SAVING PRIVATE RYAN

JOHN WILLIAMS

Rating:

Original Review: Over the years, John Williams' collaboration with Steven Spielberg collaboration has resulted in some near-legendary scores. From classics like Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T., to modern day masterpieces like Jurassic Park, Schindler's List and Amistad, the combination of Spielberg's mastery of the potent image and Williams' incredible gift for emotion and melody have created some of the most memorable films ever seen in the cinema.

Saving Private Ryan the movie is undoubtedly going to join the ranks as one of the great films of the modern era. An unsanitised, unsentimental representation of the horrors of World War 2, as seen through the eyes of a platoon headed by Tom Hanks, many are already tipping it to sweep the board at the 1999 Oscar ceremony. However, Saving Private Ryan the score is a little more complicated matter. Upon listening to the CD, the first thing one notices about the music is the complete lack of anything remotely resembling an action cue. This may seem a little unusual, considering the movie's setting and subject matter, but Spielberg made a conscious decision to leave his battle scenes completely unscored, so that they would seem more realistic and, therefore, more harrowing. Williams' job became much more difficult because of this, in that he was left with very little movie to score.

In the end, Williams ended up writing a series of 'remembrance' cues which are heard in the film during the scenes of quiet reflection in between all the stomach-churning skirmishes. The centrepiece of his score is the beautiful 'Hymn to the Fallen', described by Spielberg in the liner notes as "a memorial for all the soldiers who sacrificed themselves on the altar of freedom in the Normandy Invasion of June 6, 1994" which will "stand the test of time and honour forever the fallen of this war and, possibly, all wars". The hymn, which makes tremendous use of the haunting sounds of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, plays over the end credits of the film and, according to reports, members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra were in tears during the recording of this piece, so touched were they by the beauty of the music. I can well understand why.

The problem lies not with the main theme, which is one of Williams' best, but with the rest of the score which, because of the nature of the film and the use of the music therein, is rather subdued and restrained. All of the middle album cues feature heartfelt horn and trumpet solos over slow, solemn strings and occasional percussion interludes which, although they are performed well and certainly create a mood of desperation and weariness, are quite repetitive and unmemorable. Some of the tracks do have a bit of sparkle, like 'Approaching the Enemy' and 'The Last Battle' which include a military snare drum, and 'Defense Preparations', parts of which sound like the older, slower cousin of the Theme from The Lost World, but on the whole the score is rather bland and samey, simply meandering along for three quarters of an hour before the final rendition of the Hymn to the Fallen strikes up, bringing the CD to a close.

Please remember, though, that the impact of the music as heard in the film is a completely different matter. In a way, the whole issue of hearing music in and out of the cinema setting can be brought to bear upon this score. If the music effectively achieves its purpose insofar as accentuating the images on the screen, does it matter if the music isn't particularly enjoyable as a standalone CD? Should music from a film like this even be heard away from the cinema if the CD does not deliver the same dramatic results? Who are we to say that a score is good or not good if the director believes the composer has effectively accentuated the messages the film is trying to put across? I don't have the answers to these questions, so I'll review this CD in the only way I know how. As a music fan. Therefore, in terms of the music as heard in the film, Saving Private Ryan earns an unequivocal five stars. As a separate CD listening experience, heard away from the cinema, it is not and could never be as effective, and as such only rates a three.

Track Listing: Running Time: 64 minutes 15 seconds

Dreamworks Records DRD-50046 (1998)

Music composed and conducted by John Williams . Performed by The Boston Symphony Orchestra and The Tanglewood Festival Chorus. Featured musical soloists Gus Sebring, Tim Morrison and Thomas Rolfs. Recorded and mixed by Shawn Murphy. Edited by Ken Wannberg. Album produced by John Williams.


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Movie Music U.K is designed and maintained by Jonathan Broxton (c) 1998. All opinions and views expressed on these pages are my own and are in no way intended to reflect those of the University of Sheffield. All photos and album artwork used on Movie Music U.K. are for non-profit making promotional purposes and no copyright infringement is intended.