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1. The Bourne Ultimatum 2. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix 3. Ratatouille 4. Live Free or Die Hard 5. Shrek the Third | . | . |
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Filmtracks Recommends:
Buy it... on both the 1998 Varèse Sarabande re-recording and 2000 Rhino complete set for superior presentations of one of John Williams' most memorable and classic scores. Avoid it... on the Warner or Rhino releases if you are deterred by the archival, analog sound quality that restricts the dynamic range of Williams' composition and varies from track to track. Filmtracks Editorial Review:
The key to the longevity of Williams' music for the Superman legend is its timelessness. The instant recognizability of Williams' multitude of shamelessly obvious themes is also a contributing factor. Whether it's the unequivocal heroism, the patriotic feeling of soaring optimism that it instills in listeners, or even the brassy, overwhelming orchestral power that hooked so many people into the genre of film music at the time, Superman is a score of such quality that it cannot be completely eclipsed by the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchise works also by Williams. When remembering the impact of Superman on listeners at the time, most people point to the themes rather than the style. And while the grandeur of the London Symphony Orchestra's performance of Williams' densely orchestrated and intelligently designed ideas are as alluring as ever, the themes do indeed define the score. The opening march provides the title character with a noble persona of galactic proportions, its simplistic octave-loving major key progressions serving the dose of superhero elixir that has, to some degree, worn badly with audiences through the years due to the brightness of its own light. So blatantly heroic is its construct that the title march is more difficult to enjoy thirty years later than the other themes from the film. By far superior in its agelessness is the love theme, highlighting the magnificent "Flying Sequence" in the film. Its lyrical sense of movement coincides with the fact that theme was originally designed with lyrics in mind ("Can You Read My Mind") and several pop variants were recorded for the scene before the now-famous classical performance and concert arrangement was used instead. Given the beauty of the theme and the remarkable personal tragedies that tormented lead actors Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder in the following decades, the Superman love theme's only detraction is its bittersweet legacy. Still, in both its interlude performance in the primary march for the film, as well as its own generous song variants and concert arrangements, it is the best that Superman offers. Keeping its numerous original recordings by Williams straight is another matter, left for discussion about the albums below. While the march and love theme are the best remembered themes from Superman, there are several notable subthemes that each receive considerable development. The most intriguing of these is one that knocks the viewer over the head immediately after the opening fanfare is finished. The remarkable crescendo that builds from a solo trumpet into a monumentally harmonic performance of the "Planet Krypton" theme is the single favorite minute of music for some listeners of the score. After the planet is introduced in its glory, the film never allows such a restatement. Unsatisfying incorporation of the theme into the scene of the planet's destruction and subsequent references in "The Fortress of Solitude" cause the theme to be underutilized. Interestingly, John Ottman would rely on clever references to the theme more often in his 2006 film score. One curious note is that the 1998 re-recording alters the woodwind solo after the end of Krypton's famous crescendo to match the "Force theme" from Star Wars. Slight synthetic effects during the sentencing of General Zod in this cue make up the bulk of the employment of electronics in the score, and their impact is barely noticeable. For "Destruction of Krypton," Williams would foreshadow the danger with a distantly dissonant adult choir, though Star Wars fans will delight in the timpani-pounding, cymbal-crashing full ensemble harmony of the Death Star's glory during the actual scenes of destruction. A theme for the Kent family is introduced and maintained until Clark Kent's departure for Metropolis. Sometimes referred to as the "family theme" or the "Smallville" theme, this identification with the character's childhood features the same heroic stature as the fanfare, but with less obvious statement until the closing of "Leaving Home." The only somewhat weak theme in the score for Superman is the one for Gene Hackman and Ned Beatty's villainous duo. Williams' "March of the Villains" treads dangerously close to the comical territory that the production was trying to avoid, though it's obvious that Williams was attempting to play off of Hackman's confidently snickering performance. Much of the concert arrangement of this irritatingly prancing theme was never actually used in the film. The remainder of the score often uses fragments of these themes for its substance. One cue of singular beauty is "Trip to Earth," which offers some of the wondrous atmosphere that would eventually be fleshed out in Hook. A minor-key variant of the Krypton theme in "The Fortress of Solitude" is an emotional play aided in the cue by eerie high female voices. The straight action cues are overshadowed by moments like the latter half of "The Big Rescue" (or "Helicopter Sequence"), which cranks out a reprise of the title fanfare. Some of the better action cues were never available on the original LP or CD albums for Superman, further diminishing their memorability. The album situation for this score was frustrating for many Superman fans, though they would be ultimately rewarded for their patience with two stunning releases of the score in 1998 and 2000. The original 1987 release on CD was far from complete, not even featuring the same quantity of music contained on the LP release. For some mainstream listeners, however, it could be argued that the 73 minutes of music presented on that original CD was all that was really necessary. In 1998, Robert Townson commissioned an effort to completely reconstruct the score for a re-recording by John Debney and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. The resulting 2-CD set on the Varèse Sarabande label not only maintains the integrity of Williams' original composition, but added 13 minutes of noteworthy material not available on the 1987 Warner release. Although there were skeptics at the time who didn't believe in the concept of the multitude of re-recordings that were undertaken by Varèse and other labels in the late 1990's, this presentation of Superman features a performance among the best of all the efforts of the era (ranking with Vertigo on Varèse and Raise the Titanic on Silva Screen Records). Rather than serving as an interpretation of Williams' score, the beauty of the coordination effort for this recording of Superman is its total and complete faithfulness to the original composition. Debney and the ensemble achieve stellar results in their goal of producing a sound that recreates the original feel and power of Williams' work. Casual listeners, in fact, won't even be able to tell a difference between the re-recording and the original. This is, of course, except for the crisp digital sound of the Varèse set. While the additional selections and better arrangement of the music may not be sufficient to alone attract your purchase, the sound quality will. Hearing the majority of the score in outstanding digital quality, especially with such precise attention to the restoration of the music, makes this set a must-have for Williams collectors. The opening few minutes of the "Planet Krypton" cue alone will blow you out of your seat. The packaging, complete with track-by-track analysis, is a fascinating read as well. It could be argued that Varèse and the RSNO never reached these soaring heights again. The 2000 Rhino release finally ended all demands by Superman score fans, presenting forty additional minutes of previously unreleased music from the original recordings. If you were for some reason deterred from the Varèse album, the early 2000 set of double CDs offers the complete score with such attention to detail that there will likely never again be a significant revisional CD release of Superman. As comprehensive as it could possibly be, the Rhino set combines the superior arrangement of the Varèse album with a collection of unheard and alternate cues. Along with similar treatment for Jaws, Close Encounters, and a number of other classic Williams scores, this Rhino set competes well. There are some legitimate and surprising additional cues that will be necessary additions to your collection, including the rousing "Star Ship Escapes" and "The Big Rescue." A large portion of missing cues from the second half of the film is also finally made available. For good measure, Rhino also includes the pop versions of the love theme performed by Margot Kidder, as well as source cues, alternate takes, and the score's concert arrangement. The extensive liner notes, despite a somewhat cumbersome slip case that houses them, are as enjoyable as the Varèse ones. Overall, the original Warner release from 1987 is no longer relevant. But both the Varèse and Rhino presentations are nothing less than 5-star products. Either set will continue to make you wonder how this score could have lost the Oscar to Giorgio Moroder's Midnight Express.
1987 Warner Album: *** 1998 Varèse Sarabande Album: ***** 2000 Rhino Album: ***** Overall: *****
* Lyrics by Leslie Bricusse
* contains previously unreleased material ** contains vocals performed by Margot Kidder † previously unreleased music
Notes about the original performance on the Rhino Complete Set: Music Mixed and Recorded by Eric Tomlinson, Anvil Studios, Denham, England, July 1978 Remixed at Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Bucks, England Orchestrations: Herbert Spencer and Arthur Morton Music Editor: Bob Hathaway Music Editor Assistant: Ken Ross "By the middle of 1978 I had been filming Superman for nearly a year-and-a-half and had lost my objectivity about it. But when I went to John Williams' first recording session with the London Symphony Orchestra and heard his score for the opening titles, my spirits soared. His soundtrack for the film is perfect and will always remain a classic."
Notes about the Varèse Sarabande Re-recording: "This new recording does not replace the original recording, which is conducted by John Williams himself. It certainly does not take the place of any potential special edition of Williams' recording. The best way I can describe this CD is as a "stand alone companion piece" to the soundtrack. I realize that these are conflicting terms. It was imperative to me that my recording must be able to stand on its own. Therefore the concept of recording only music that did not appear on the WB disc didn't work. I needed the main set pieces of the score. You know what they are. How could we have a Superman disc without Leaving Home or The Fortress of Solitude? This was the balance I had to maintain. How much could I add and how much could I afford to lose and have the disc still play as a well-rounded listening experience and a solid representation of the score? I have done the best job of this that I can."
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