: (John Williams) When director Steven
Spielberg learned in 1999 that historian Doris Kearns Goodwin was
planning to write a biography entitled "Team of Rivals: The Political
Genius of Abraham Lincoln," he immediately sought to purchase the
filming rights to the concept through DreamWorks. In the subsequent
decade, the script for Spielberg's
underwent a tremendous
number of rearrangements by several writers; the life the great American
president was so expansive in scope that the writers had extreme
difficulty narrowing its focus to Spielberg's liking. In its final form,
concentrates on only the President's final months, and
specifically those that dealt with his preoccupation with the passing of
the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution abolishing
slavery. While the 2012 film has all the makings of one of Spielberg's
standard biographical pictures,
has, in its abundance of
critical praise, been described more as a political thriller than a
typical "biopic." Compensating for a lack of overt Spielberg cinematic
flair is a plethora of tense interpersonal interactions depicting
Lincoln's struggles with other powerful political players of the era. A
tender secondary line of action dedicated to the man's family is closer
to the focus of the director's previous works, though there are
undoubtedly comparisons to
that will be made by hardcore
movie enthusiasts. Although the studio was initially hesitant about
affording Spielberg the money to simply reprise a fiscal dud of the
likes of
story, as well as Daniel Day-Lewis and Sally Field's
performances, promised an upside that includes possibly significant
awards consideration for the project. Among the aspects of the film sure
to gain a few nominations is John Williams' score. The maestro came out
of several years of retirement for Spielberg's trio of 2011 and 2012
films, proving in these three assignments his continued ability to
unquestionably outclass his younger peers in the industry even as he
enters his 80's.
Williams continues to laboriously write his scores by hand
with pencil and paper at a piano, rejecting modern technologies and
still managing to yield music of his established, superior quality.
Having worked with Spielberg for 40 years, his involvement with
Lincoln represents their 26th collaboration. As with the two
projects they shared in 2011,
The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of
the Unicorn and
War Horse,
Lincoln feels like yet
another bonus entry in the concluding years of this remarkable
relationship, and Williams astonishingly continues to prove his
viability as an artist despite his advancing age. Few, if any, of the
younger generation of composers worldwide seem capable of capturing the
primordial emotional essence of a film (and especially ones dealing with
American history) with the same grace and precision. While
Lincoln certainly doesn't feature the brilliant hyperactive
activity of
The Adventures of Tintin or the crowd-pleasing,
resoundingly dramatic gravity of
War Horse, it is no less
successful at its task. The director and composer very specifically
sought to utilize the music as a restrained and respectful accompaniment
secondary to Day-Lewis' lead performance. While listeners will hear
plenty of connections to Williams' prior Americana triumphs in
Lincoln, none of them will feature the heroic, chime-banging
personality the composer is best known for in the mainstream. The
importance of this presidency, as well as the Thirteenth Amendment, is
emphasized in solemn fortitude by Williams' tactful application of
orchestral weight and melody. The composer studied 19th Century hymns
and applied some of these traditional works to his score, and instead of
recording the entirety in London or Los Angeles, he opted to employ the
Chicago Symphony Orchestra (and associated chorus), which whom he had
successfully collaborated on other occasions. For longtime Williams
collectors,
Lincoln will be a pleasure that comes exactly as
expected, its restrained, noble, and somber tones exuding all his
Americana traditions heard in scores from
Born on the Fourth of
July to
Saving Private Ryan,
Amistad, and
The
Patriot, as well as the maestro's numerous America-related concert
pieces.
The rather short score for
Lincoln (at least in
its presentation on album) is highlighted by extensive solos led by
piano with little accompaniment. Trumpet, oboe, and clarinet also take
turns defining the melodies, sometimes in duets utilizing starkly
harmonic but complimentary tones to denote a historical connection. The
rest of the orchestra occasionally weaves in and out of the solos
gracefully, and these moments, as always with Williams, are the
highlights. The fuller ensemble sequences are not substantial in length
or dramatic in weight when compared to Williams' previous efforts. The
opening cue, "The People's House," does have the composer's trademark,
pulsating whole notes on key to denote gravity, but such usage is rare
elsewhere. The most outwardly heroic application of the ensemble comes
at the end of "Equality Under the Law" in the form of a string crescendo
of noble intent as expected. Tortured violins in "Elegy" rise out of the
French horns, which are present frequently to bolster the patriotism
factor in
Saving Private Ryan fashion. One interlude of
electronic dissonance (a standard Williams technique) exists in "The
Southern Delegation and the Dream." Likewise, there exists only one
significant wordless choral contribution; in the middle of "Appomattox,
April 9, 1865," the eeriness of this layer is unmistakable. While more
of this kind of mix throughout the score could have greatly enhanced the
"mystique" effect, the composer might have considered such an approach
to be overkill. On the flip side, two jaunty cues of playfulness break
up the listening experience in "Getting Out the Vote" and "The Race to
the House" with fiddles, banjo, and spirited percussion. While the
latter is comprised of traditional tunes, the former features beefy bass
strings in its mix as well, reminding of
Far and Away. From an
instrumental and vocal standpoint, the most uniquely individual cue is
"Call to Muster and Battle Cry of Freedom," opening with snare and flute
stereotypes for marching to war and continuing into a vocalized
traditional Civil War song for male voices first and then with females.
Aside from the opening track on the album, which features the theme and
demeanor of Williams' original music for the trailer to
Lincoln,
the powerhouse cue of the score is "The Peterson House and Finale,"
which rotates through Williams' themes in 11 minutes of pensive thought,
with significant attention provided to each.
The many themes for
Lincoln are long-lined,
which means that they can be somewhat difficult to latch onto given
their somber, slow performances. Don't expect anyone in the mainstream
(or even most film score fans) to walk away humming a specific melody
from this one. Of the six major themes, the primary identity previewed
in the trailer and anchoring "The People's House" is the most memorable,
though don't be surprised if you find yourself most attracted to
Williams' theme for the Thirteenth Amendment (and the aspirations behind
it). This idea can be heard in "The Purpose of the Amendment,"
"Freedom's Call," and "The Peterson House and Finale," and its presence
is best known due to the composer's anticipatory bass notes during its
progressions (reflecting, oddly enough, Jerry Goldsmith's
Explorers). Williams' themes for the family, the war, and other
concepts bleed into one another without much distinction outside of
their shared, muted respect for the topic. On the whole, this score
offers absolutely no surprises for the learned Williams listener. It
supplements their collections with yet another tender, thoughtful, and
pleasantly fluid Americana entry. Some may balk at the fact that there
is nothing substantially new (other than the traditional adaptations) to
distinguish
Lincoln from the rest of Williams' career. Indeed,
most of the themes are highly derivative for the composer. Some will
love and respect the score simply because it is yet another Williams
work, a bonus at this point that brings back fond memories of the 1980's
and 1990's, rather than as a transcendent individual score. There is no
doubt that
Lincoln is at least a solid four-star effort and is
worthy of an Oscar nomination, but it may not be frequently visited for
more than an occasional, comfortably historical background listening
experience. Put together a suite of "The People's House," "Getting Out
the Vote," "Appomattox, April 9, 1865," and "The Peterson House and
Finale" and you'll have the twenty most essential minutes from the work.
That said, the entirety still puts to shame most younger composers'
music, especially when you consider the maestro's writing methodology.
There is extraordinary, carefully crafted finesse to this material that,
while perhaps tired and repetitive in Williams' own body of incredible
achievements, remains remarkable to behold in the 2010's. More than
anything else, in terms of its purpose, its finished sound, and its
relationship to the listener, this score defines the word nostalgia.
**** @Amazon.com: CD or
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| Bias Check: |
For John Williams reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.8
(in 75 reviews)
and the average viewer rating is 3.67
(in 348,615 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
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