Hook: (John Williams) I've owned Hook for about ten years, and it still continues to stun me with every listen. It grows rich like a fine wine; its brilliance is inherent, steadfast, and more evident with each listen. Its thematic richness is colossal. Its command of orchestral texture is wondrous. Many music fans have enjoyed this score enormously as a masterpiece that they'll treasure for the rest of their lives. Yet, this gift to the music world from John Williams is one that many have yet to experience. And that's a tragedy. There are countless emotions displayed here: adventure, wonder, discovery, regret, sadness, and so on. As is usual with a Williams score, the music grabs the suggested emotions from the film and projects them into the auditory world. It doesn't just compliment the emotions; it reveals and magnifies them.

But that's just the beginning of Williams' work, for here he has written a vast number of themes (almost twenty themes and motifs altogether; some not heard on the commercial album). Every new situation of discovery seems to have a new theme, and some are just heard once and then gone forever. There is much detail on each track, also; I even spotted a bird-chirp in track 8 adding the perfect effect exactly when needed.

1. Prologue

The first track is a one-minute-and-thirty-second flash of compositional brilliance that one must hear to fully appreciate. Written especially for the movie's trailer, its texture of orchestration gives the listener a rush similar to taking flight like Peter Pan. It's an absolutely perfect piece of music. Deep, rugged brass and a driving tempo help to supply its swashbuckling, adventurous feel. But hold your horses, Beethoven, because Williams has only given you a teasing taste of what is yet to come.

Williams was wise to make Prologue the first track. If he had started the album with a piano-accompanied children's song, as the movie does, the album would have had a comparatively underwhelming opening to the high-powered symphonic adrenaline rush that was to come. Instead, Williams has introduced the album in a way that makes no mistake about its true musical nature.

2/3. We Don't Wanna Grow Up/Banning Back Home

Now, after the short but sweet children's song (which had a sparkling introduction), the next track literally begins on the same note on which the last one ended. John Williams has a background in Jazz, which he studied early in his career. Here (in track three, Banning Back Home) he writes a light, easy listening jazzy piece that perfectly relates the busy, hectic, and obsessive nature of Peter Banning and the essence of his son's hometown baseball game. It's an infectious piece with a style unlike the rest of the score, which is a good thing, because differentiating Neverland and the real world is one of the main aspects of the film. In this piece, the drum set, bass guitar, piano, flute, and electric guitar work together for two minutes with admirable balance. This version of the piece is slightly different from the film version which Williams structured to compliment the on-screen action. It may sound vaguely similar to the Charlie Brown theme to some people; nevertheless, this piece deserves live play and recognition.

4. Granny Wendy

Now, when track four begins, the Bannings have flown to London to visit Granny Wendy. The house in which they are staying holds many memories for Peter's wife Moira who grew up there. Needless to say, Peter matured there also, but the memories of his adventurous childhood life as Peter Pan are dormant at the moment. As a result, the music is soft yet thematic, introducing Granny Wendy's theme as she embraces Peter, whom she hadn't seen in many years. Quietly, the orchestra bells, harp, and flute begin this beautiful theme, suiting the touching homecoming seamlessly under the dialog. Yet, the track ends on an ominous note, foreboding the kidnapping of the two Banning children.

5. Hook-Napped

The next track features a sinister swashbuckling style with tense strings. Later, brass and flute assume the full theme. Ending the first half with an ominous pipe organ chord, this piece personifies the revengeful nature of Captain Hook. He seizes the opportunity to blackmail Peter Banning into a final confrontation by kidnapping his children. As wind swirls through the large balcony doors of the children's bedroom window, a French horn dramatically picks up the theme again. Soon, covers fly off the children's beds, and the brass section punctuates with a frenzy of rapid staccato notes.

6. The Arrival of Tink and the Flight to Neverland

Later, in that same bedroom, Peter Banning has a drink of liquor to counter the depression and strange feelings brought about by such a trying night. Granny Wendy has told him that he's Peter Pan and he thinks she's practically senile. In this hopeless state he makes his way over to the doors to the balcony and opens them. Soon, he sees something bright flying toward the window. This "firefly from hell," as he calls it, wisps around the room, and the music fits the scene like a glove. The string section gets a virtuoso workout here, and the loosely thematic passage follows Tinkerbell in a frenzy that holds together with an underlying fantastical texture. After she lands and presents herself, a xylophone introduces the Tinkerbell theme, capturing the essence of her character. As the scene concludes, the full orchestra takes over with building excitement, finally revealing the glorious flying theme.

7. Presenting the Hook

The next track introduces a total of three new themes in the first two minutes. Peter was more or less incapacitated and "dragged" to Neverland by Tinkerbell. When he comes to, he's on Captain Hook's massive pirate ship. As the camera reveals the massive detail and undertaking of the set design, the first theme uses ethnic fifes in harmony to suggest a jolly tune a couple of pirates might play. Soon a striking violin arrangement compliments them. The next theme features a female vocalist sighing "Oooow" melodically with a technically impressive violin solo. A base of low brass plays the theme. Finally, the third theme is a splendid romp in which the scene appears to be choreographed to the music. On the introduction of Captain Hook, the pirates chant, "Hook, Hook, there's the Hook" (in the movie, not the album) on beat with the music. The whole effect of these three themes quantifies and succeeds immeasurably well at introducing the vile, yet carefree, nature of the pirates.

8. From Mermaids to Lost Boys

After Banning's first confrontation with Hook, the Pirates accidentally push him overboard the ship. In the water he sees mermaids who rescue him. The wondrous music that accompanies this underwater scene expertly matches the slower pace of movement in the water and inspires a sense of awe. The mermaids then help Peter into a gigantic clamshell that raises him out of the water and onto the Lost Boys' Island (through some pulley system I assume). A massively romantic, symphonic blush accentuates the wonderment that Peter feels when viewing the vast expanse of Neverland, yet he soon stumbles from his high perch onto the feet of the Lost Boys' domain. What follows qualifies as the most whimsical piece of music Williams has ever written. Peter soon encounters Tinkerbell after springing a trap that yanks him into a tree (listen for the bird chirp on the album). From this point on, purely whimsical music ensues as Tinkerbell flutters among the trees and awakens the Lost Boys.

9. The Lost Boy Chase

Of course, the Boys don't recognize their full-grown leader and think he's a pirate. Peter proclaims that he's not a pirate but a lawyer, and the Lost Boys react by attempting to "kill" Peter during a massive chase sequence. Rambunctious, playful music accompanies the on-screen action and characterizes the Lost Boys as mischievous children. Orchestras have played this particular piece of music in concert because of its high thematic quality (that seven-note phrase will stick with you) and lively personality.

10. Smee's Plan

Meanwhile on Hook's ship, Smee (his attendant) cooks up a plan in which Hook will try to win the loyalty of Peter's children. Sinister music helps to establish the subtext of the scene, yet the music refrains from sounding excessively evil. These characters probably have more foolish ambition than evil in their motives, and the music's lack of seriousness reminds us that Hook acts more like a bad-guy comic book character than a Hitler.

11. The Banquet

Back on the Lost Boys' Island, suppertime has arrived after a hard day of training Peter. A delightful, easy-going, scrumptious piece of music begins. Small brass fanfares erupt and give the scene a perfect tone to match the strange sight on screen. The Boys take bites of invisible Never-food that exists only in their imaginations, and the music relates the satisfaction of the Lost Boys. Peter sees their joy and contentment and begins to feel frustrated, for he doesn't see a crumb of food on the table. As a battle of words suddenly begins between Rufio, the Lost Boys' leader, and Peter, the music dies down slowly.

12. The Never-Feast

As this track begins, Peter has won the verbal spewing contest, and he finally activates his dormant imagination. The camera pans away from his astonished face, revealing a table full of rich, beautifully prepared dishes. Swelling and growing, a glorious, triumphant version of the previous banquet theme begins. Brass and snare drum accentuate the piece as everyone simultaneously begins a food fight. Meanwhile, Rufio sees that Peter is getting all the attention, and his jealously erupts. In a spontaneous moment he picks up a coconut and hurls in at Peter. A boy quickly tosses Peter a sword, and Peter miraculously performs a mid-air slice, cutting the coconut in half. You have to hear what Williams does here to fully appreciate it. A sinister, low brass note explodes into a lighting-fast trumpet line that perfectly matches the flying coconut and Peter's swing. As the Lost Boys gape in wonderment at Peter, ominous, eerie strings reveal that his identity is no longer a mystery to anyone.

13. Remembering Childhood

This massive, eleven-minute track has many brilliant points. Peter and the Lost Boys have ventured onto Hook's pirate ship, and the Boys dare him to steal Hook's hook while he watches the baseball game of Peter's son, Jack. However, Peter spots Jack and eagerly watches his son play instead. As the drama unfolds on the baseball diamond, the music turns hopeful and then bursts into a triumphant, inspiring fanfare as Jack cracks a homerun. Yet when Hook shouts, "That's it, you did my son!" Peter becomes depressed and realizes that he must save and reclaim Jack and his daughter Maggie. For this moment of realization, Williams writes a truly dramatic and effective shift, for the music turns from triumphant to defeated in about one measure.

Frustrated, Peter goes back to the Lost Boys' Island in a desperate attempt to remember the skills that have long since drifted from his mind. Eventually, he looks into a pool of water and sees a young reflection of himself. Meanwhile, Jack's homerun baseball comes speeding down toward Peter's head. Here Williams complements the rushing ball with harp, jingle bells, and sharp brass.

After Peter shakes off the shock of impact, his shadow prompts him to the burned, neglected Nevertree of his youth. He had lived in this giant tree house for many years, and soon his memories rise to the surface. Here, the sentimental Childhood theme hinted at in track eight's symphonic blush takes center stage and extends throughout Peter's flashbacks. An oboe begins this section of the track, and as Peter recalls his infant rescue by Tink, Williams brings a violin to the forefront with an achingly touching vibrato. When Peter finally remembers his life as Peter Pan, a piano and soft French horn compliment his bittersweet memories perfectly. Words have actually been written for the Childhood theme (by long-time Williams collaborator Leslie Bricusse) and, a couple of years ago, a semi-professional recording was made with vocals layered above this section of the track.

When Peter finally regains his happy thought (the birth of Jack), he begins to rise off his feat. Soon he flies out of the Nevertree like Superman, magically transformed in tailored Peter Pan dress. Proclaiming Peter's revelation, the music grows with enormous excitement. The flying theme bursts into full force as the Lost Boys celebrate the return of a long lost friend.

14. You Are the Pan

Rufio soon forfeits his sword to Peter. In celestial orchestral spirit, Williams conveys the celebratory emotions of the Lost Boys and Peter. A choir adds angelic splendor to the moment while cymbals and brass enhance the choir by adding power.

Added onto this track is music that accompanied the Lost Boys' first serious confrontation with Peter. At the end of this scene, the Boys finally agree to give Peter a chance and train him. With this lovely yet heart-wrenching music, Williams seems to realize that the Boys had a deep, sibling-like love for Peter Pan. The music shows us that they have missed Peter for many, many years. Some boys realize that maybe Peter has aged, though he had promised never to do so. Strings, harp, flute, and violin weave together with soft, noble brass to create a magical Williams moment.

15. When You're Alone

Here Williams inserted a song on the album which Maggie Banning sung in the film. He has done an impressive job here with orchestrations that touch just the right tone, and the lyrics have pertinent meaning in context. Williams received a well-deserved Oscar nomination for this composition. It probably didn't win because the movie wasn't well received and because the singing isn't the best. No matter; the song has some wondrous moments.

16. The Ultimate War

Truly the epic beast of the score, this music should stun every score fan. An utterly classic track, its complexity and perfectly timed relation to the events on-screen give it widely held admiration. However, less than half of Williams' towering composition found its way onto the commercial album. About twelve minutes of this nearly twenty-minute work aren't available outside of the realm of bootlegs. If you watch this part of the film and pay close attention to the music, you'll realize the magnitude of Williams' achievement. In my opinion, it's the most complicated and impressive action cue he has ever written. I don't say this lightly -- yes, more impressive than the main action cues of Indiana Jones and E.T., in length if nothing else, because it's around twice the length of those two examples. Dozens of points during this battle have exact orchestral accents of different kinds. Timing all of these out while maintaining musical integrity must have been extremely laborious for Williams, yet it doesn't sound that way.

It would require pages of text to outline and analyze all of these accent points, so I'll just write a few comments. Williams uses many of the movie's themes where appropriate, yet nothing sounds unnaturally grafted together. One burst of energy flows into another to form a dynamic musical whole that doesn't sound out of place apart from the film. During the track's eight minutes (and the entire twenty minutes in the film) the music never dies down or turns into something boring and repetitive. It exhibits pure magic and high energy throughout.

17. Farewell Neverland

Peter has rescued his children, and the time has come to leave Neverland behind. Tink sprinkles fairy dust on Peter's children and they fly back to London. As they enter the large bedroom window of Granny Wendy's home, a choir begins to add expressive emotional impact. A chapter of Peter's life has ended, and the children are finally safe and sound; as a result, the music's sad and touching elements suit the scene flawlessly. When Wendy and Moira, their mother, see the children, the grief and despair of the women turns to joy, and the choir extends one note which grabs the listener, especially in the visual context of the scene.

Next we see Peter back in London on that snowy morning. Peter sees Tink on a statue of Peter Pan, and her theme reappears as she says goodbye to Peter. Soon afterward sleigh bells add a joyous spirit as Peter climbs up a drain pipe to the bedroom window. As Peter embraces Jack the strings swell full of emotion to accent the moment. With proud brass and lush, sweeping orchestration, the film reaches its final frames and transitions into the credits.

Score Background and Conclusions:

In the mid-1980s Steven Spielberg and John Williams began conceiving of a Peter Pan musical. Unfortunately, it never materialized, and Williams wrote much material that was never used. When the Hook project arrived, Williams used some of that material and applied it to the movie. This insight may explain the vast number of themes in this score. He may have simply expanded upon them and pieced them together under the relatively tight schedule that he had. For example, the two songs in the film are probably pulled straight from the Peter Pan musical project. As I mentioned, lyrics for the Childhood theme exist and are also probably a vestige from the musical.

Only about half of his score appears on the commercial album, yet I admit that over seventy minutes is a great amount of music. A commercial multi-CD set somewhere down the line would be wonderful. However, I've read that if you watch the DVD with a six-speaker setup (using Dolby Digital 5.1), in most scenes the rear two speakers play only the score. If someone could record the input feeding into those two speakers, he could theoretically produce a complete recording of the score for himself.

This score was recorded at the Sony Pictures Studios Scoring Stage in Culver City California, which was formerly the MGM Soundstage. Built in 1929, Sony's Stage is about 36 percent smaller than Abby Road in England, yet it nevertheless has respectable sound quality. Its smaller size and peaked ceiling provide an acoustical reverberation of slightly over one second, offering a good compromise between size and resonance. A classic score such as Hook seems a good fit for such a historic scoring stage. The recording sessions must have been a good experience for Williams, for he has scored many films there since Hook.

Was the film itself a box office failure? Looking at the numbers, it's hard to make the case otherwise. According to the Internet Movie Database, Hook had a budget of 70 million dollars, yet it only grossed about 120 million with 65 million in video rental profits. This resulted in a total of only 185 million in the United States. In the end, Hook made less than 115 million in "clean" profit, not counting international box office income. Hook didn't bomb (it made the studio money), but for a Spielberg film, it was a comparative failure. Ironically, the music has outgrown the movie's stigma and is anything but a failure. I recently heard the Prologue theme being played over a loudspeaker during a TV special for Disneyland's new California Adventure expansion. If a record label like Rhino releases an expanded version of the score and promotes it, even more exposure will result and the popularity of Hook's music will rightfully grow.

In the final analysis, as any score fan can see, this album has CLASSIC written all over it. It deserves more recognition and a high-quality, expanded release. Some have suggested a three-disk set in order to include the entire film score as well as every alternate and unused cue (and maybe even some concert versions), so let's get the word out and give Williams' labor the treatment it deserves! *****