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Smack down time: Amistad or The Patriot


stewdog1

Which is better? Amistad or The Patriot?  

35 members have voted

  1. 1.

    • Amistad
      27
    • The Patriot
      8


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Which is better? Do you listen to one more than the other?

To me I find both very similar in scope and the way they were written by JW. For some reason I feel Dry Your Tears, Afrika is a bit too much for the film, but is nice to listen to. The Patriot theme[i/] also seems to be a bit much to mushy for the film.

Your thoughts?

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Amistad is the better one IMO though I like Patriot almost as much. Many say Patriot is Williams on auto pilot but it is still a good score that has great heroic brassy music. I do not think that main theme is any way unsuited for the movie. Roland Emmerich likes big brassy scores (atleast he liked them prior to Day after Tomorrow) and Williams gave him one.

Amistad is really a great score. I love both the Americana and African style writing. Truly unique score.

Dry Your Tears Africa is a wonderful theme and Williams' use of the choirs also in the main body of the score is excellent.

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I voted for Amistad,

Fantastic soundtrack, I didn't expect this glorious main theme with all the African orientated writing! And also Cinque's theme is simply amazing. It's one of those discs that I won't listen throughout but the tracks that I like have blown me away,

I also love the Patriot, the main theme is simply beautiful, Also the content is very good (especially the more subdued writing (favourite track ' The Parish Church Aflame') but the battle stuff must have taken him five minutes to write so I'm not crazy about those ques,

Nevertheless a very good score too IMO

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Amistad. Why? Because it has a lot more personality than The Patriot. Amistad has it's own soundscape. The Patriot's MAJOR flaw that it has no character whatsoever. It is "just one of those scores". Any cue could easily be mistaken to come from another Williams' score.

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In part I agree with you Roald. The score for Patriot feels at times very generic. Williams could have written some of the music for a number of different projects and it would have sounded almost the same. Still there are few great pieces in the score. Overall it just lacks personality, that's all.

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Amistad, for sure.

The album is much more well put together to begin with. Also has a much more diverse quality, going from the great choral seting and Cinque's theme, to the americana section to the pseudo african music.

The Patriot, while having some great thematical material, lack some of the same musical coherence, even if it all remains in the same musical territory. Of course, the fault for this is likelly to be from the overlong produced albuns that we get this days -- sometimes a 30 minute soundtrack album will work much better -- and that this was, afterall, a replacement score, which may mean that Williams hadn't the same time to work on it as he had with Amistad.

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Anyway, doesn't anyway find the Patriot fanfare to be a little similar to Dry Your Tears Afrika in melody?

Amistad, by far. It's a very diverse score, the themes are standouts and it flows very well on album. It's my mom and dad's favorite score.

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I love the John Quincy Adams trumpet solo theme from Amistad and I love the African Vocals. SO I voted for Amistad.

By the way, there is a HUGE storm in Connecticut right now! My girlfriend just had a tree fall into her house!

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Haven't managed to come across Amistad in stores.  Though The Patriot has been one of my most listened to Williams scores.  It's certainly not his most challenging, but it's a very pleasant listen.

Why not just get a good used one off of Amazon? I think I got mine for about $5 in very good condition.

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Haven't managed to come across Amistad in stores.  Though The Patriot has been one of my most listened to Williams scores.  It's certainly not his most challenging, but it's a very pleasant listen.

Why not just get a good used one off of Amazon? I think I got mine for about $5 in very good condition.

Credit cards are in short supply.

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Amistad, by far. Classic main theme, and a great African feel to a lot of it. The Americana stuff, while cliched, is entirely apt for the film, and is not bad at all (I personaly love 'The Long Road to Justice').

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I agree. I voted for Amistad, too, although The Patriot Main Title has its moments.

What I like about Amistad is Dry Your Tears, Afrika, Cinque's Theme, and Mr. Adam's Theme. Three truly exceptional themes . . . plus the cue Sierra Leone, action-driven and pulsing, has me on the edge of my seat every time. I'm listening to it right now.

:|

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The music seriously helps 'sell' the picture, and in this case, the picture really needed it. Not enough to save the film from some crucial flaws, but enough for me to think kindly of the film when I think of it, because it's always accompanied by the score.

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Amistad. John was genuinly trying with that one. The Patriot has "this bought my house" written all over it. :joy:

LOL

I actually agree. Amistad is the better written score. Although I find The Patriot easier to listen to.

Justin - Who thinks Amistad has several long boring cues in it.

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Amistad has Dry Your Tears, Afrika and the music to underscore John Quincy adams but The Patriot is a more enjoyable listening experience with a superior main theme and does not sound like Williams on auto-pilot.

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I find Amistad a very good score, and for the sake of avoiding that Justin'd think I'm a fanboy, The Patriot really sucks.

Hey I used to give it 5/5 stars. So I've been there.

Thank God I grew up.

Justin - Spreading his glorious illuminating light to the children living in shadow.

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I think both scores are generally underrated around here, but I prefer Amistad on the whole. I think it could've become a Williams classic had the film been more successful/remembered. "Dry Your Tears, Afrika" is a fantastic piece with an amazingly inspired presentation, with the chorus and all. "Cinque's Theme" is wonderfully dark and dramatic, and gives a lot of emotional weight to the score. And the John Quincy Adams theme ("The Long Road to Justice," etc...) is really uplifting and appropriately patriotic/Americana. Overall I find it a great listen and thoroughly inspired. The Patriot is good, but I never really remember much about most of the album. The main title piece, however, is one of my favorite Williams compositions ever. But yeah...Amistad wins. :P

Ray Barnsbury

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