I like JW, but he is starting to confuse his works!

I think he is doing some of his best work ever in the past few years. I'd hate to miss gems like A.I., Minority Report, Attack of the Clones and Harry Potter because he takes time off...

 

I agree with you stri, I think that most of his work is very unique. We just have to realize that he spends most of his time on the thematic development, and most of the things we are complaining about are the incidental music. Of course that is going to be similar...JW even talks about that and (on an NPR interview) calls it his musical thumbprint - a connection between all of his works. That can't be helped, and is consistant in composition since the dawn of time.

(it is also the thing that makes us music geeks be able to listen to NPR and tell the difference between mozart and hayden)

 

RidingMyCaroselOnYou, I agree with you:
*There were a lot of complaints that the two scores (Episode II and the first Harry Potter) sounded a lot alike.

*If you're a musician or a composer, though, sometimes you have favorite patterns and scales to use. Maybe that's what JW did here?


JW knows how to evoke specific emotions and knwo which instruments/groups of instruments shoudl be used to achieve those emotions... its that plain and simple... Especially in high enregy scenes he uses the same devices in different movies... but this does not detract from teh fact that the man is pure genius which always enhances the movies he works on....

 

well put!

 

When I saw Harry Potter 2, I noticed that when they are in the forest, the music sounded a lot like AOTC. I can't put my finger on where it was in AOTC, but I just remember thinking that when watching the movie.

I always thought that parts from the end credits of Raiders of the Lost Ark sounded like Han and Leia's Theme from ESB.

 

Hell my roommate who does not know film music at ALL saw E.T. with me and said the finale sounded exactly like some Star Wars movie. And we went home and I sifted through them and low and behold he was RIGHT.

Listen to the "The first transport is away!" section of ESB. Very ET-like.

 

Want to hear something almost IDENTICAL?

Cbeck out "Hook" in the scene where Peter (Robin Williams) walks into the bedroom and looks at the wallpaper. The Hogwarts theme from "Harry Potter" is so incredibly close to sounding like that. They both share that sort of dark, slow, and enchanting melody.

 

Again, it's a similar style from the same composer to evoke a similar mood. It's not the same.

 

Is the discussion here really over? UP!

 

Most composers have distinctive sounds. Unless we hear the Force Theme or Raiders' March pop up in the next Harry Potter, I'm not worried. Short cues with certain orchestrations for certain moods are of course going to sound very much alike.

 

I have read many negative comments about the HP scores, ''they lack magic'' etc. But, remember, while Star Wars or the Indys are kind of universal for all ages that want some escapism and fun (and also have a ''coolness factor''), Harry Potter is ONLY for little toddlers. You don't have to be so demanding from what is essentially a kid's film. I believe JW approaches HP in auto-pilot mode to get a paycheque. And, it's still better than many other scores out there.

 

See I am an adult who LOVES the Harry Potter films and the scores. My parents do too and my sister and her husband do as well. I know a LOT of other adults who not only loved the films but also thought the music was really great. My father went so far as to say it's very memorable and among John Williams' best.

 

My niece got the HP soundtrack for Christmas (I almost got it for her). I, however, have yet to see an HP movie or hear the score.

~ General Kenobi, who is glad he bought The Hobbit for his niece instead

 

Ken I highly recommend both the films and both the scores. They are definately slanted towards kids, but like E.T. they both work for adults as well.

 

I'll try to squeeze them in sometime.

 

Marions's Theme from Raiders is the same as Han & Leia's theme from TESB and ROTJ. And Qui-Gon's theme, according to me and Oakessteve, sounds like Brody's Theme from Jaws.

Don't sweat it. It's nothing new.

 

Marions's Theme from Raiders is the same as Han & Leia's theme from TESB and ROTJ

Not even. They are totally different melodies that have little in common.

 

Sure, great by kid's film standards, but still a kid's film. You won't mention Harry Potter to a friend and expect to take you seriously, while SW and Indy are generaly considered as ''cool stuff''.

 

Yes, You could hear the mystery theme from AOTC in scenes with Draco's father and you could hear parts of the chase through Coruscant in HP2...

But who cares?? If you count it all together you won't even reach 10 mins. of 'old' music in a 2h30 movie.

 

Meh, I don't care if the same style themes are used again. It still sounds good to me

 

Sure, great by kid's film standards, but still a kid's film. You won't mention Harry Potter to a friend and expect to take you seriously, while SW and Indy are generaly considered as ''cool stuff''.

Yes actually I have conversations with other adults all the time about Harry Potter and we all seem to recognize that it is more than JUST a kid's movie. The books and the films are entertaining for older kids and adults as well. I speak for far more than just myself on this one. It seems to be only some teens who are "too cool" for Harry Potter. I'd bet money you fall in this age range.

 

It's not a matter of being ''too cool'' for Harry Potter, and I actually loved the film. It was a kid's film that doesn't make a 20year old (c'est moi) feel dumb and was much more mature than two certain films by Joel Schumacher.

But the general consensus is that HP is for kids, and I would be ashamed to enter a shop and buy something related to HP, or show the OST album to my friends. See my point? I quite like HP (the film and the score) for what it is, but I don't want others to know.

It's not a matter of ''being cool'', it's a matter of what other will think of you if they see you with a HP related thing. Being a OST collector is already a pretty ''uncool'' thing.

And, if it's not a kid's film, why the main character, and the smarter people in the film, are children? This reminds me of films like ET.

 

Not wanting to be seen buying or holding Harry Potter stuff, while liking the films IS being too cool for it. Have a backbone and some self esteem. Who cares what people think of your likes and dislikes. It's not all about image in this world.

 

^^^agreed^^^

 

Well, I downloaded MP3s of the score highlights. The problem is that I'm just too young (20) to say ''It's for my kids''. If you are 30+, you can get away with it I already got funny looks when I rented the DVD.