A Certain Point of View: Writing, Film and Stuff

Promotional graphic for La-La Land Records' Superman: The Movie - 40th Anniversary Remastered Edition 3-CD set. © 2019 Warner Bros. Records, La-La Land Records, and DC Entertainment A few weeks ago (on February 15, to be exact), Burbank-based La-La Records released Superman: The Movie - 40th Anniversary Remastered Edition: Music Composed and Conducted by John Williams, a three-CD box set that presents two versions of Maestro John Williams' 1978 score for Richard Donner's now-classic superhero film about the Man of Steel and his first confrontation with archvillain Lex Luthor. The cover art of the 40th Anniversary Remastered Edition is based on the 1978 teaser poster for Superman: The Movie.   © 2019 Warmer Bros. Records, La-La Land Records, and DC Entertainment Nominated for an Academy Award and a Grammy during the awards season for 1978, Williams' music for Superman soon became as iconic as the composer's previous scores for Jaws, Star Wars...

On February 15, 2000, Warner Bros. Records and Rhino Entertainment released Superman: The Movie: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, a 35-track, 2-CD album that presents the complete score composed and conducted by John Williams for Richard Donner's 1978 epic comic book film. Produced by Nick Redman and Michael Matessino, the album presents the music as it was heard in the movie, and (as in other Redman-Matessino expansions of classic Williams scores for Raiders of the Lost Ark and the original Star Wars Trilogy) gives film score fans a treasure trove of  previously unreleased material (such as the movie version of the Main Title March,  which was not included in Warner Records' 1978 2-LP album) "source" cues (music that is heard "in-movie" by characters), alternate versions of the Main Title March, The Planet Krypton,  and Can You Read My Mind (which is Maestro Williams' Love Theme From Superman combined with lyrics by Leslie Bricusse). As soun...

He is always close at hand, in a very positive way, musically; he’s extremely fond of music. His greatest pleasure, he tells me…and I believe him…is the time when he can come sit on the stage and listen to the orchestra play as we accompany the film. – John Williams on Steven Spielberg, in an interview with Lukas Kendall Not too long ago in a country not so far away, adventurer-archeologist, Indiana Jones, embarked on a historically significant search for the Lost Ark of the Covenant. Joining him on this supernatural treasure hunt was the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of composer John Williams. Were it not for many crucial bursts of dramatic symphonic accompaniment, Indiana Jones would surely have perished in a forbidding temple in South America or in the oppressive silence of the great Sahara Desert. – Steven Spielberg in his director’s note for the 1981 album of the Raiders of the Lost Ark soundtrack In the spring of 1981, Columbia Records – which at the time...

I've been enthralled by John Williams' scores for the original 1977-83 Star Wars Trilogy ( A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi ) since I first owned the 2-LP original soundtrack album from the first installment of the saga. For instance, I have bought the original 1977 recording in all available formats, from LP, eight-track, cassette, and compact disc. I also have the slightly expanded variation available in The Star Wars Trilogy Soundtrack Anthology four-disc box set and the even more complete Special Edition 2-CD set. So it shouldn't be a jolting shock to you, the reader, that I bought Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace' s 1-CD original soundtrack recording on the very day of its release (about a month prior to the premiere of Episode I). Like many Star Wars fans, I'd waited for 16 years for a new movie -- the 1997 Special Edition really didn't count as new movies -- since Return of the Jedi 's theatrical run ...

© 2005 Sony Classical and Lucasfilm Ltd. (LFL) One of the nicest things about Sony Classical's soundtrack album from  Star Wars - Episode III: Revenge of the Sith  is the bonus DVD that comes with the CD. Titled  Star Wars: A Musical Journey , this is a magnificent collection of 16 music videos that span the entire six-Episode saga. The Prequels' four major themes ( Duel of the Fates, Anakin's Theme, Across the Stars [Love Theme from Attack of the Clones),  and  Battle of the Heroes ) underscore beautifully edited montages from the 1999-2005 trilogy, while action/setting cues and major themes from the Classic Trilogy feature scenes from all six  Star Wars  films to follow the Skywalker family's pivotal role in the rise and fall of the Galactic Empire.  Photo: Courtesy of Marc Van Heuckelom. Of all the film series that feature classical-styled scores, George Lucas's  Star Wars  saga (which he personally calls  The T...