The musicologist’s gleeful research pays off in tracks like Airk’s Army and Elora Danan, which introduce many of the soundtrack’s major themes. Horner pulls from a Slavic liturgy, Mozart’s Requiem, a Bulgarian peasant song, Bartok, Holst, Prokoviev, Schuman and Edvard Grieg. The harmonic draft of the Willow score, and most particularly its spiritual side, came from such a cycle, from such mythology and music history that I was taught, and that I myself convey with my own emotions and compositions.’ I also enjoy metaphors, the art of quoting and of cycles. ‘I listened to, studied and analysed a lot of music. ‘I am… a doctor of music,’ Horner said, according to Jean-Baptiste Martin who runs the James Horner Film Music website. With Willow, Horner was able to go for broke. He’d created the distinctive music for Krull (1983) with far fewer resources at his disposal. This wasn’t Horner’s first unicorn rodeo. He was able to help build a brand new world with his score, with a heavy dose of light-heartedness, strong character themes and a fast pace. He wasn’t depicting ‘30s New Orleans or ‘80s LA. He had a sizeable budget and few constraints to stick by. What does an exotic fantasy world sound like? Acoustic instruments? Heavy drumbeats? Magical synth twinkles? Horner melded all of the above on a gig that in many ways was a composer’s dream. Dozens of instruments and several distinct melodies collide as the film builds to its climax. Willow is even more fun to listen to, with a score as lavish as the accompanying images. Three decades later, Willow is still fun to watch, mainly thanks to the confident performances by the 18-year-old Warwick Davis (Willow Ufgood), Val Kilmer (Madmartigan), Joanne Whalley (Sorsha) and Jean ‘Upstairs Downstairs’ Marsh, who plays the deliciously wicked sorceress Bavmorda. But it wasn’t the megahit MGM/United Artists hoped for. Willow was a hit, with a worldwide box office of almost $138 million. Per film writer Marcus Hearn, Lucas has said, ‘a lot of my movies are about a little guy against the system, and this was just a more literal interpretation of that idea.’ĭirector Ron Howard, on a high after Splash (1984) and Cocoon (1985), had just the correct sensibilities for an adventure film with wide appeal.
In the thick of it, was the diminutive Willow. Taking some of its inspiration from The Lord of the Rings and Arthurian myth, this one was for lovers of epic fantasy, the Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) crowd, families and special effects junkies, hiring 650 extras and filming in numerous international locations. However, it lacked the same universal appeal as Executive Producer George Lucas’ other brainchildren, Star Wars and Indiana Jones. Willow was released in 1988 to great fanfare. All told, we get over 100 minutes of music, making the original album seem brownie-sized in comparison.
SONIC CD SOUNDTRACK COMPARISON MOVIE
With a Willow trailer previewed and a panel discussion at this year’s Star Wars Celebration, it’s the perfect time to visit the original movie and its evocative soundtrack by the late Hollywood composer, James Horner.Ī new Intrada release shines a deserved spotlight on the score, with over half an hour of previously unreleased cues, all mastered from original digital stereo mixes. Nick Smith, our resident US-based media maverick, goes on an epic fantasy adventure courtesy of the fine folks at Intrada. Like John Williams (Jaws) and Jerry Goldsmith (Alien), Horner was integral to my formative soundtrack education as I underwent rehabilitation for a life-changing neurological injury. In anticipation, Hollywood composer James Horner's original Willow soundtrack gets the Star Tracks treatment. Willow returns with Warwick Davis (Star Wars) reprising the titular role this holiday season on Disney+.
0 kommentar(er)
