Bland John WIlliams

[Sea Change]

      Sandy wrote:

[snip]

> >I really missed John Williams score. I felt the least they could 
> > have done was stick with the opening theme music. I have the 
> >soundtrack from SS and listen to it constantly. I just love it. 

     and 

[snip]

> >I agree with you too, THANK GAWD we didn't have to listen to the Hogwarts song OR > 
> >the entire version  of "Do the Hippogriff".  

[snip]

     then  Susan Bones (Jen D) said:

[snip]

> Why not John Williams, I don't know either. But story choices were made and I 
> think they are not accidental. Calculated might be too stong a word, 
> but this is Warner Bro. we are talking about so I am not going to 
> rule it out. 

_________________________________________

Sea Change responds:

There was some debate as to whether John Wiliams actually could *do* 'eerie' or 'magical'.  
And, he pretty much can't, he is wired very strongly into major keys and lush, heavily 
orchestrated backgrounds.  You can tell the difference between the music for the first 
movie, which is actually pretty decent and a growth in style for him and where he barely 
won the contract and was forced to show what he could do when pressed, and the second 
and third movies in which he becomes more sure of himself and thus becomes 
increasingly bland and boring.    The magic had IMO been thoroughly and completely 
sucked out of the music of the movie series by the time the third one's credits were 
rolling.

Good thing Almodovar is so interesting.

Minor and augmented keys, hollow chords, and irregular tempi are more typically 
interpreted as eerie, strange or magical in people's minds.  By movie three they are mostly 
gone and there was no chance anyone who cared about sound would renew the contract.  
The dotted quarter notes pretty much just dissapear and you could just as well have had 
the movie scored by Manheim Steamroller.

So, no I sure hope it wasn't accidental.  And, about time.  Good riddance.

I *liked* the 'Do the Hippogriff' scene and the music.  It was vivid, showed what JKR has 
said elsewhere in that she wanted to show about wizarding kids being normal, and I liked 
the music, too.  The required set-piece waltz was excellently done, and something 
Williams would have sucked the life out of.



Sea Change, who has a catholic taste in music, but still can't stand rap