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I actually prefer dark moody Desplat to dark moody Williams. I'm really not sure that Deathly Hallows wouldn't have ended up sounding like War of the Worlds or something, and that would not have been nice. I even prefer what Desplat did with Deathly Hallows to what Williams did with Revenge of the Sith, although my hard feelings against the latter are probably not Williams fault as its just a terrible film, it was good the first time but it doesn't age very well at all, imo of course....

Mainly because I am completely unable to care about the characters. Even "Across the Stars" is not enough to get me to care about the Anakin/Padme story, which is all on George Lucas and his casting, directing and writing ability, because the music is one of the most beautiful love themes ever written. Although, if Williams had been allowed to be more creative with the final act, by adapting existing themes in the key emotional moments, it might have been a bit more moving...like the temp tracking of the Arena theme when Anakin is invading the Jedi temple is just AWFUL...should have been something like a slow-tempo version of the Imperial march with a male choral backing or something similarly disturbing but leitmotif-ly coherent. And "Battle of the Heroes" could have done better being an action and choral and creepier rendition of the "Across the Stars" theme, reminding the audience that this is all happening because of Anakin's obsession with Padme. I think a younger, less modern-directorial-idiocy-bound Williams would have done something more along those lines.

Anyway, not that I wouldn't have loved to hear what Williams what would have done with all 8, but I'm completely and utterly satisfied with the scores we got. Even the Hooper scores are quite nice and fit the tone of the films nearly perfectly. And Doyle's bombastic, over-the-top style was perfect for the 4th film, though that same style would have been much more fail in ANY of the other films.

IT The Terror From Beyond Space

Understood. I wanted to debate with the last paragraph but then I thought about all the parts of Deathly Hallows that could have had traditional melodic scoring and didn't, so you're right. I think cues like "Ron Leaves" and "Farewell to Dobby" are brilliant music in a more subtle way, but there's nothing like "A Window To The Past" or "Harry's Wondrous World", and certainly Desplat is capable of writing like that even if the orchestration would be completely different than Williams.

Yeah, there' no reason why the film couldn't have melodic pieces like that. There's a lot of extended travelling scenes where not much is happening on camera, those were scored very conservatively, and they could have been scored with rich melodic pieces instead. There's no particular reason why there can't have been a "travelling theme" worked into the whole film as a main theme of sorts. I guess the "Obliviate" motif sort of functions that way, but it doesn't seem to have any particular motivic definition, and it's not strong enough to be that "travelling theme" that I'm imagining.

It's brilliant but I hardly ever play it. I look on the shelf and there's the FINAL CONFLICT saying play me and I have to, as a listen it's far better!

If you watch the final film as a regular movie-goer and fan of the series, the high stakes come across perfectly. Yates made that last film ooze with drama and portent and grief and its such an emotional roller coaster. You barely notice the score except for the alternating feelings of desolation and hope it provides. While this statement usually indicates a director's bloated ego rather than reality, this truly was a film that did not need a traditional "epic" film score.

NP: Angels In America - Thomas Newman

I'm on my first listen of the album.... very Thomas Newman style which I love.
(not only about the track length)

That score has some of Newman's quirkiness to it, but it has a lot of really wonderful and melodic highlights. "The Great Work Begins" has to be one of Newman's top five pieces of music.

NP: Cinderella Man - Thomas Newman

This is Newman's most recent score that I really enjoy. Sadly, it came out seven years ago...

A baby what? Rat? Hyena? ....

It's in my top 5 Newman scores, nothing beats SHAWSHANK ( IMO ) but ANGELS is a fabulous score.

Hmm. I understand what you are saying, but that is not what I experienced. I guess watching the film already being a fan of the books and knowing what is going to happen is a lot different experience than watching the film as an unfolding story (like most films are watched).

*also, I just meant "regular filmgoer" as opposed to a film music fan who pays attention to the music more than it is intended by the filmmakers.

NP : JURASSIC PARK - John Williams



I honestly can't remember the last time I played this? Simply because I always reach for LOST WORLD instead, a score I enjoy far more than this, still, the themes get a better workout here and I love Journey To The Island. This score would have had many more plays over the years if Williams hadn't trumped it with his follow up.

I was hoping that this expansion did not add anything to the already-available release.

Do you argue with yourself?

-Erik-

I guess that depends on whether it's a score you really enjoy Alan, in which case I'd have thought you'd have gone ahead and bought the expanded? Personally I find this score a weak effort from Jerry, but then I always judge him by his own incredibly high standards.