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Posted: |
Jan 10, 2020 - 2:09 PM
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By: |
Graham Watt
(Member)
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I read it, joan. I must admit that I lost interest in the Star Wars films even by the time THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK came around, and I was only twenty or twenty-one then. But I've caught up with them all, and while they never ignited any flame of passion in me (and a lot of them plain annoyed me), I've always been impressed by Williams' monumental contribution to the saga. 42 years! That's like Max Steiner writing KING KONG sequels from the original in 1933 right up to (almost) the John Barry-scored remake! It's really quite remarkable.
The link also gave me the desire to click on the RISE OF SKYWALKER theme. I'd never really been bothered before, but positive vibes from the article made me benevolent (to the idea of the film itself), and when I heard the John Williams theme it cleared my head and reminded me how damn beautiful his music can be, even to hardened old cynics like me. It just takes a little bit of meditation and a desire to be swept away by it, to become also like children again. It's not easy to do for us old guys, but I almost felt like Buddha when listening to that clip. I think John Williams actually IS Buddha, or at least Yoda. He's an inspiring figure in a murky world.
It would be easy to say, "Yeah, in a murky world of shit Disney Star Wars films and merchandising", but the article you linked to did touch a kind of "innocent again" nerve in me - and I hope that Williams' music will never grow sour for me. If it ever does, it'll be through an association with the whole overblown Star Wars universe mixed with my own elderly (middle aged) grumpiness. No fault of John Willliams, whose immense skill, talent, humility - and cherubic demeanor - should forever keep me at arm's length from being a total Scrooge.
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I was going to write:
"THIS SPOT RESERVED FOR CONDESCENDING ONYABIRRI COMMENT."
However, Onya already claimed his reservation, bypassing the maitre d'. Guess I'm a non-essential worker.
Onya, just know you don't need to rush to deflate someone's fond comments about a Williams score. I will always make sure there's a spot reserved for you 
With love,
John
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I was going to write:
"THIS SPOT RESERVED FOR CONDESCENDING ONYABIRRI COMMENT."
However, Onya already claimed his reservation, bypassing the maitre d'. Guess I'm a non-essential worker.
Onya, just know you don't need to rush to deflate someone's fond comments about a Williams score. I will always make sure there's a spot reserved for you
With love,
John
I just called it "wonderful." Looks like someone needs to update his eyeglass prescription!
Perhaps! Onya, serious question - have you found a new appreciation of this music? My impression in the past is of you being extremely sarcastic about Williams output from about 1974 on...
So, is "wonderful" sarcasm or heartfelt? If the latter, apologies from me.
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So, is "wonderful" sarcasm or heartfelt? If the latter, apologies from me.
My lifelong love of film music stems from:
"Dark Shadows" music by Robert Cobert; and
"Lost in Space" music by Bernard Herrmann and John Williams.
If listing Williams in my Big Three is not high enough praise for the board's Lucas/Spielberg contingent, then I'm at a loss.
Well, then, I was wrong. It has always seemed to me that you "bomb" Williams threads with sarcasm, or alternatively, damn with faint praise. But I shall no longer pretend to read your mind.
FWIW, I have no love of Lucas (been forcing myself to watch the Star Wars series after many years of the discs collecting dust on my shelf, so that I can finally either enjoy or endure the last one, which I have not seen yet). About the only appeal to me of Star Wars is the music, which I think is tremendous. I'm disappointed that the new Atmos mixes accompanying the 4K releases bury the scores under all the sound effects (with the original trilogy, you can barely hear the music at all).
I do have a love of most Spielberg, though, which I will happily defend.
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Onya, a point of commonality - it was Williams' Lost In Space music that got me interested in film music and film scoring in the first place.
That, and Akira Ifukube's work in the Godzilla series.
Oh yeah, and Williams' music for another Irwin Allen production, The Poseidon Adventure. Saw it in the theater as a little kid and the relentless 3/4 rhythm in the strings captivated me from the moment I heard it.
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I was already infatuated with Bernard Herrmanns music from the Harryhausen films, plus the Gérard recordings of the Errol Flynn swashbucklers whe I saw a review of Williams score for Star Wars 77 in Photoplay Film Monthly. Even though I had to get over the fact it sounded nothing like the Meco single, I was sold.
And I hadn't been to see the film yet. But I'll never forget that forbidding looking double album LP set sitting in the record shop. Looked so cool.
I was 16. So what's this New Hope crap?
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