Grond! Grond! Grond! Grond!
Jan. 21st, 2004 03:52 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ealgyldenHere's a very funny take on Lord of the Rings as an RPG. Clever and cute (and I kept thinking of "I kill Gandalf!" from Dork Tower, which is a good thing).
I had a lot of irritation to burn off today (well, yesterday by now), so I channelled it into typing. Lucky you. *g* Anyway, here
I love the image of Eowyn standing in front of Meduseld, gazing longingly into the distance, as the wind sweeps around her so strongly it could almost carry her off to the freedom she craves. Ah, the drama! Except. I have long hair. I live in a windy place. I know what a bitch it is to comb long hair after standing dramatically out in the wind. She must have a flotilla of servants who battle the Tribbles on her head after her moments of High Drama (not unlike the ones who chase after Arwen, picking up the clothes she's been flinging off in her High Drama moments).
How much time passes during the Elrond/Arwen scene? She changes clothes three times, so either she's pretty fussy or there's some heavy compression of time occurring. Regardless, I love the progression of her costumes in that section. She arrives on the scene in her silvery-purple, ethereal travelling clothes, looking just as silvery and ethereal as the other departing elves we've seen, right back to the wood elves glimpsed when Frodo and Sam first left the Shire. This is Arwen's last big moment as the Immortal Princess before they start hammering us (again) with her choice and her death and whatall, and she's dressed for the part. This costume really emphasizes her unearthly, moonlit beauty. Next we see her sweeping up to the statue holding Narsil, now dressed in a midnight-blue cloak, which looks absolutely gorgeous against her fair skin and blue eyes (can't really tell that it's blue in the pic, though), and which may have been chosen to wrong-foot us later on at Dunharrow (is the mysterious midnight-clad figure in Théoden's tent Arwen? No, it's her dad! Oops!). Then the scene shifts again, back to Elrond and Arwen in the gardens, and now she's dressed in what I've been mentally calling her "mortality gown" (Ngila and co. call it her "dying gown", I think, but I don't have the Art of RotK book yet to double-check). That's the gorgeous midnight-and-crimson gown that's been showing up in publicity shots since before FotR came out (incidentally, this gown is tied with her riding costume from FotR as my favorite costume of hers). Stylistically, it's similar to the rest of her wardrobe, all trailing sleeves and Pre-Raphaelite draperies. Color-wise, though, it's entirely new. Her glowing silvers and delicate Elven hues have been transformed into rich jewel-tones, similar to those worn by her Gondorian subjects in the coronation scene (as well as to her mourning clothes in Elrond's TTT vision, which are also midnight-blue trimmed with crimson and gold). Apparently her clothes know where her destiny now lies- with Men. Interestingly, when we next see her (for real, not in Aragorn's despairing dream), she's no longer dressed like her soon-to-be-adopted people, and is instead back in pastels, though not the cool blues and lavenders she wore in Rivendell. She arrives in her new existence dressed in a spring-like green, a color of beginnings and vitality. She wears her death now, but she wears her life as well.
What do the orcs in Mordor proper eat? Besides each other, I mean. It doesn't look like there's a lot of game around there.
One of my favorite images in the whole trilogy is Gandalf sitting alone in some empty alley or cul-de-sac in Minas Tirith, right after Faramir and his men have ridden off to get slaughtered. He's leaning on his staff, completely silent and still, and it's a deeply touching, beautifully composed shot.
After Éowyn snaps at her brother, "Why should Merry not go to war? He has as much cause to fight as you," Éomer gets a weird look on his face, like he's thinking "uh oh." I wonder how much he suspects. It's not like she's subtle, after all.
I think the Fell beasts look amazing, and Eowyn hacking off the head of the Witch King's Beast ("Fluffy") is a fabulous scene, but the darn thing doesn't bleed. No blood or ichor or anything. So how do they... work? On fumes of pure evil?
I just love Aragorn's expression when he first sees Arwen at the coronation. It's like... on some level, he never stopped being convinced she was lost to him forever. But now she's there, and she's real, and she's his, as he is hers. Such a great moment. Viggo interested me less in this movie than the first two (not his fault, since Aragorn interests me less in this book), but that bit makes up for quite a bit. It even almost balances for Elrond's tears, now that he's lost Arwen. Poor Elrond (but yay Hugo).
The shot of our four hobbits sitting uncomfortably in the inn always makes me want to watch The Best Years of Our Lives, or some other movie where the homefront no longer fits quite right for the brave heroes after their war.
Random nice touch- when the words "Return of the King" appear on the screen, a single horn plays the Gondor theme (its first appearance in this movie). That same horn reappears carrying the same line in the coronation scene, right as Gandalf says, "Now come the days of the king." Tah dah, he's returned, and he's brought his theme song! Heh, sorry, no more Hershey's Kisses for me.
Arguably the "biggest" of the new themes introduced in this movie is the one for The West (Gondor having already popped up several times in the first two movies), and it creeps up on us. The very first hint of it that I heard, the germ that evolves into The West, is just a two/three-note sequence heard when Frodo and Sam are first discussing rationing their lembas. Frodo asks whatever for, Sam answers matter-of-factly, "The journey home," and that first hint of The West plays as a little hope creeps back into Frodo's expression. Sure, that hint promptly evolves into an entirely different theme, but it's there for a moment. And then much later on, when Frodo observes that they won't have any water left and Sam answers, "I don't think there will be a return journey, Mr. Frodo," that bit of hope fades out of Frodo's expression as a slightly fuller bit of The West plays. Very nice. The West also accompanies Frodo and Sam during the drama of the "But I can carry you!" scene, as it rises to its grandest expression in the score yet, with the full orchestra singing out triumphantly. It's a fairly interesting choice of motives for the moment (one more reason why I'm so utterly thrilled with Howard Shore's work on the trilogy- his choices are natural but not predictable). Sam and Frodo have moved past the variations of the Hobbit and Fellowship themes that accompanied the emotional climax of their storyline in Fellowship (the bit with the boat and the near-drowning) and the Hobbits theme that supported them in Two Towers (Sam's whole "Even darkness must pass. A new day will come" bit). The only path left for them, really, is the Great Beyond, ie the Grey Havens and the West.
The second time The West is heard, after the hint in the lembas scene, is when Gandalf is explaining the White Tree to Pippin as they stride (or run, if one is a hobbit) across the courtyard. That bit's actually on the album, at the very beginning of "The White Tree"- it's sort of a dark, mourning version of the theme (fittingly), carried again by the horns. The West isn't fully developed until a later Gandalf/Pippin scene, when they're talking about death and after. Gandalf says, "And then you see it," and then you hear it as well- The West underscores his description of "white shores and beyond, a far green country under a swift sunrise."
The fanfare for Andúril is also the theme for The West, albeit a slightly variant form. What I especially like about the Andúril variant is that both times it appears in the score (during the forging and when Elrond gives it to Aragorn), it's composed of The West (which is instrumentally similar to Gondor, or perhaps that should be the other way around) evolving out of Rivendell. Rather fitting from several angles. The album version (track 10, "Andúril," natch) is the "tah-dah!" presentation version rather than the more rhythmically dynamic (and shorter) forging version, which is just fine with me. It's a truly thrilling moment in the score.
Also thrilling is the White Rider theme. I don't have anything to say about it, really. I just like it. We first get to hear it in TTT- Shadowfax makes his romance novel entrance ("All thirteen-year-old girls shall love me and despair!") accompanied by a suitably lush bit of music, and as the scene shifts to the Three Hunters and Gandalf galloping across Rohan, the score sweeps into The White Rider (on the TTT album it's track 9, 2:00-2:20 or so). It turns up again as Gandalf rides off to find Éomer and his men, and again just as Shadowfax crashes into the front rank of orcs at Helm's Deep. In RotK it's used as Shadowfax charges out of Rohan for the last time, separating Merry and Pippin. It's one of the most cinematic (for lack of a better word) themes Shore uses, and I think it's wonderful. Aren't you glad to know that? *g*
Another moment I liked- as the orcs are invading Osgiliath in their boats, it's all creepy, sneaking, orc-y music. Nasty things are quietly afoot. Faramir and his men hurry into position and wait, wait, wait... and then Faramir leaps out on the attack, accompanied by a bold, martial fanfare of the Gondor theme. Cool. Cliché, maybe, but cool.
When Legolas is explaining to Gimli how the Army of the Dead got their happy fun curse, the underscore is the History of the Ring theme. It could just be being used as a general History theme (I think that's happened elsewhere in the score), but I tend to think that Shore is playing Six Degrees of the Ring through the connection with Isildur.
My least favorite part of the score is the music for Shelob. It's effective and interesting, but I don't like spiders, and I'm not that fond of skittery strings either. However, I do very much like the fact that when Frodo thinks to use the Phial of Galadriel, the score dips out of the creepy, spidery music into a deep echo of the Lorien theme in its more martial form (the variant heard at Helm's Deep). He has his two Elvish weapons and now he has the Elvish battle music to go with them. Then later, when he's revived by his vision of Galadriel, she's accompanied by the Caras Galadhon variant of the Lorien theme, which doubles as her personal motif. Sam's spider-distracting arrival with Sting and the phial, though, is accompanied not by the Lorien theme, but by the Fellowship. I guess when he took on the Fellowship's mantle of protection and support of the Ringbearer, he took on the theme song, too. Heh. Anyway, the musical juxtaposition (and Sam's use of Frodo's Elvish weapons) made me flash back to Galadriel's focus on Sam when she said, "Yet hope remains while the company is true."
I think I've mentioned how much I love the Ride of the Rohirrim in every post I've made about this movie. Well, guess what. I'm going to do it again. *g* Seriously, though, I love that section of the score madly, which is why it's not on the CD, I bet. The wonderful track "Ride of the Rohirrim" corresponds to the muster at Dunharrow. It starts in grand fashion as Théoden arrives, segues into the Celtic-y flute piece that underscores Merry's plea to be allowed to join the fight and Théoden's refusal, and ends dramatically as the Riders stream out heading for the Pelennor. So it's all pre-Ride. Anyway, back on the Fields, Théoden gives Éomer and Grimbold their orders, taps his sword against the spears of his men, rallies his people in grand Anglo-Saxon style... and does none of it to the Rohan theme. That's the Nature theme underneath all of that. The Rohan theme doesn't kick back in until the Rohirrim actually begin their charge. So why the Nature theme? Good question, with an answer I still haven't pinned down (ah, if only I were a journalist with access to Howard Shore!).
The Nature theme is used mostly in connection with three things: Supermoth and the eagles, the Ents, and the Rohirrim. The first major use of it is when Supermoth comes to Gandalf on top of Orthanc and Gandalf sends him off to get Gwaihir (so this would be track 7 on the FotR CD, "A Knife in the Dark," around 2:15 or so). It never quite sounds like this again, thanks to a time shift, but it does stay as one of Ben Del Maestro's solos, which is nice. It's also used in its fully developed form (and new time) when Supermoth and the eagles arrive to fight the Nazguls before the Black Gates. So a third of the appearances of the eagles (and both appearances of Supermoth) are accompanied by the Nature motif. How about the Ents? They have their own theme, one which relies heavily on wooden percussion, and it's a good one. However, the Last March of the Ents isn't set to Ent music but to the Nature theme. As Treebeard rumbles, "The Ents are going to war. It is likely we go to our doom. The last march of the Ents," and they all stride dramatically toward Isengard, Ben Del Maestro and the chorus burst out with a thrilling version of Nature (another one of my favorite score moments). Using the Nature theme to build to the Ride of the Rohirrim, as they chant "Death! Death! Death!" and likely go to their doom, is a nicely subtle way to tie one of the dying races of Middle Earth to the one which is soon to dominate. Nature has been used for the Rohirrim at least twice before, though, and both times in the context of mental and physical preparations for battle. The first time is during the arming of Théoden- the chorus enters as Gamling says, "Your men, my lord, will follow you to whatever end" (cf. "It is likely we go to our doom" and "Ride for ruin and the world's ending! To death!") and slowly builds as Théoden recites his ubi sunt passage and we see glimpses of his people preparing for battle. It never actually resolves into the final expression of the Nature theme, though (and Ben doesn't get to sing yet), because it shifts into something else as soon as Théoden says, "How did it come to this," which marks an end to the scene and a shift back to the Entmoot. The full Nature motif has to wait for the Last March of the Ents and, directly thereafter, the "Forth Eorlingas" scene. Théoden asks, "What can men do against such reckless hate?", the Uruk-Hai smash against the door again, and as Aragorn says, "Ride out with me. Ride out and meet them," the chorus and the Nature motif rise again softly. It builds slowly as they decide to make this desperate charge. Théoden declares, "Let this be the hour when we draw swords together," immediately after which Ben Del Maestro enters with his solo and the main melodic thrust of the theme, which then underscores Théoden's, "Fell deeds awake. Now for wrath! Now for ruin! And a red dawn!", after which the score is replaced by the sound of Helm's Horn, until the charge is made to an exciting bit of music that's not really a theme for anything. So is the Nature motif really a combined Nature and "We're off to get horribly slaughtered, huzzah!" theme? It works rather well as one. The moth and the eagles represent the "Nature" aspect (and yeah, I know that ME eagles are as much supernatural as they are natural. ME trees eat people and they're still natural, so I'm not going to worry about it). The Rohirrim have the "slaughtered" aspect covered, and the Ents bridge the two. For both the Ents and the Rohirrim, though, the Nature motif underscores the troops rallying themselves for a battle they're certain will be their last. The words this theme supports speak of noble but tragic endings- "The Last March of the Ents." "Ride for ruin and the world's ending!" "Now for wrath! Now for ruin! And a red dawn!" and so on. It's a thrilling motif, but it's a terribly sad one as well (and what a pity that none of the places that have translations of the lyrics used in these scores include those for the Nature theme). A natural fit for both Rohan and the Ents, then, I suppose.
What else was neat... Oh! When the Rohirrim make their suicidal charge at the Haradrim and their beasts, the score cuts out completely. The only sounds from the moment that charge begins are those of the battle, and of the Rohirrim being destroyed. The score doesn't return until the two mûmakil brought down by Éomer hit the ground, at which points it gets all exciting and battle-y again. I love that. It's like even the score is overwhelmed by the crushing odds, until Éomer shows that there is a slim chance after all. Nice touch.
I love the big choral version of the Fellowship theme that follows Aragorn's "For Frodo" and (brave but dumb) charge on the Black Gates. I really, really wish more than a minute snip of it had gotten onto the album. There's a bit more of it on the SE score DVD, but I want more! I want it all!
If they do come out with a complete ten-disc score, I'll be doomed. Happy, but doomed.
I had a lot of irritation to burn off today (well, yesterday by now), so I channelled it into typing. Lucky you. *g* Anyway, here
I love the image of Eowyn standing in front of Meduseld, gazing longingly into the distance, as the wind sweeps around her so strongly it could almost carry her off to the freedom she craves. Ah, the drama! Except. I have long hair. I live in a windy place. I know what a bitch it is to comb long hair after standing dramatically out in the wind. She must have a flotilla of servants who battle the Tribbles on her head after her moments of High Drama (not unlike the ones who chase after Arwen, picking up the clothes she's been flinging off in her High Drama moments).
How much time passes during the Elrond/Arwen scene? She changes clothes three times, so either she's pretty fussy or there's some heavy compression of time occurring. Regardless, I love the progression of her costumes in that section. She arrives on the scene in her silvery-purple, ethereal travelling clothes, looking just as silvery and ethereal as the other departing elves we've seen, right back to the wood elves glimpsed when Frodo and Sam first left the Shire. This is Arwen's last big moment as the Immortal Princess before they start hammering us (again) with her choice and her death and whatall, and she's dressed for the part. This costume really emphasizes her unearthly, moonlit beauty. Next we see her sweeping up to the statue holding Narsil, now dressed in a midnight-blue cloak, which looks absolutely gorgeous against her fair skin and blue eyes (can't really tell that it's blue in the pic, though), and which may have been chosen to wrong-foot us later on at Dunharrow (is the mysterious midnight-clad figure in Théoden's tent Arwen? No, it's her dad! Oops!). Then the scene shifts again, back to Elrond and Arwen in the gardens, and now she's dressed in what I've been mentally calling her "mortality gown" (Ngila and co. call it her "dying gown", I think, but I don't have the Art of RotK book yet to double-check). That's the gorgeous midnight-and-crimson gown that's been showing up in publicity shots since before FotR came out (incidentally, this gown is tied with her riding costume from FotR as my favorite costume of hers). Stylistically, it's similar to the rest of her wardrobe, all trailing sleeves and Pre-Raphaelite draperies. Color-wise, though, it's entirely new. Her glowing silvers and delicate Elven hues have been transformed into rich jewel-tones, similar to those worn by her Gondorian subjects in the coronation scene (as well as to her mourning clothes in Elrond's TTT vision, which are also midnight-blue trimmed with crimson and gold). Apparently her clothes know where her destiny now lies- with Men. Interestingly, when we next see her (for real, not in Aragorn's despairing dream), she's no longer dressed like her soon-to-be-adopted people, and is instead back in pastels, though not the cool blues and lavenders she wore in Rivendell. She arrives in her new existence dressed in a spring-like green, a color of beginnings and vitality. She wears her death now, but she wears her life as well.
What do the orcs in Mordor proper eat? Besides each other, I mean. It doesn't look like there's a lot of game around there.
One of my favorite images in the whole trilogy is Gandalf sitting alone in some empty alley or cul-de-sac in Minas Tirith, right after Faramir and his men have ridden off to get slaughtered. He's leaning on his staff, completely silent and still, and it's a deeply touching, beautifully composed shot.
After Éowyn snaps at her brother, "Why should Merry not go to war? He has as much cause to fight as you," Éomer gets a weird look on his face, like he's thinking "uh oh." I wonder how much he suspects. It's not like she's subtle, after all.
I think the Fell beasts look amazing, and Eowyn hacking off the head of the Witch King's Beast ("Fluffy") is a fabulous scene, but the darn thing doesn't bleed. No blood or ichor or anything. So how do they... work? On fumes of pure evil?
I just love Aragorn's expression when he first sees Arwen at the coronation. It's like... on some level, he never stopped being convinced she was lost to him forever. But now she's there, and she's real, and she's his, as he is hers. Such a great moment. Viggo interested me less in this movie than the first two (not his fault, since Aragorn interests me less in this book), but that bit makes up for quite a bit. It even almost balances for Elrond's tears, now that he's lost Arwen. Poor Elrond (but yay Hugo).
The shot of our four hobbits sitting uncomfortably in the inn always makes me want to watch The Best Years of Our Lives, or some other movie where the homefront no longer fits quite right for the brave heroes after their war.
Random nice touch- when the words "Return of the King" appear on the screen, a single horn plays the Gondor theme (its first appearance in this movie). That same horn reappears carrying the same line in the coronation scene, right as Gandalf says, "Now come the days of the king." Tah dah, he's returned, and he's brought his theme song! Heh, sorry, no more Hershey's Kisses for me.
Arguably the "biggest" of the new themes introduced in this movie is the one for The West (Gondor having already popped up several times in the first two movies), and it creeps up on us. The very first hint of it that I heard, the germ that evolves into The West, is just a two/three-note sequence heard when Frodo and Sam are first discussing rationing their lembas. Frodo asks whatever for, Sam answers matter-of-factly, "The journey home," and that first hint of The West plays as a little hope creeps back into Frodo's expression. Sure, that hint promptly evolves into an entirely different theme, but it's there for a moment. And then much later on, when Frodo observes that they won't have any water left and Sam answers, "I don't think there will be a return journey, Mr. Frodo," that bit of hope fades out of Frodo's expression as a slightly fuller bit of The West plays. Very nice. The West also accompanies Frodo and Sam during the drama of the "But I can carry you!" scene, as it rises to its grandest expression in the score yet, with the full orchestra singing out triumphantly. It's a fairly interesting choice of motives for the moment (one more reason why I'm so utterly thrilled with Howard Shore's work on the trilogy- his choices are natural but not predictable). Sam and Frodo have moved past the variations of the Hobbit and Fellowship themes that accompanied the emotional climax of their storyline in Fellowship (the bit with the boat and the near-drowning) and the Hobbits theme that supported them in Two Towers (Sam's whole "Even darkness must pass. A new day will come" bit). The only path left for them, really, is the Great Beyond, ie the Grey Havens and the West.
The second time The West is heard, after the hint in the lembas scene, is when Gandalf is explaining the White Tree to Pippin as they stride (or run, if one is a hobbit) across the courtyard. That bit's actually on the album, at the very beginning of "The White Tree"- it's sort of a dark, mourning version of the theme (fittingly), carried again by the horns. The West isn't fully developed until a later Gandalf/Pippin scene, when they're talking about death and after. Gandalf says, "And then you see it," and then you hear it as well- The West underscores his description of "white shores and beyond, a far green country under a swift sunrise."
The fanfare for Andúril is also the theme for The West, albeit a slightly variant form. What I especially like about the Andúril variant is that both times it appears in the score (during the forging and when Elrond gives it to Aragorn), it's composed of The West (which is instrumentally similar to Gondor, or perhaps that should be the other way around) evolving out of Rivendell. Rather fitting from several angles. The album version (track 10, "Andúril," natch) is the "tah-dah!" presentation version rather than the more rhythmically dynamic (and shorter) forging version, which is just fine with me. It's a truly thrilling moment in the score.
Also thrilling is the White Rider theme. I don't have anything to say about it, really. I just like it. We first get to hear it in TTT- Shadowfax makes his romance novel entrance ("All thirteen-year-old girls shall love me and despair!") accompanied by a suitably lush bit of music, and as the scene shifts to the Three Hunters and Gandalf galloping across Rohan, the score sweeps into The White Rider (on the TTT album it's track 9, 2:00-2:20 or so). It turns up again as Gandalf rides off to find Éomer and his men, and again just as Shadowfax crashes into the front rank of orcs at Helm's Deep. In RotK it's used as Shadowfax charges out of Rohan for the last time, separating Merry and Pippin. It's one of the most cinematic (for lack of a better word) themes Shore uses, and I think it's wonderful. Aren't you glad to know that? *g*
Another moment I liked- as the orcs are invading Osgiliath in their boats, it's all creepy, sneaking, orc-y music. Nasty things are quietly afoot. Faramir and his men hurry into position and wait, wait, wait... and then Faramir leaps out on the attack, accompanied by a bold, martial fanfare of the Gondor theme. Cool. Cliché, maybe, but cool.
When Legolas is explaining to Gimli how the Army of the Dead got their happy fun curse, the underscore is the History of the Ring theme. It could just be being used as a general History theme (I think that's happened elsewhere in the score), but I tend to think that Shore is playing Six Degrees of the Ring through the connection with Isildur.
My least favorite part of the score is the music for Shelob. It's effective and interesting, but I don't like spiders, and I'm not that fond of skittery strings either. However, I do very much like the fact that when Frodo thinks to use the Phial of Galadriel, the score dips out of the creepy, spidery music into a deep echo of the Lorien theme in its more martial form (the variant heard at Helm's Deep). He has his two Elvish weapons and now he has the Elvish battle music to go with them. Then later, when he's revived by his vision of Galadriel, she's accompanied by the Caras Galadhon variant of the Lorien theme, which doubles as her personal motif. Sam's spider-distracting arrival with Sting and the phial, though, is accompanied not by the Lorien theme, but by the Fellowship. I guess when he took on the Fellowship's mantle of protection and support of the Ringbearer, he took on the theme song, too. Heh. Anyway, the musical juxtaposition (and Sam's use of Frodo's Elvish weapons) made me flash back to Galadriel's focus on Sam when she said, "Yet hope remains while the company is true."
I think I've mentioned how much I love the Ride of the Rohirrim in every post I've made about this movie. Well, guess what. I'm going to do it again. *g* Seriously, though, I love that section of the score madly, which is why it's not on the CD, I bet. The wonderful track "Ride of the Rohirrim" corresponds to the muster at Dunharrow. It starts in grand fashion as Théoden arrives, segues into the Celtic-y flute piece that underscores Merry's plea to be allowed to join the fight and Théoden's refusal, and ends dramatically as the Riders stream out heading for the Pelennor. So it's all pre-Ride. Anyway, back on the Fields, Théoden gives Éomer and Grimbold their orders, taps his sword against the spears of his men, rallies his people in grand Anglo-Saxon style... and does none of it to the Rohan theme. That's the Nature theme underneath all of that. The Rohan theme doesn't kick back in until the Rohirrim actually begin their charge. So why the Nature theme? Good question, with an answer I still haven't pinned down (ah, if only I were a journalist with access to Howard Shore!).
The Nature theme is used mostly in connection with three things: Supermoth and the eagles, the Ents, and the Rohirrim. The first major use of it is when Supermoth comes to Gandalf on top of Orthanc and Gandalf sends him off to get Gwaihir (so this would be track 7 on the FotR CD, "A Knife in the Dark," around 2:15 or so). It never quite sounds like this again, thanks to a time shift, but it does stay as one of Ben Del Maestro's solos, which is nice. It's also used in its fully developed form (and new time) when Supermoth and the eagles arrive to fight the Nazguls before the Black Gates. So a third of the appearances of the eagles (and both appearances of Supermoth) are accompanied by the Nature motif. How about the Ents? They have their own theme, one which relies heavily on wooden percussion, and it's a good one. However, the Last March of the Ents isn't set to Ent music but to the Nature theme. As Treebeard rumbles, "The Ents are going to war. It is likely we go to our doom. The last march of the Ents," and they all stride dramatically toward Isengard, Ben Del Maestro and the chorus burst out with a thrilling version of Nature (another one of my favorite score moments). Using the Nature theme to build to the Ride of the Rohirrim, as they chant "Death! Death! Death!" and likely go to their doom, is a nicely subtle way to tie one of the dying races of Middle Earth to the one which is soon to dominate. Nature has been used for the Rohirrim at least twice before, though, and both times in the context of mental and physical preparations for battle. The first time is during the arming of Théoden- the chorus enters as Gamling says, "Your men, my lord, will follow you to whatever end" (cf. "It is likely we go to our doom" and "Ride for ruin and the world's ending! To death!") and slowly builds as Théoden recites his ubi sunt passage and we see glimpses of his people preparing for battle. It never actually resolves into the final expression of the Nature theme, though (and Ben doesn't get to sing yet), because it shifts into something else as soon as Théoden says, "How did it come to this," which marks an end to the scene and a shift back to the Entmoot. The full Nature motif has to wait for the Last March of the Ents and, directly thereafter, the "Forth Eorlingas" scene. Théoden asks, "What can men do against such reckless hate?", the Uruk-Hai smash against the door again, and as Aragorn says, "Ride out with me. Ride out and meet them," the chorus and the Nature motif rise again softly. It builds slowly as they decide to make this desperate charge. Théoden declares, "Let this be the hour when we draw swords together," immediately after which Ben Del Maestro enters with his solo and the main melodic thrust of the theme, which then underscores Théoden's, "Fell deeds awake. Now for wrath! Now for ruin! And a red dawn!", after which the score is replaced by the sound of Helm's Horn, until the charge is made to an exciting bit of music that's not really a theme for anything. So is the Nature motif really a combined Nature and "We're off to get horribly slaughtered, huzzah!" theme? It works rather well as one. The moth and the eagles represent the "Nature" aspect (and yeah, I know that ME eagles are as much supernatural as they are natural. ME trees eat people and they're still natural, so I'm not going to worry about it). The Rohirrim have the "slaughtered" aspect covered, and the Ents bridge the two. For both the Ents and the Rohirrim, though, the Nature motif underscores the troops rallying themselves for a battle they're certain will be their last. The words this theme supports speak of noble but tragic endings- "The Last March of the Ents." "Ride for ruin and the world's ending!" "Now for wrath! Now for ruin! And a red dawn!" and so on. It's a thrilling motif, but it's a terribly sad one as well (and what a pity that none of the places that have translations of the lyrics used in these scores include those for the Nature theme). A natural fit for both Rohan and the Ents, then, I suppose.
What else was neat... Oh! When the Rohirrim make their suicidal charge at the Haradrim and their beasts, the score cuts out completely. The only sounds from the moment that charge begins are those of the battle, and of the Rohirrim being destroyed. The score doesn't return until the two mûmakil brought down by Éomer hit the ground, at which points it gets all exciting and battle-y again. I love that. It's like even the score is overwhelmed by the crushing odds, until Éomer shows that there is a slim chance after all. Nice touch.
I love the big choral version of the Fellowship theme that follows Aragorn's "For Frodo" and (brave but dumb) charge on the Black Gates. I really, really wish more than a minute snip of it had gotten onto the album. There's a bit more of it on the SE score DVD, but I want more! I want it all!
If they do come out with a complete ten-disc score, I'll be doomed. Happy, but doomed.
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Enjoyed your comments
Date: 2004-01-21 11:42 am (UTC)I love Gandalf in the Minas Tirith alley, too. It's such a non-epic moment, showing the price of war.
And I have saved your comments on the score to mull over while listening to the soundtrack and for my next viewing. The RotK score is v. emotional for me and well worth the analysis.
Thanks!
Re: Enjoyed your comments
Date: 2004-01-22 06:09 am (UTC)Hee! Exactly. It looks rather impressive, but practical? Not so much.
It is a score worth pondering, isn't it? It was a surprise to me when Shore was first tapped, since as much as I've liked his work over the years, none of it really said "epic fantasy" to me. But he exceeded every hope and expectation I had. Now all we need is a complete CD release... *g*
(no subject)
Date: 2004-01-21 02:24 pm (UTC)One of my favorite images in the whole trilogy is Gandalf sitting alone in some empty alley or cul-de-sac in Minas Tirith, right after Faramir and his men have ridden off to get slaughtered. He's leaning on his staff, completely silent and still, and it's a deeply touching, beautifully composed shot.
In total agreement with you – to me that was Gandalf at his lowest point (besides the obvious, falling into the mines of Moria scene! Heh!) He’s done his best to save Faramir’s life, and it’s not enough – he doesn’t know whether the Riders are coming; he doesn’t know where Frodo is,e tc. I deeply wish we’d had the confrontation with the Witch-King in the movie though – I think it would have been a great counterpoint to this scene.
Re: the score – I love the Gondor theme almost as much as I love the Rohan theme … And I love how funereal it becomes as Faramir rides out … You know, I also noticed this last night when I was listening – there’s a moment in the track “The Steward of Gondor” when we hear that lovely song that’s playing as Boromir died … And I love that we heard the Gondor theme both when Boromir speaks at the Council of Elrond and when he is talking to Aragorn in Lothlorien AND in Osgiliath in TTT … I just didn’t know it was the “Gondor theme” when I first heard it … Yeah, I’m very Boromir-centric and I think of him whenever I hear the Gondor music – Boromir, Boromir, Boromir … Heh! But nothing will ever quite be as beautiful as that single viola-thingie (I know it’s some Scandinavian instrument, but I don’t know the name of it) that introduces the Rohan theme. It’s absolutely THE perfect sound for this culture – ‘s’funny – now when I think of any of the Icelandic sagas or the Nibelunglied or any of that Northern European stuff, in my head, I picture the Rohirrim!
(no subject)
Date: 2004-01-22 08:39 am (UTC)Oh, me too. Yay symbolism and all that, but the richer colors set off her own dramatic coloring better. Definitely Pre-Raphaelite inspired (and gorgeous).
In total agreement with you – to me that was Gandalf at his lowest point (besides the obvious, falling into the mines of Moria scene! Heh!)...
snerk. But yeah. He's so forceful and determined as Gandalf the White that it's quite sobering to see him frozen in grief like that. I wish the face-off with the Witch King had been included too, but I guess it won't kill me to wait for the EE, if I have to. Hmph. ;)
You, Boromir-centric? I had no idea! *g* Seriously, though, I agree with, oh, all of that. I missed hearing the Gondor theme at the Council at first (waaaay back when), but when I heard it in Lothlorien, I wondered if that might not be what it was. Then when I went back and watched the Council scene again, it jumped out. But of course I couldn't be sure that's what it was until the TTT EE came out, and we got the wonderful Osgiliath scene. All that foreshadowing is so impressive. There's so much thought in this score.
But nothing will ever quite be as beautiful as that single viola-thingie (I know it's some Scandinavian instrument, but I don't know the name of it) that introduces the Rohan theme. It's absolutely THE perfect sound for this culture – 's'funny – now when I think of any of the Icelandic sagas or the Nibelunglied or any of that Northern European stuff, in my head, I picture the Rohirrim!
The hardinger, and again I have to say me too! The TTT score makes a great soundtrack for reading Beowulf or the sagas. It just... fits.
(no subject)
Date: 2004-01-22 07:21 pm (UTC)I also love how the themes mutate - especially the Gondor & Rohan ones ... the lonely hardinger (thanks for the 411) turns into the triumphal trumpets & drums of the Eorlingas riding out of Helm's Deep; the triumphant Gondor music when Boromir is making his speech (mmmm, For GONDOR!) turns into a funeral march as Faramir rides out of Minas Tirith ...
I agree about the Shelob music - it was very effectively spidery, but a bit of a low point on the soundtrack ...
You know, the one thing I actually don't like much at all is the Annie Lennox song - I think it's maybe the contrast between her voice and Renee Fleming's!! I wish they'd just let Renee sing all of it!
(no subject)
Date: 2004-01-23 07:44 am (UTC)It's more like normal contemporary movie scoring, really. It's not that different from the sort of thing Shore's written for David Cronenberg, or did in The Cell or The Fly. It's still good, and it works in the scene, but it doesn't quite mesh with the rest of the opera (so to speak), particularly when it's made to stand alone. Oh well. It just makes everything else look that much more outstanding in comparison.
You know, the one thing I actually don't like much at all is the Annie Lennox song - I think it's maybe the contrast between her voice and Renee Fleming's!! I wish they'd just let Renee sing all of it!
Hee! Yeah, I love Renee's voice, so that would have been a great choice as far as I'm concerned. I do like the song, but it's not quite as transcendent as what's come before. But then I felt more or less the same about Enya and Emiliana Torrini's songs, so I guess I can't entirely blame Annie (I quite like her voice on the verses, but she sounds a bit strained on the chorus). Maybe it's just the shift from pure scoring to something that could be sold as a single, I don't know.
At least it wasn't Celine Dion! *g*
(no subject)
Date: 2004-01-21 02:55 pm (UTC)I'm pleased to know Howard Shore did such a fantastic job that all the musical selections fit, and are there for a reason, and not just because 'hey, this would sound cool is we had some loud horns here.' I love it when I see symbols in movies and shows, or hear words that pop up later, tying parts of the show together, or echoing each other, or being all foreshadowy. But those I can see - musical bits I have to rely on folks like you to point out for me. :-)
(no subject)
Date: 2004-01-22 07:26 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-01-21 04:33 pm (UTC)Just one thing, which you may have mentioned (see comment on concentration, above): when Frodo, Sam and Gollum move off from the ruin where we first see them in Return, the theme is a mournful version of the walking theme heard when they start off cross country in Fellowship. Makes me cry right there, except that I'm already teary from "we forgot our own name."
Got my ost right here, thank goodness!
(no subject)
Date: 2004-01-22 07:05 am (UTC)Just one thing, which you may have mentioned (see comment on concentration, above): when Frodo, Sam and Gollum move off from the ruin where we first see them in Return, the theme is a mournful version of the walking theme heard when they start off cross country in Fellowship. Makes me cry right there, except that I'm already teary from "we forgot our own name."
Ooh right, I forgot that bit! I remember loving that at the time (and crying, of course), so that must have been one of the notes I couldn't decipher (some of them came out looking like Sanskrit). I love the new themes in RotK, but the ways in which some of the older ones are developed are just as wonderful. There isn't a lazy or careless moment in the entire score.
(BTW, I love your various new icons.)
(no subject)
Date: 2004-01-24 01:05 pm (UTC)Re:
Date: 2004-01-31 06:46 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-01-21 08:54 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-01-22 06:44 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-01-22 07:50 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-01-21 10:23 pm (UTC)Arguably the "biggest" of the new themes introduced in this movie is the one for The West
I'm much more fond of this music as a theme than I am as the actual Into the West song. As pretty as the song is, it's rather simple and easy (not much range to it, really, so not very challenging to sing, except for clarity). However, when you add those horns and the dramatic action scenes...guh.
The West also accompanies Frodo and Sam during the drama of the "But I can carry you!" scene, as it rises to its grandest expression in the score yet, with the full orchestra singing out triumphantly. It's a fairly interesting choice of motives for the moment
Yes, this is certainly the best use of the West theme, especially with the clear trumpet (not that I'm biased or anything *g*). And I love your analysis on why this is used for Frodo and Sam so much in RotK, and what it symbolizes.
The fanfare for Andúril is also the theme for The West, albeit a slightly variant form. What I especially like about the Andúril variant is that both times it appears in the score (during the forging and when Elrond gives it to Aragorn), it's composed of The West (which is instrumentally similar to Gondor, or perhaps that should be the other way around) evolving out of Rivendell. Rather fitting from several angles. The album version (track 10, "Andúril," natch) is the "tah-dah!" presentation version rather than the more rhythmically dynamic (and shorter) forging version, which is just fine with me. It's a truly thrilling moment in the score.
This track sort of snuck up on me, but now it's one of my favorites. I like this version of The West theme, both the slowed-down chorus and the low, almost creepy variant of the verse towards the end of the track. And, like you said, the way it's merged with the Rivendell theme is very cool.
Also thrilling is the White Rider theme. I don't have anything to say about it, really. I just like it.
Hee! It's hard to articulate just what is so cool about this theme, short as it is.
We first get to hear it in TTT- Shadowfax makes his romance novel entrance ("All thirteen-year-old girls shall love me and despair!") accompanied by a suitably lush bit of music, and as the scene shifts to the Three Hunters and Gandalf galloping across Rohan, the score sweeps into The White Rider
That's probably one of my favorite moments of both the movie and the score, and it's only a few seconds. The shot of the Three Hunters and Gandalf on horseback accompanied by the gorgeous landscape and the huge, sweeping theme...guh. Wonderful use of the full orchestra which hits so many of my music hot buttons.
My least favorite part of the score is the music for Shelob. It's effective and interesting, but I don't like spiders, and I'm not that fond of skittery strings either.
This is a type of music that's very effective as background for creepy scenes, but doesn't really stand all that well by itself, being not at all pretty to listen to.
a deep echo of the Lorien theme in its more martial form (the variant heard at Helm's Deep).
This variant (from the Hornburg track) interests me, as it's the music we hear in Lothlorien, but as a dirge for Gandalf. The vocal solo is all about Mithrandir. Perhaps it serves a dual purpose here?
(no subject)
Date: 2004-01-21 10:25 pm (UTC)Sam's spider-distracting arrival with Sting and the phial, though, is accompanied not by the Lorien theme, but by the Fellowship. I guess when he took on the Fellowship's mantle of protection and support of the Ringbearer, he took on the theme song, too. Heh.
I hadn't really thought about that, and it's very interesting. Shore didn't give too many of the characters their own individual themes, and I'd like to go back and listen for which themes they each adopt at different times.
I think I've mentioned how much I love the Ride of the Rohirrim in every post I've made about this movie. Well, guess what. I'm going to do it again.
Hurrah! One can never say enough good things about the Rohan theme and that track in particular. Ride is such a short track, but so much substance is there! The first section, the faster version of the Rohan theme with more of the orchestra backing it up, is lovely. Then we get the low flute again, which manages to give that Celtic-y feeling you mention without being too similar to the Shire theme. Then a wonderful build climaxing into that once again faster version of the Rohan theme, this time carried almost exclusively by the French horns. Gives me chills.
Anyway, back on the Fields, Théoden gives Éomer and Grimbold their orders, taps his sword against the spears of his men, rallies his people in grand Anglo-Saxon style... and does none of it to the Rohan theme. That's the Nature theme underneath all of that. The Rohan theme doesn't kick back in until the Rohirrim actually begin their charge.
Wow, you're right. It's such a stirring theme that I hadn't really been thinking of it as a theme for Nature, but perhaps a Call to Arms or like you said "We're all really brave and are now going to go marching to our deaths."
The first major use of it is when Supermoth comes to Gandalf on top of Orthanc and Gandalf sends him off to get Gwaihir (so this would be track 7 on the FotR CD, "A Knife in the Dark," around 2:15 or so). It never quite sounds like this again, thanks to a time shift
It's hard to say which version of this theme is my favorite, but this moment was instantly one of my favorites on the FotR soundtrack. Master del Maestro has an amazingly clear voice. The timing on this one makes it feel slightly mournful but also with that bit of hope thrown in.
However, the Last March of the Ents isn't set to Ent music but to the Nature theme. As Treebeard rumbles, "The Ents are going to war. It is likely we go to our doom. The last march of the Ents," and they all stride dramatically toward Isengard, Ben Del Maestro and the chorus burst out with a thrilling version of Nature (another one of my favorite score moments).
God, that's such an awesome moment, both movie- and score-wise. I just sit there and swell (emotionally) along with the music.
(and what a pity that none of the places that have translations of the lyrics used in these scores include those for the Nature theme).
I so want a complete orchestral and choral score for all three of the movies. I want to be able to sing along with the choral bits, dammit!
It's like even the score is overwhelmed by the crushing odds, until Éomer shows that there is a slim chance after all. Nice touch.
That had totally escaped me. Great catch there.
If they do come out with a complete ten-disc score, I'll be doomed. Happy, but doomed.
Oh god, me too. I will never be able to resist such a collection.
(no subject)
Date: 2004-01-23 07:29 am (UTC)He didn't, did he? Each nation and/or race gets its own, as do a few important places, like the Shire, and a few groups of characters, like the Fellowship and the Nazgul. There are some general themes like Nature and Caradhras, which gets used as a general motif for high places (logically *g*). But individual characters, hm. Gollum. He has two intertwined themes, for his two personalities. The Ring has two as well, the History and the Call/Seduction. Gandalf, as the White Rider... I really need to sit down and listen for others. Usually characters just use the theme for their home or their people, but not always. Hm.
Hurrah! One can never say enough good things about the Rohan theme and that track in particular. Ride is such a short track, but so much substance is there!
Hee! Yes and yes and yes again. I can't pick a favorite theme overall (I just can't do it, and goodness knows I've tried), but Rohan is definitely waaaay up there. "Ride" gets so much action and emotion into such a short space, and it manages to capture the sequence perfectly without actually including all of the music used on-screen. Pretty impressive, that.
It's such a stirring theme that I hadn't really been thinking of it as a theme for Nature, but perhaps a Call to Arms or like you said "We're all really brave and are now going to go marching to our deaths."
Yeah, no one's really sure what to call it. A slight majority go with "Nature" (myself included, obviously *g*), with some tailoring it as "Nature's Attack" or "Nature's Revenge" or the like. A couple people have called it something like "Forlorn Hope," which isn't very battle-y (though neither is Nature). No one seems to know what Howard Shore calls it, unfortunately. Oh well. It's awesome, whatever it's called.
The timing on this one makes it feel slightly mournful but also with that bit of hope thrown in.
Ah, well said. Yeah. I do so love that theme.
Oh god, me too. I will never be able to resist such a collection.
Heh. I'd have to have it, but dayum there's a lot of music in these movies. Can you imagine how expensive the complete score would be, or how much room it would take up? Still, it'd be irresistible. At least the printed score would be... okay, hugely fat and expensive. Hm. Oh well. I'd still get it. :)
Re:
Date: 2004-01-30 01:37 am (UTC)Yeah, and Arwen, as you pointed out as well. There's that sub-theme that's being attributed to Eowyn. Elrond and Galadriel have to share their themes with Rivendell and Lothlorien. Huh. I guess that's it.
Yeah, no one's really sure what to call it. A slight majority go with "Nature" (myself included, obviously *g*), with some tailoring it as "Nature's Attack" or "Nature's Revenge" or the like. A couple people have called it something like "Forlorn Hope," which isn't very battle-y (though neither is Nature). No one seems to know what Howard Shore calls it, unfortunately. Oh well. It's awesome, whatever it's called.
I'm cool with calling it Nature. After all, the Rohirrim were very much defined by their relationship with horses, so that still sorta fits the Nature theme :) Still, I'd love to ask Shore about that.
Heh. I'd have to have it, but dayum there's a lot of music in these movies. Can you imagine how expensive the complete score would be, or how much room it would take up? Still, it'd be irresistible. At least the printed score would be... okay, hugely fat and expensive. Hm. Oh well. I'd still get it. :)
Ouch. I don't even want to think about the price. And you'd never be able to easily tote the thing around, like in the car. I want the actual printed score too, mostly so I can see where the chorus sings what bits. That site linked in the score-analysis post you recommended is great, but even with the lyrics in front of me, I can't always hear them in the score. Maybe it's just b/c I don't know any Elvish, but still, I'd swear they were singing something totally different.
Re:
Date: 2004-01-31 07:03 am (UTC)You'd need a mortgage to buy it and an SUV to carry (not that that would stop me). And I have the same problem with the lyrics, I've found. I don't know if it's because I don't have a linguistic point of reference, like I would with Italian or German or whatever, but it all ends up as so much la la la when I try to follow the text. Ah well. Fingers crossed for the complete score.
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Date: 2004-02-09 05:56 am (UTC)I'm hopeless at the Old English stuff on TTT.
On the RotK soundtrack, I can follow...well, not much, really. Some of the choir bits. Renee Fleming is just as hard to hear, word-wise. I really want a full choral score.
(no subject)
Date: 2004-01-23 05:35 pm (UTC)And Arwen! I can't believe I forgot her at first, since her theme is one of my faves. Whoops!
(no subject)
Date: 2004-01-23 06:07 am (UTC)I'm much more fond of this music as a theme than I am as the actual Into the West song. As pretty as the song is, it's rather simple and easy (not much range to it, really, so not very challenging to sing, except for clarity). However, when you add those horns and the dramatic action scenes...guh.
Yeah, I agree. I like the song; it's pleasant and touching. But the theme itself is more than just that. I don't know how to say what I mean... it's not that the theme is diminished, exactly, when it's worked into the song, but... I don't know. It does feel a bit less grand and tragic and beautiful, even though it's still very effective. It's too bad I can't type little pics of myself talking with my hands, because I think that would help. ;)
That's probably one of my favorite moments of both the movie and the score, and it's only a few seconds. The shot of the Three Hunters and Gandalf on horseback accompanied by the gorgeous landscape and the huge, sweeping theme...guh. Wonderful use of the full orchestra which hits so many of my music hot buttons.
Oh, me too. It's one of those moments where I just sit there thinking, "This is what movies are for." Every element just works so perfectly in that brief moment. Gets me every time.
This is a type of music that's very effective as background for creepy scenes, but doesn't really stand all that well by itself, being not at all pretty to listen to.
Yeah. That's it. Oddly enough, that section reminds me the most strongly of Shore's more contemporary scores, like The Cell and his stuff for David Cronenberg (and of more traditional, leitmotif-free movie scores). It's still good and it still works, but it's not quite part of the rest of the opera. So to speak.
This variant (from the Hornburg track) interests me, as it's the music we hear in Lothlorien, but as a dirge for Gandalf. The vocal solo is all about Mithrandir. Perhaps it serves a dual purpose here?
I've been wondering why the Lament for Gandalf doubles as the Lorien theme, and I'm still not entirely sure. I was surprised when it ended up that way, too- I expected the Lament and Lorien to be possibly related, but separate themes. It's an interesting choice. All I can think of is that the lines lamenting that Gandalf has had to leave the land he loved, never to return (they think), can also apply to the departing elves, and to Galadriel in particular. The choir text (http://www.elvish.org/gwaith/movie_soundtrack_fotr.htm#mithrandir) from the sheet music version especially makes me think that: "Our love for this land/ Is deeper than the deeps/ Of the sea./ Our regret is undying/ Yet we will cast all away/ Rather that submit./ What should be shall be." That could apply to both the Elves and Frodo, really, and Frodo is aligned in a number of ways with both the Elves and Gandalf, so... yeah. The layers get deeper and deeper.
Re:
Date: 2004-01-30 01:21 am (UTC)Hee! Hey, but you've been in a choir, which puts you ahead of most people. I don't know as much about music as I'd like (never took theory classes or anything, and I know very little about chords and stuff); most of mine is practical. All those years in band. But aside from church choirs, I've never actually been in a professional chorus or anything. Would like to, though.
It's too bad I can't type little pics of myself talking with my hands, because I think that would help. ;)
Lol. Yeah. It's hard to get this sort of point across without a lot of hemming and hawing and the use of gestures.
Yeah. That's it. Oddly enough, that section reminds me the most strongly of Shore's more contemporary scores, like The Cell and his stuff for David Cronenberg (and of more traditional, leitmotif-free movie scores). It's still good and it still works, but it's not quite part of the rest of the opera. So to speak.
See, I'm not at all familiar with Shore's work other than LOTR. I'd be interested in listening to his other scores now and comparing his styles.
I've been wondering why the Lament for Gandalf doubles as the Lorien theme, and I'm still not entirely sure. All I can think of is that the lines lamenting that Gandalf has had to leave the land he loved, never to return (they think), can also apply to the departing elves, and to Galadriel in particular. The choir text from the sheet music version especially makes me think that: "Our love for this land/ Is deeper than the deeps/ Of the sea./ Our regret is undying/ Yet we will cast all away/ Rather that submit./ What should be shall be." That could apply to both the Elves and Frodo, really, and Frodo is aligned in a number of ways with both the Elves and Gandalf, so... yeah. The layers get deeper and deeper.
Mmm, interesting point. Thanks for mentioning the choir lyrics, as it does make a lot more sense taking them into account. Someone needs to sit Howard Shore down and ask him all the questions we have!
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Date: 2004-01-31 07:47 am (UTC)Ooh, I'm a big Shore fan from way back. *g* He wasn't one of my top five faves, pre-LotR, but top ten certainly. Probably his most well-known single work is Silence of the Lambs (a gorgeous, lush, dark orchestral score- it's the same musical family as, say, Elliot Goldenthal's Interview with the Vampire, only better), but he's done comedies like High Fidelity (what little score there is among the songs), Ed Wood (rather than Danny Elfman, which is an interesting substitution) and some of Kevin Smith's films (I forget which offhand, though) and some straightforward dramas like Philadelphia and Nobody's Fool (great movie). He's famous for scoring thrillers, though, which is why it was such a surprise when Peter Jackson tapped him. He did The Cell (one of the scariest scores I've ever heard and no mistake), Seven, The Game, and almost everything David Cronenberg's ever filmed. Really edgy, modern stuff. Not much like LotR, although there are some similarities- he never really was one of your basic "three themes throughout" composers (though his use of leitmotif was never so extensive before this, that's for sure).
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Date: 2004-02-09 05:58 am (UTC)