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Munich Composed by John Williams |
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Track Listing | |||
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01 - Munich 1972
(2:37) 09 - The Tarmac at Munich (3:59) |
10 - Avner's Theme
(3:07)
Bomb Malfunctions (3:37) |
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Orchestrated by Pete Anthony, Pat Russ, Brad Dechter, Jon Kull, Bruce Babcock, Frank Bennett, and Conrad Pope Conducted by John Williams Produced by John Williams Released by Decca Records on December 27th, 2005 |
Total Running Time: 62:36 |
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I was struck after watching Munich how fair and decidedly middle-ground (for the most part) it was, compared to what I had been hearing about it. There is an apparent leftist bent to the film, and its "less than factual" take on the events of the story does deserve some criticism. Still, the film honestly tries to answer "why" while realizing that ultimately we, as an audience, may never know. Thus, even while Munich does have a tendency to plod occasionally (though no where near to the point that King Kong does), I found it to be yet another fine additional to Spielberg's credit list, even if it still pales in comparison to his masterful Schindler's List.
I know I have said this in plenty of other reviews as well, but William's score is really a key player in what makes this film work. I had listened to the album off and on before seeing the film, and even while engrossed in the story, I was still listening to the music and very content to know that I had the CD and could experience this score again, apart from the visuals. Since I've already brought up Schindler's List, I'll do so for the second and last time only to say that Williams is not refraining from pulling in the same feeling, but this is a different film and a different demand on the musical side. The former score is just as poignant as it always has been, and while Munich dangerously approaches it, it's ultimately not meant to completely be in the same vein.
The emotional pull of Munich actually has more in common with Revenge of the Sith. Over the last few years, I've been smitten with the impression that Williams used Lucas' Star Wars films as a sounding board for musical ideas that he would mature through Spielberg productions. In 2002, we had new musical ideas from Attack of the Clones come to a more satisfying fruition with Minority Report. Last year saw both War of the Worlds and Munich taking their cues from Revenge of the Sith, and (as has come to be the case) in a more effective way. It really shouldn't come as a surprise, considering that Williams undoubtedly noticed the similarity in themes (a good person coming to grips with the fact that he isn't so good anymore), and the musical ideas have noticeably matured for Munich even more so than from War of the Worlds.
As a "thriller" film, Williams' continues his dance with heavily percussion based tracks. They tend to take on an electronic nature, but are so subdued and primarily bass-heavy, it can be hard to make out if they are really synth or some sort of acoustic effect (I strongly suspect that it's purely electronic). Either way, it's effective, and yet the moments detract from the real beauty of the score that is had through its main theme. Those are the moments that make this album a must-have for any serious collector of John Williams scores, and outside of that, the rest may just as well be filler.
If you had to settle for just one Williams score from 2005, I would recommend this one even over Revenge of the Sith. With six Star Wars scores to choose from, it's a relatively easy task. But with such a mature, adult score like Munich, it would do better to expand your appreciate of the talent that has made John Williams a household name. It may not be Schindler's List, but it's definitely the next best thing.
Reviewed on March 21, 2006 |
See Also
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