John Williams - Munich

A beautiful soundtrack to a beautiful film - John Williams proves his mastery yet again

Steven Spielberg's "Munich" was, and is (at least in this reviewer's opinion) one of the finest, and most inherently misunderstood, works of art to rise out of the chaos and uncertainty of the post-9/11 world.
It is my personal philosophy that, in a realist style of filmmaking, the various media incorporated into the film's presentation simulate different aspects of the viewer's own experience "inside" the story - images simulate vision, sound simulates hearing. But there is one crucial part of the human experience that film alone cannot possibly simulate; emotion. John Williams has always greatly incorporated this philosophy into his film scores, which has surely contributed to his status as a deeply respected and beloved composer. But in a film where emotion runs deep, ambiguity runs strongly, and subtlety abounds, one might expect even the best of composers to hit his limit. Not so for John Williams. His ambient, exquisite score for "Munich" encapsulates the mood, feeling and concept of the film with striking accuracy.
Williams falls back from sweeping overtures in this film to compose a score that is affecting, yet ambient. Rather than sculpting the music to choreograph each scene, Mr. Williams primarily uses only a few core themes, varying them to the appropriate degree for each scene in which they are used. The quiet consistency is strikingly effective; without even realizing it, we come to identify "Avner's Theme" with the ray of hope, the humanity that Avner and his fellows struggle to maintain even in the face of their grisly line of work. "Munich, 1972", played over the opening scenes of the film, passionately inflicts upon us the horror and tragedy of the attacks at the 1972 Olympic games; its reprise, "Remembering Munich", played as bloody story of the Israeli athletes is retold in greater detail, emanates of unease and shock. Most involving, perhaps, is the tense, feverish rhythm of "Encounter in London", which mimics a human heartbeat - Avner's heartbeat, the assassins' hearbeat, our heartbeat. Ingeniously played at strategic points throughout the film, the nightmarish beat quickly becomes a harbinger of brutality to come, filling us with dread and anticipation, completely immersing us in the action. But perhaps most memorable of all is the genuinely haunting overture of the "End Credits" followed by "Avner and Daphne", originally played over one of the most chilling endings I have ever experienced in film. The melancholy reprise of the film's major themes, the combined feeling of deep sadness, mourning and yet a tiny spark of hope for an uncertain future - these powerful elements ensured that every conscious and open-minded viewer walked out of the movie theater in deep contemplation, which is certainly something which is surely something from which Mr. Spielberg and Mr. Williams would derive a great sense of accomplishment. The tune, and the ending, still sends a shiver up my spine whenever I see it, and I've rewatched and relistened to it many times.
Anyone who has seen and experienced this exquisitely tragic film owes it to themselves to pick up this quietly beautiful soundtrack, which proves once again beyond a shadow of doubt that John Williams possesses well-nigh infinite potential for capturing the emotional essence of films in music.
On my personal ratings scale... this album receives a 10/10. July 15, 2007

Another Williams gem!

John Williams'superb score for "Munich" pulls off something rare-it's
better than the movie.This is the maestro at his full-throttle best.
The score is intense,powerful,thrilling,and magnificently performed
by the LA Recording Arts Orchestra under the master's superb baton.
This is his best work since "Saving Private Ryan" November 1, 2006

Should Have Taken the Academy Award!

Well, I must say, Williams got ripped off AGAIN this year, with yet another beautiful score misunderstood. I sometimes wonder when the Academy will get a clue and start giving awards where they are do.

As far as the score goes, get it. It is a passionate tribute to it's story, and reminds me strongly of some of the best Williams scores. Echoes of Empire of the Sun, Seven Years in Tibet, Schindler's List and even Revenge of the Sith cover this album. On top of these wonderful stylistic comebacks is a wealth of new material, (meaning extremely original compositions) that cannot be passed up.

Support Williams, and buy the score that should have won. September 27, 2006

Song played on the radio in the safe house scene

Does anyone know the name of the song played on the radio when the Israeli team and the other team are in the safe house?
The song is heard for about 5-10 seconds when one of the guys on the Israeli team gets up and changes the radio station from the station playing Arabic music.
It has a nice catchy tune.

Thank you July 12, 2006

Intense movie

This movie was very intense due of course to the subject matter. The music by John Williams was just superb and helped draw me into this sad story. The mournful voice of Lisbeth Scott in the track "Remembering Munich" reminds me of the never-ending conflict between the progeny of Ishmael and Isaac. May 3, 2006

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