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King Kong: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
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JazzDigger Home > S - Jazz Artists > Mike Stevens > Item 14
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King Kong: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
MP3 Music (2005)
by James Newton Howard
Sales Rank: 85060
Price:$9.99
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Album Reviews
Known for his robust orchestral scores laced with lush sounds, James Newton Howard's compelling music for King Kong is a treasure destined to become another classic in his rich catalogue. Tracks such as "A Fateful Meeting" and "Defeat Is Always Momentary" take the listener on an urgent voyage to an undiscovered land, while "It's Deserted" and "Beautiful" evoke the lyrical beauty of the landscape created by Jackson and inhabited by the films memorable characters. Howard perfectly compliments the feeling of suspense, love and compassion the film so powerfully conveys.
James Newton Howard is one of Hollywood's most versatile and prolific composers, with more than 90 films to his credit. He has received six Oscar nominations, two Golden Globe nominations and one Grammy nomination. In addition, he has won 28 ASCAP Awards for film and television shows scored from 1994 to 2005. His credits include films as diverse as The Sixth Sense, Signs, The Fugitive, Pretty Woman, The Prince of Tides, Grand Canyon, Dave, Primal Fear, Glengarry Glen Ross, The Devil's Advocate, and Dinosaur. Howard's more recent projects include Batman Begins; The Interpreter; The Ring 2; Miss Congeniality 2; Collateral; The Village, for which he received his sixth Oscar nomination for Best Original Score; Hidalgo; and the live-action Peter Pan.
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Customer Reviews and Comments
Fair or not, James Newton Howard's score for Peter Jackson's "King Kong" will quickly be the focus of quite a discussion in the film score world. Howard's music is the third musical treatment for "King Kong," the others being Max Steiner's monumental score for Merian C. Cooper's classic of 1933, and John Barry's underappreciated music for the simply awful 1976 film. Howard enters this fray at a great disadvantage; whatever he produces will be immediately compared with two other scores, and one of them is quite simply the definitive "Kong" score. In many ways Steiner is the father of the true classical film score, and it can be said that all of this began with his music for "King Kong." Indeed, Jackson pays a lengthy tribute to Steiner by using much of his music in the film during the New York, "Eighth Wonder of the World," stage presentation of Kong played by an orchestra in the pit (by the way, is that Howard Shore conducting?). Beyond that grand accolade is the simple fact that his score was one of the greatest of all time. Indeed many consider Stiener's work to be the quintessential classical film score. And to make matters far worse, Howard was an eleventh hour draftee after Howard Shore's score had been rejected, leaving about four weeks to come up with an adequate score for a gargantuan film. There are already rumors that Shore's music, which was five months in the making, was better than what was finally chosen for the film. With all of that said we turn to James Newton Howard's music for Jackson's film. This is a very good score, as one would expect from a composer of Howard's caliber. And it is all the more remarkable given the constraints of time imposed by the dismissal of Howard Shore and his music. There is one very big surprise here though. One might have anticipated a mammoth action score for "King Kong," and Howard's action cues are more than adequate throughout. What really comes through, however, is his music for Ann Darrow, and in turn for Ann and Kong (not unlike Barry) which imparts emotional ties that were not fully realized in the earlier versions of "King Kong." Here Howard makes sure that this development is clearly understood and felt by his touching music. There are a number of minor themes and motifs for the various characters, Kong included, and even one for Skull Island, but they are not the keys to this score. The vital keys are found in Ann's music, and very evocative it is especially in three cues: "Beautiful," "Central Park," and "The Empire State Building". James Newton Howard's score for Peter Jackson's "King Kong" may not approach the historic importance of Steiner's music, but it is a solid production that works extremely well on the screen and the soundtrack album. And who knows what Howard might have created with a bit more time? Beautifully produced, and nicely packaged by Decca.
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King Kong: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
MP3 Music (2005)
by James Newton Howard
Price:$9.99
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