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Home Alone

Composed, Conducted, and Produced by:
John Williams
Orchestrated by:
Herbert W. Spencer
John Neufeld


Label:
CBS Records
Release Date:
December 8th, 1990


Also See:

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York


Audio Clips:

1. Main Titles (0:30), 150K home_alone1.ra

14. Setting the Trap (0:30), 150K home_alone14.ra

17. Mom Returns/Finale (0:31), 155K home_alone17.ra

19. We Wish You a Merry Christmas/End Titles (0:30), 150K home_alone19.ra



Availability:

  Regular U.S. release, but out of print in the mid-1990's.


Awards:

  Both the song ('Somewhere in my Memory') and score were nominated for Academy Awards, 1990.










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Home Alone

Audio | Availability | Viewer Ratings | Tracks | Viewer Comments | Notes & Quotes
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  Sales Rank: 25847

  Avg. Rating: 4.50

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Filmtracks Recommends:

Buy it... if you seek one of the most memorable, purely innocent Christmas scores in the modern age of film music.

Avoid it... if the hopelessly optimistic, spiritually seasonal nature of the score makes it a once-a-year kind of album.



Filmtracks Editorial Review:

Williams
Home Alone: (John Williams) It had been a while since John Williams had composed a score specifically aimed at children --if ever, really-- and when he accepted the assignment of Home Alone from his friend, director Chris Columbus, in 1990, it was an entirely new genre for the maestro. Not only was it exciting for Williams' fans, but the composer tackled it with a refreshing new enthusiasm that carried over into his composition. After a year which included the dramatic, often tense scores for Presumed Innocent, Stanley & Iris, and Always, Williams shed all of that weight and provided the essential Christmas score. Ever since Home Alone first won the hearts of audiences with an outstanding record-producing showing at the box office, Williams' score has been the highest standard for Christmas music from Hollywood. The score and its original title song would be nominated for two Academy Awards, and the film would cleverly combine the score with traditional Christmas carol recordings as well as original carols written by Williams himself. Home Alone is an example of a film and score fitting like a perfect glove for a hand, with Williams' music successfully balancing the two sides of the film: the wacky, stupid comedy, and the heartfelt sense of family and religion at the holidays. Williams' own carols are very strong, proving, at the very least, that the composer is among the best classically-inclined artists of our time. His recordings of traditional carols also maintain a hearty holiday swing, and it's difficult to imagine how Williams could have accomplished all of this during the summertime of the film's post-production. While critics may claim that the Oscar-nominated title song, "Somewhere in my Memory" is a piece of fluff, it's important to recognize that the spirit of the carol is what makes it effective, completely opposite to, for instance, the lack of spirit which would sink Williams' Sabrina score a few years later.

The underscore is deceptive as well. Seemingly less sophisticated than Williams' larger dramatic efforts, the choice of instrumentation is what made Home Alone a great success. Williams went over the top assembling every tingling instrument he could find, from chimes and bells, to synthesized high-octave organ effects. At every moment in the score, a tingling effect is to be heard, and if you thought that inspiration from Jingle Bells was below Williams' standards, think again. Slower performances of the major carols are provided with grand orchestral sweeps and lyrical passages from the various songs. Williams also throws in a classical joust to represent chaos of the parents; during airport scenes, Williams utilizes a neo-classical explosion of the orchestra that has a uniquely Western feel to its rhythms. For the two bumbling criminals in the story, Williams makes perhaps his most subtle, but effective choice. Instead of providing an ominous theme with one of the more powerful elements of the orchestra, the villains are accompanied only by woodwinds... an unexpected, but strangely appropriate choice for the idiots that these characters are. The dual performances of a bass bassoon with a clarinet or oboe keep the theme low and ominous while allowing the flexibility to toy with their quirky personalities. That way, they are never quite that scary to kids in the audience, and Williams can sustain a fluffy atmosphere for even the darker moments. A standout cue is "Setting the Trap," with a brief, but enjoyable addition of a synthesized rhythm to the otherwise regular performances of several themes from the film. Overall, this score is a Christmas bonanza. Unfortunately, attempting to listen to this music in July is difficult, and on album, the score is so well composed and presented that it's a seasonal event. Despite this inherent weakness, this score is far more impressive than the rehashed sequel music from Williams for Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (and both are far, far better than the crap produced by Nick Glennie-Smith for Home Alone 3). And yet, make sure there's snow on the ground outside before trying to absorb the full magic of Williams' Home Alone. ****

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   Viewer Ratings and Comments:



   Track Listings:
Total Time: 57:01

    • 1. Main Titles/Somewhere in my Memory (4:53)
    • 2. Holiday Flight (0:59)
    • 3. The House (2:27)
    • 4. Star of Bethlehem - orchestral version (2:51)
    • 5. Man of the House (4:33)
    • 6. White Christmas - performed by The Drifters (2:40)
    • 7. Scammed by a Kindergartener (3:55)
    • 8. Please Come Home for Christmas - performed by Southside Johnny Lyon (2:41)
    • 9. Follow that Kid! (2:03)
    • 10. Making the Plane (0:52)
    • 11. O Holy Night - written by Adolphe Adam (2:48)
    • 12. Carol of the Bells - written by Peter Wilhousky (1:25)
    • 13. Star of Bethlehem - choral version (2:59)
    • 14. Setting the Trap (2:16)
    • 15. Somewhere in my Memory (1:04)
    • 16. The Attack on the House (6:53)
    • 17. Mom Returns/Finale (4:19)
    • 18. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - performed by Mel Torme (3:05)
    • 19. We Wish You a Merry Christmas/End Titles (4:15)




   Notes and Quotes:

    The sparse insert includes no extra information about the score or film.







All artwork and sound clips from Home Alone are Copyright © 1990, CBS Records. The reviews and notes contained on the filmtracks.com site may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of Filmtracks Publications. Audio clips can be heard using RealPlayer but cannot be redistributed without the label's expressed written consent. Page created 9/24/96, updated 11/2/03. Review Version 4.2 - PHP (Filmtracks Publications). Copyright © 1996-2008, Christian Clemmensen. All rights reserved.