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“ Williams has now memorialized the American
Revolution as he has with World War II.”
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Early Olympic
Arrival
Review by Christopher
Coleman
The Nineties' John
Williams was one best
described as
"memorial" in feeling,
with a rare nod to his
memorable styles of
the seventies and
eighties. The shift,
or "maturing" as some
would call it, in his
style can easily be
traced back to scores
such as: JFK, Born on
the Fourth of July,
Schindler's List,
Nixon, and confirmed
later by scores such
as Amistad and
Angela's Ashes. The
culmination of this
trend is, of course,
manifested in the
ultimate memorial
score, Saving Private
Ryan. The announcement
of John Williams
replacing David Arnold
as composer for The
Patriot, launched a
new anticipation in
what Williams had in
store for film music
fans. Would he return
to his former glory or
stay fast on his
nineties-heading?
John Williams has
always been able to
stir up the emotions
of challenge,
struggle, of loss, of
triumph with a seeming
particular ease. This
sort of handiwork has
been well demonstrated
in his compositions
for the 1984 and 1996
Olympic themes. With
the onset of the 2000
Summer Olympics in
Sidney, Australia on
the world's doorstep,
John Williams helps to
get everyone in the
mood with his work for
this Summer Big-Ticket
film.
Initially, The main
title (1, 17) reflects
the simple joys of the
New World, its ideals,
and its physical
beauty before moving
into true patriotic/
Olympic fashion with
snare drums and
flutes. The theme is
nearly as uplifting,
inspiring and
memorable as his
earlier Olympic
efforts and a certain
delight of the Summer
of 2000.
With The Phantom
Menace score, many
were left, at least,
questioning whether
the last of great
Williams themes had
been heard in decades
passed. In The
Patriot, film music
fans will actually
find most every action
cue bearing
resemblance to
Williams work for the
score for Episode one.
Similarly, others
wondered what Saving
Private Ryan would
have sounded like had
Williams been assigned
to score its bloody
battle scenes. Now,
the curious fan may
have a glimpse as to
what such cues might
have sounded like.
Throughout this CD,
Williams holds one's
attention with an
adequate amount of
variety. From the
inspiring main theme,
to the joyful romp of
To Charleston (3), to
the intensity and
grandeur of Preparing
for Battle (7), to the
tragedy of The Parish
Aflame (13), Williams
intensifies the
emotion of each
respective scene while
and, on the CD,
captivates and
sometimes catapults
the listener from
track to track. Even
with the
main-title-sandwich
approach taken again
(a la Saving Private
Ryan) by the disc's
producer, John
Williams, the CD flows
in a richly
entertaining way.
With a film containing
such wide variety in
emotional content, it
is rather clear that,
truly, John Williams
has moved on in his
composition style, but
is still able to
produce a classic
piece. No, The Patriot
isn't what Williams
would have produced
twenty years ago. Only
for the briefest
instances does one
hear any of the
classic Williams style
that won over
thousands of film
music fans over the
last three decades.
Williams has now
memorialized the
American Revolution as
he has with World War
II. If fans of
Williams were in limbo
about whether Williams
has really moved
passed his
catchy-up-front-thematic
style of the Seventies
and Eighties, The
Patriot will remove
most remaining doubt.
The challenge lay at
the feet of the fans
to appreciate and
embrace what John
Williams has grown
into.
Rating: 8/10
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Track Listing and Ratings |
|
Track |
Track Title |
Track Time |
Rating |
|
1 |
The Patriot |
6:39 |
***** |
|
2 |
The Family
Farm |
3:04 |
*** |
|
3 |
To
Charleston |
2:14 |
**** |
|
4 |
The
Colonial
Cause |
3:15 |
**** |
|
5 |
Redcoats
at
the
Farm
and
the
Death
of
Thomas |
4:59 |
*** |
| 6 |
Ann Recruits the Parishioners |
3:08 |
*** |
| 7 |
Preparing for Battle |
5:49 |
**** |
| 8 |
Ann and Gabriel |
4:34 |
***** |
| 9 |
The First Ambush and Remembering the Wilderness |
3:59 |
*** |
| 10 |
Tavington's Trap |
4:09 |
**** |
| 11 |
The Burning of the Plantation |
4:55 |
*** |
| 12 |
Facing the British Lines |
3:04 |
**** |
| 13 |
The Parish Church Aflame |
3:03 |
**** |
| 14 |
Susan Speaks |
3:16 |
**** |
| 15 |
Martin VS. Tavington |
3:06 |
**** |
| 16 |
Yorktown and the Return Home |
5:19 |
**** |
| 17 |
The Patriot (Reprise) |
7:49 |
***** |
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Total Running Time (approx) |
57 minutes |
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