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The OFFICIAL 'Munich' Score Thread


Hlao-roo

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What a great time to be a fan of the cinema.

Really?

Indeed I do... what's your point?

My point? It's think it's a lousy time to be fan of cinema and the cinema. What great movies did we have this year? Now if this was 1975, then I would happily agree with you.

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George Lucas' and Steven Spielberg's powers have begun to wane. Ang Lee and David Cronenberg delivered two of the best movies in years. Ron Howard is still producing more syrup than tree sap and Peter Jackson, I have to say, is the new malibu toast of Hollywood. Where is James Cameron when we need him?

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Wolf Creek and The Descent come to mind. Both horror pics, I know, but intelligent and well made ones at that.

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IGN has a really good review of Munich up here

I'll be seeing it tomorrow first thing after school and maybe even 2 times in a row

Max

10 - DO NOT "copy and paste" CD/film reviews or full interviews that can be found online. You may provide a link to the original page instead.

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I saw it today and really liked it. I think it is a very solid piece of filmmaking from Mr Spielberg. Not quite to the level of Schindler's List, but powerful nonetheless. He tells the story in a very straight forward approach with almost every aspect of the film. The paciong throught was very even tempo and I found that to be one of it's stronger features. I really feel that I got an education today as I had known very little about this portion of history.

The score by our boy did not let me down. One thing I was surprised at was how little there was. Several songs were used throughout and there seemed to be a lot of scenes with no music at all. What I did hear when there was a score was a mix of Minority Report and of course Schindler's List. I will be very curious to see how this score is mixed for the cd. I'll wait to comment further until more have seen it and begin to post.

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I saw it today as well, and thought it was a pretty fantastic film. Better than WotW upon my first viewing, although I liked the former quite a bit too. It was just really gripping, despite there not being an overage of all-out action scenes. Bana and the rest of the cast were great, and I quite enjoyed the score. Avner's theme is beautiful, and I already like it better than Sayuri's Theme. I'll be looking forward to picking this up on Tuesday!

Ray Barnsbury

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Saw it last night, I thought it was phenominal. The whole cast was great and I especially liked the actor who played Louis. I can't think of anything bad about the film except that some of the stuff said in the movie some people may not get because of not knowing the actual events or not reading the book.

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I saw "Munich" last night. I've been worried since the summer that this film would look and feel rushed, since the production was extremely short.

It wasn't. Spielberg guided this thing along from start to finish with such a smooth hand that you would have thought he had all the time in the world.

Eric Bana. I can't say enough good things about him. Like Heath Ledger in "Brokeback Mountain," he said volumes just through his eyes. He was mesmerizing. I knew he was good, but this was a major achievement for him. The rest of the cast handled their jobs very well. And the story had a nice punch at the end, though I think Spielberg continues to have problems with his endings. This goes back to "Minority Report."

Now, the music. absolutely brilliant. It's a mix of "Saving Private Ryan," "JFK" and "Born on the Fourth of July." Most of the score, which couldn't possibly be more than 30 minutes, consists of what I called the "terrorist" theme, because it popped up every time we saw a Palestinian or they were about to be killed. It felt like a distant cousin to the theme from "Jaws" and also the theme from "Signs." Like a pulse. I found myself tapping my fingers, a great sign.

The end credits music is beautiful. Very much like "Arlington" from "JFK." A lot of people in the audience actually stuck around to listen until the final note was played.

If you're not a fan of movie violence, stay away. This is about as graphic as it gets.

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I was struck by the lack of music. I figured the underscore would be sparce but I would have never guessed that the biggest musical presense in the movie would be that quiet, heartbeat percussive effect. Spielberg was trying to be gritty and unsentimental so its not a criticism of him or JW. In fact I like that JW has different opportunities like this but its a movie that’s a far cry from the movies where JW “makes me look good” as Spielberg once said. Speilberg wants to be taken seriously and one of the effects is to marginalize the importance of JW to his movies. Its a long movie and its not until the last 20 minues or so that the more melodic, thematic material has a chance to make much of an impact though there are a few occasions earlier as well - just very brief for the most part.

I’m extremely anxious for the soundtrack which is sure to have more music than in the film. The female vocalist was beautiful and a highlight musically of the film when it plays towards the end - something I wouldn’t have thought I’d say about the wailing type of music. But it was very strong emotionally along with being culturally evokative. I thought it transcended the wailing woman genre that I expected, even from JW’s attempts in RotS or Minority Report. I agree about Avner’s theme. That could end up being one of my JW-favorites both in the quiet piano rendition at the end of the film and the string elegy in the end credits. The JW-arranged Israeli national anthem will be a great bonus. I’ve wanted a good arrangment of that so it was nice to hear that in the film and know that will be on the soundtrack.

The film itself didn’t work as well for me as I was hoping. Partly it may be a matter of expectations - the idea of the film seemed more promising than what was delivered. Could have been more focused or something. Still, its compelling to watch and politically provakative. The performances were top-rate and I liked seeing the secret operative underworld. Probably be better when I see it again in the future - I’ll be able to appreciate it on its own terms better. In the meantime, I really want that album.

- Adam

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I saw "Munich" last night. I've been worried since the summer that this film would look and feel rushed, since the production was extremely short.

It wasn't. Spielberg guided this thing along from start to finish with such a smooth hand that you would have thought he had all the time in the world.

I absolutely agree. The pace was one of the best aspects for me. It's a pure of example of a film that is telling a story.... not a movie trying to be a movie.

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Wow, it's good to hear good opinions about the movie. Unluckily I don't know when I will be able to see it, since it'll be released here just the moment I start my exams, and they last for two long weeks. I hope I can see it then.

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I saw the film Christmas night.

Unbelieve piece of film making. I've never seen Spielberg quite like this, not even in Schindler's List. The music really only makes one solo appearance when Listbeth Scott performs a sad melody over the Tarmac sequence. Other then that, I was in Spielbergs hands, and I couldn't peel my eyes away from the screen, it was so obsorbing.

The film stuck with me for a long time and I had trouble falling to sleep. This is the Spielberg that doesn't shoot for entertainment, and he certainly had me thinking.

Tim

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But remember, this is only a limited release. It won't be fully released in the US until January 6, and most European countries won't see the film until January 26 or 27.

Yes, I know, and my deepest sympathies to those outside the United States. But I was mainly referring to the Americans who no doubt were unswayed by Neil's friend's critique, or who were anxious to hear how the 30-second clips they listened to daily online fit in the movie.

If it's playing in Tucson, Arizona, it's no doubt playing in plenty of other cities right now.

Jeff -- who would have driven 100 miles to Phoenix to see it

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Like Memoirs of a Geisha and Brokeback Mountain, no theatre in my area will play this movie...

it's too "violent" and "politically unsafe" to play...

let me know if the movies are good ::trying not to get so pissed I scream::

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I haven't yet seen the movie, but I have the soundtrack, and I can tell right away that they are not in order. Does anyone know waht the correct order is of the tracks to the best of there knowledge?

Thanks :|

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A Prayer for Peace

Wow what a track! For me this is what ROTS Anakin's Betrayal should have been like...

Although I like Anakin's Betrayal, somehow it feels like its got "false" emotion - it never really pulls the heart stings nor has it got real thematic direction. It sounds like John Williams was not personally inspired, but using his fantastic experience to produce a piece of music that does!!! On the other hand A Prayer for Peace has it all - musically its on a different level. I love the part from 1:56-3:12. lush!

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The film was released on the 23rd of December. So...why is it not in my theater currently? Is there going to be a wider release date later or does my one horse town's cinema suck?

Justin

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And Padme's Ruminations should have sounded like Remembering Munich.

K.M.

I disagree about both things. A Prayer for Peace would have been totally inapropriate for RoTS, as would the Munich theme.

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*spoilers*

I saw the movie tonight.Pretty good but the lack of score is astounding.Some scenes between Avner and his wife needed to be scored.The encouter with the Dutch woman in the bar needed music.The visit to Louie's(?) father's estate with all the children needed music.All we get during the movie is the pulsating terrorist theme(was it looped?) and a few oboe solos of Avner"s Theme.And Remembering Munich over the sex scene and massacre at the airport at the end just felt weird.

How many cues on the c.d. aren't in the film?

K.M.

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KM, I suspect a lot of JW fans will feel the same way about the lack of music in the film, and the fact that many of the CD cues (notably the guitar version of Avner's theme) aren't in the movie.

I think JW and Spielberg were smart to not just score a scene just to have music in it. I don't think they've ever really done that, and that's what stands apart in this collaboration.

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I'm pretty sure there was a fair amount of music taken out. I think that the beggining of Avner and Daphna was written for that earlier scene when they were in bed together. And the rest was written for the end credits, where it appears shortly after the piano in track 18. He added the cello version to make the album longer, probably. But track 8 and 16 are the same cue with different soloists.

Some of the tense underscore must have been taken out though I can’t remember what exactly from only one viewing. However its still the majority of the actual score in the movie.

Bonding was in the film but he probably wrote the concert track of Avner’s Theme to give the guitarist a little more work and to, again, fill out the album.

The woman voice unfortunately plays mostly over the studio credits before the film starts. I liked it better when JW didn’t do that but now it seems to be expected of composers to start the movie while we’re watching some studio animation thingy. And then of course Remembering Munich is kind of a controversial, weird scene, as KM mentioned. I like the music a lot and it works fine but I’m still not exactly sure what Speilberg was trying to say with that scene.

- Adam

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http://www.moviemusicuk.us/munichcd.htm

I don't mind any review criticizing a Williams score. I really don't. But at least write your dislikement in a somewhat "proffesional" manner. The above review is a bad review. I'm not refering to the author's opinion on Munich, which he is totally entitled to, but I'm talking about his writing, his argumentation and all. Weak.

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John Williams reportedly had a lot of trouble finding the ‘key’ to unlocking the musical world of Munich, something one doesn’t expect to hear of a master composer and consummate professional as he.

Yeah. I bet that's from the "John Williams is struggling with Munich" reports, and that "not a single note had yet been recorded."

Of course, nothing had been recorded at the time, because the recording sessions weren't planned until a later date.

As for his comments on the album, I can't say much, since I've not yet listened to it myself.

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From what I've heard so far it's good. Even better than Geisha's sound listenings imo, though I have yet to listen to the full Munich score.

Avner's theme sounds a lot like Geisha but is beautiful in that respect, and Williams' version of the Hatikva sounds nothing more than brilliant. It's bound to bring up some tears on the big screen, judging by what it underscores.

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Lets just say I didnt think Id like the movie but I went to make an opinion for myself and I found no antisemitic overtones in the film. I thought it was pretty good except for the last scene with Avner and his wife. It was just a tad weird, but other than that the acting was really great and bravo to Williams. Although I liked Memoirs better, film and score.

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Well I have listened once through the album and the music fits my expectations and exceeds them. I did not expect such beauty like the Prayer for Peace or Avner and Daphna but they really are emotional and touching. The suspence music is just about what I was expecting and it is low key and appropriately so.

It seems odd that so much of the music was cut from the film if there truly is so little music in the film itself and we have a 63 minute album. But that is lucky for us :) I am not complaining about having more music than in the movie.

I must say the album is a classical Williams album in terms of music placement. It follows the pattern of Suspence cue/action - soft emotional cue almost through the album.

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Isn't it kind of strange that there is NOT A SINGLE MENTION of the original composer(s) for track 3: Hatikvah (The Hope) to be found inside the CD booklet????

Ok, I can live with Williams not crediting his orchestrators, but it seems he even credits himself now for compositions he didn't write.

Really, really strange...

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Isn't it kind of strange that there is NOT A SINGLE MENTION of the original composer(s) for track 3: Hatikvah (The Hope) to be found inside the CD booklet????

Ok, I can live with Williams not crediting his orchestrators, but it seems he even credits himself now for compositions he didn't write.  

Really, really strange...

Well, I think the way you're looking at it is strange. Isn't it supposed to be a popular source cue? I mean, is anybody mad Danny Elfman quoted "Jingle Bells" in The Nightmare Before Christmas and not saying anything about it in the bootleg?

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