Bland John WIlliams

[laurenmcoakley]

--- In HPFGU-Movie at yahoogroups.com, "Sea Change" <nakedkali at ...> 
wrote:

SNIPPED the posts Sea Change responded to...

> 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

And now Lauren:
Hi Sea Change,
Sorry, but I'll have to disagree with you on your opinion that JW 
can't "do" eerie.  Did you actually listen to the PoA soundtrack?  
Eerie, magical, in fact, hauntingly beautiful, were written all over 
it.

JW has been composing music for movies for eons, and I don't agree 
in the least with your theory of his confidence growing with each 
movie.  He's composed for Jaws, Star Wars, Superman, Jurassic Park 
and many other well-known films.  I think he's had plenty of 
opportunities to get some self-esteem about himself before the HP 
series ever exisited!  Where did you get the idea that he barely won 
the contract for the HP films?  I've never heard that, and given the 
man's reputation, I would think that the producers would've surely 
considered him a top contender, if not the only contender.  Who else 
is more well-known than JW?

I loathed the Hippogriff music, and though I myself am not in high 
school currently, I can profess that I am not too far off yet.  Not 
that High School aged children are generally regarded for their 
expert taste in music.  The SCENE, on the other hand, I will say was 
nice at showing that magical children are not unlike muggle children 
in many ways.

Good riddance?  Well, he'll be back for OoTP, so we're not rid of JW 
at all!  Welcome back, I say!