![signs [soundtrack]](http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00006AWG7.01.TZZZZZZZ.jpg)
On this CD:
Signs, film score
Composed by
James Newton Howard
Performed by
Sandy De Crescent,
Hollywood Studio Symphony
with
Randy Kerber,
Thomas Boyd,
Gary Bovyer,
James Walker,
Geraldine Rotella,
Gayle Levant,
Katie Kirkpatrick,
Loiuse M. Ditullio,
David Shostac,
James Kanter,
Barbara Northcutt
Conducted by
Pete Anthony
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
For decades strange, intricate symbols have appeared pressed into farm fields across the globe. Enormous, puzzling messages from an extraterrestrial civilization--or an incredibly elaborate hoax staged by... whom? Those are the questions that drive M. Night Shyamalan's narrative, but as in the director's other thrillers (The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable), the answers aren't always where you expect them. As he's done for Shyamalan's previous films, composer James Newton Howard creates a musical undercurrent of mystery and unease, with nervous arpeggios and sullen, swelling strings ratcheting up throughout the score's unsettling first half. The film is dotted with apparent visual homages to past sci-fi films, and moments of Howard's orchestral score have occasional parallels with the more action-oriented passages of John Williams's landmark Close Encounters score. But there's more than brooding atmospherics, tension-building, and the occasional booming crescendo here. A sense of gentle spirituality gradually evolves as well (largely via the composer's sensitive use of minimalist techniques), with Howard's music ultimately achieving a quiet, satisfying sense of resolve that's missing from all too much of Hollywood's hollow dramatic thunder. --Jerry McCulley
Signs (Score),James Newton Howard,Hollywood Records,Pop,Soundtrack,Soundtracks & Film Scores
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Signs (Score)
James Newton Howard Manufacturer: Hollywood Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD  Movie Soundtracks
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ASIN: B00006AWG7 Release Date: 2002-07-30 |
Tracks:
Amazon.com
For decades strange, intricate symbols have appeared pressed into farm fields across the globe. Enormous, puzzling messages from an extraterrestrial civilization--or an incredibly elaborate hoax staged by... whom? Those are the questions that drive M. Night Shyamalan's narrative, but as in the director's other thrillers (The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable), the answers aren't always where you expect them. As he's done for Shyamalan's previous films, composer James Newton Howard creates a musical undercurrent of mystery and unease, with nervous arpeggios and sullen, swelling strings ratcheting up throughout the score's unsettling first half. The film is dotted with apparent visual homages to past sci-fi films, and moments of Howard's orchestral score have occasional parallels with the more action-oriented passages of John Williams's landmark Close Encounters score. But there's more than brooding atmospherics, tension-building, and the occasional booming crescendo here. A sense of gentle spirituality gradually evolves as well (largely via the composer's sensitive use of minimalist techniques), with Howard's music ultimately achieving a quiet, satisfying sense of resolve that's missing from all too much of Hollywood's hollow dramatic thunder. --Jerry McCulleyCustomer Reviews:
Impressive!.......2006-04-14
Scary, Isn't It...........2004-10-18
Signs - Brilliant score by JNH.......2003-12-21
WOW!.......2003-12-03
Perfect within the film, less so by itself.......2003-10-30
James Newton Howard is so attentive to the plot and underlying emotions of each scene that the music becomes indispensable. Other reviews have rightly mentioned the Bernard Herrmann minimalism. The three-note motif is a similar tactic to the five-note signature of "Close Encounters." Howard's intent with the opening theme was to create what he called "[...]a context of expectations." The music telegraphs that at SOME point, something big is going to happen to go along with it.
Normally, the music will change to mark a shift in location (city, country, planet). Since nearly all of this movie occurs within 20 acres, the repetition and thematic simplicity reinforce the claustrophobic atmosphere of the film. Still, this presents exactly the same problem as with John Williams' score for "Minority Report." Parts of the score become TOO sedate when removed from the film.
The furthest Mel Gibson's character gets from the confines of the farm is in flashback dreams of his wife. In turn, that memory keeps him cooped up under his roof, trying to hide from God. Howard uses warm strings to signify the issue of faith gently working its way back into the Hess household. Changing which instrument does the three-note trickle greatly varies its mood and effect.
The subdued nature of the score also gives the crescendos more punch ("Into The Basement," "Asthma Attack," and "The Hand of Fate - Part I") There's a thread of heartland Americana in the gentler parts of the score, particularly in "The Hand of Fate - Part II."
The music and the film are a great partnership. On its own, the soundtrack is worth getting for the energy of the first track, and of the last three.
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Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Extreme , Vital Signs , Glen Burtnick , Tora Tora , Shark Island , Big Pig , Bricklin , Robbie Robb , and Power Tool Manufacturer: A&M Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General
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ASIN: B000EML0JO |
Product Description
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure //Original Motion Picture Soundtrack // 1. Play With Me - Extreme 2. The Boys And Girls Are Doing It - Vital Signs 3. Not So Far Away - Glen Burtnick 4. Dancing With A Gypsy - Tora Tora 5. Father Time - Shark Island 6. I Can't Break Away - Big Pig 7. Dangerous - Shark Island 8. Walk Away - Bricklin 9. In Time - Robbie Robb 10. Two Heads Are Better Than One - Power ToolMusic: