight is fine, but it would have been just as distracting for me to see Kramer or Jerry in the role.  

[GerateWohl 4,371]

Now I can confess, I never liked the main theme. The whole score is brillant, but I found this pastoral Main melody always boring. 

There are some scores by Williams where I love almost everything about it except the main theme. A little bit like Indiana Jones. Never was a particular fan of the march. But everything else is gold.

Midway, another one.

Apart from that, this great helicopter flight scene was probably the last really uplifting John Williams moments that I experienced in cinema. For that I adore the movie and the score.

[Bellosh 3,419]

1 hour ago, GerateWohl said:

Now I can confess, I never liked the main theme.

 

[Naïve Old Fart 9,551]

3 hours ago, Thor said:

I'm not sure if I had started watching SEINFELD at the time (probably had), but it was thrilling to see Wayne Knight in a different role.

 

I was introduced to the work of Wayne Knight, in J.F.K. I remember seeing him, again, in BASIC INSTINCT.

I have never seen a single second of SEINFELD, but I did watch 3rd ROCK FROM THE SUN.

 

 

[Tom Guernsey 2,286]

The first score I ever bought... and started a hobby that has since cost me more than a drug habit. No regrets!

[JTN 2,036]

15 hours ago, GerateWohl said:

Now I can confess, I never liked the main theme.

That’s the first time I have ever heard someone who’s a John Williams fan say it. We all have different tastes. 
 

 

15 hours ago, GerateWohl said:

There are some scores by Williams where I love almost everything about it except the main theme.

I’m like that but the opposite with JP2. I really like the main theme, but am kind of indifferent to the entire score. I enjoy it, but overall I prefer JP, which is, to me, a much richer score. Again, tastes. 

[filmmusic 1,837]

1 hour ago, JTW said:

I’m like that but the opposite with JP2. I really like the main theme, but am kind of indifferent to the entire score. I enjoy it, but overall I prefer JP, which is, to me, a much richer score. Again, tastes. 

Yeah, I agree. I don't like JP2 much.

Too many percussion loops I think.

[Bespin 8,484]

The expanded score has changed my perspective on TLW. I was never a fan of the OST, but I absolutely adore the score.

 

Often, John Williams' OST are composed to highlight only certain aspects of a film's score. If one doesn't particularly enjoy that aspect, it can affect the overall listening experience. In an expanded score, everything is always better balanced, and, especially in the case of John Williams, one can appreciate how he composes the final scenes first, thus savoring the progression of the themes that evolve throughout the film.

[filmmusic 1,837]

22 minutes ago, Bespin said:

The expanded score has changed my perspective on TLW. I was never a fan of the OST, but I absolutely adore the score.

I have bought the expanded score but I'm not sure if I have listened to it yet! 

[Naïve Old Fart 9,551]

I hate to be contrary, but I'm exactly the opposite.

I appreciate the score for JURASSIC PARK, but I love the score for THE LOST WORLD.

[Edmilson 7,466]

The Lost World is brilliant.

 

Visitor in San Diego might be my favorite John Williams action cue ever. It gets so intense and brutal, I love it!

[GerateWohl 4,371]

4 hours ago, Bespin said:

The expanded score has changed my perspective on TLW. I was never a fan of the OST, but I absolutely adore the score.

 

Often, John Williams' OST are composed to highlight only certain aspects of a film's score. If one doesn't particularly enjoy that aspect, it can affect the overall listening experience. In an expanded score, everything is always better balanced, and, especially in the case of John Williams, one can appreciate how he composes the final scenes first, thus savoring the progression of the themes that evolve throughout the film.

One point of critic I have especially for JW OSTs of sequel scores. Usually his sequel scores have just a handfull up to a dozen short references to the previous scores. But why do all these references and quotes to be on the OST? That is why for sequels the FYC are usually better because these avoid the old stuff.