The Baton: A John Williams Musical Journey
TV & Film:Film History
Though two composers had won Oscars for their scores on previous Alan Parker films, the director didn't reach out to them to write music for his first straight nonmusical drama in almost 10 years. Neither Giorgio Moroder or Michael Gore would have fit the mold for the music needed for "Angela's Ashes," based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning memoir by Frank McCourt. John Williams had read the book and agreed to do the score, opting to forgo any of the typical Irish instruments that he employed seven years earlier for "Far and Away." Host Jeff Commings examines the score's universal appeal through its two themes played on piano and strings, as well as some cues that were not used in the final film version. As this film was unspooling in theaters in late 1999, Williams was ready to conduct a six-part composition for a short film by Steven Spielberg about the American experience. Enjoy a portion of that composition on this episode as well as we move ahead to the new millennium!
Episode 74 - Home Alone 2
Episode 73 - Far and Away
Episode 72 - JFK
Episode 71 - Hook
Episode 70 - Home Alone
Episode 69 - Presumed Innocent
Episode 68 - Stanley & Iris
Episode 67 - Always
Episode 66 - Born on the Fourth of July
Episode 65 - Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Episode 64 - The Accidental Tourist
Episode 63 - Empire of the Sun
Episode 62 - The Witches of Eastwick
Episode 61 - SpaceCamp
Episode 60 - The River
Episode 59 - Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Episode 58 - Return of the Jedi
Episode 57 - Monsignor
Episode 56 - E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial
Episode 55 - Heartbeeps
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