| Catch Me if You Can |
| Composed by John Williams |
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Conducted by John Williams Sax Solos by Dan Higgins Produced by John Williams Release Date: 2002 |
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Diverting from the direction of Spielberg's last two projects, A.I. and Minority Report, Catch Me If You Can is as much of a departure as it is a return to days long past. John Williams successfully manages to capture a style that I'm sure many thought would never appear again. Catch Me is a smaller, more intimate score, whose creation took Williams sole attention, even to the point of utilizing William Ross to handle portions of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Given the trailers for the film, one might expect this to be a light, possibly even bouncy, affair. Even the description of the score as a small jazz ensemble with saxophone solos would support this assumption. Surprisingly however, Catch Me If You Can is quite a melancholy piece. That is not to say that the music is devoid of any lighthearted moments as this score as plenty of them. However, the general tone of the score is dark and one cannot listen to this CD all the way through and end feeling good about life. The opening titles strikingly capture this mood, being a mixture of the light and dark elements. Sounding like it would be right at home in a film from the 60s, Williams has lassoed a style that is diametrically opposite of his recent output. The ensemble that Williams employs may be small in number, but never does it feel like you're listening to a small ensemble. Each cue is carefully laid out and everything merges together quite well, a testament to Williams' ability to utilize the strengths of whatever he is using for the performance of the music. Of the themes that he incorporates, each is used effectively, but they are never really taken to the next level. Additionally, four songs are sprinkled about, but they generally stay on track and the CD flows quite well. A good effort, but Catch Me If You Can is a quirky, unique kind of score that may not be worth it for everyone. See the movie and if you like the score then it's at you local Wal-Mart for the taking (provided you hand over some form of currency). Otherwise, unless you are simply buying it because it's John Williams (or because it has Leo or Tom on the cover), then you probably should check out the music somehow first. ***1/2 |
| Track Listing - Total Running Time: 62:33 | |
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