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Posted: |
Jul 6, 2021 - 3:22 PM
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By: |
JSDouglas
(Member)
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Somewhere I remember Steven Spielberg saying that John Williams could take a tear forming in your eye and, with his music, make it drop. I have experienced this phenomena with the music of Williams and many other brilliant composers. I have also encountered many who resist this sort of effect calling it overt manipulation, mawkish, telling them how to feel, saccharine or just sappy. As for film music causing tearfulness (as opposed to outright sobs) when listened to apart from the film - I have experienced that as well. Here are some times I remember it happening to me: I was listening to one of the Rozsa Polydor albums and I remember being affected by the sheer beauty of some of Rozsa's tragic/romantic music. It was at this moment that I had to class Rozsa as my top favorite composer of film music - his emotional impact was that strong. Later I remember playing the KING OF KINGS album recording as restored on the "Miklos Rozsa Treasury" box set from FSM and getting emotional hearing that performance for the first time in stereo. It was a kind of revelation to my ears, plus the music was so glorious it brought tears. Another time was while listening to John Williams' score to STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS for the first time. I hadn't seen the movie, but I was overwhelmed by the realization that here was a new Williams score for a STAR WARS film and truly what a gift it was we were getting at a time when I thought we would never hear such things again in a major film score. Such moments are unique and are not necessarily repeatable later on - but there you are! I'd just like to add that I once performed in a play where I and my fellow actors tasked ourselves with each coming up with a movie that made us cry, but was maybe not officially a tearjerker (like the aforementioned THE DIRTY DOZEN). One guy came up with DIRTY DANCING ("Nobody puts Baby in a corner"). I admitted that MARY POPPINS had recently done me in due to my realization that it was the character of Mr. Banks that needed redemption in the film - plus "Feed the Birds," I mean...c'mon! I also react accordingly to all sad films when appropriate. Incidentally, in E.T. its the reaction of Drew Barrymore to E.T.'s "death" that usually hits me hardest - ironically a moment not underlined by John Williams' music (except at the end of the sequence). So much for telling me how to feel! Way to drop the ball, John!
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Somewhere I remember Steven Spielberg saying that John Williams could take a tear forming in your eye and, with his music, make it drop. I have experienced this phenomena with the music of Williams and many other brilliant composers. I have also encountered many who resist this sort of effect calling it overt manipulation, mawkish, telling them how to feel, saccharine or just sappy. As for film music causing tearfulness (as opposed to outright sobs) when listened to apart from the film - I have experienced that as well. Here are some times I remember it happening to me: I was listening to one of the Rozsa Polydor albums and I remember being affected by the sheer beauty of some of Rozsa's tragic/romantic music. It was at this moment that I had to class Rozsa as my top favorite composer of film music - his emotional impact was that strong. Later I remember playing the KING OF KINGS album recording as restored on the "Miklos Rozsa Treasury" box set from FSM and getting emotional hearing that performance for the first time in stereo. It was a kind of revelation to my ears, plus the music was so glorious it brought tears. Another time was while listening to John Williams' score to STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS for the first time. I hadn't seen the movie, but I was overwhelmed by the realization that here was a new Williams score for a STAR WARS film and truly what a gift it was we were getting at a time when I thought we would never hear such things again in a major film score. Such moments are unique and are not necessarily repeatable later on - but there you are! I'd just like to add that I once performed in a play where I and my fellow actors tasked ourselves with each coming up with a movie that made us cry, but was maybe not officially a tearjerker (like the aforementioned THE DIRTY DOZEN). One guy came up with DIRTY DANCING ("Nobody puts Baby in a corner"). I admitted that MARY POPPINS had recently done me in due to my realization that it was the character of Mr. Banks that needed redemption in the film - plus "Feed the Birds," I mean...c'mon! I also react accordingly to all sad films when appropriate. Incidentally, in E.T. its the reaction of Drew Barrymore to E.T.'s "death" that usually hits me hardest - ironically a moment not underlined by John Williams' music (except at the end of the sequence). So much for telling me how to feel! Way to drop the ball, John! A slew of great examples, Mr. JSDouglas.
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