Customer Reviews

Catch Me If You Can

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

John Williams goes back to his roots. In the early 50s he issued a bunch of albums conducting a big band. Yes, he arranged them and played piano. This jazzy and fun score reminds one of the best of Henry Mancini. Add standards by Nat Cole, Frank Sinatra and Judy Garland among others and this CD perfectly catches the feeling of the time period that the film takes place in. Williams' best score in a long time.

If you listen to many of John Williams' memorable themes and scores, it's amazing to know that the guy started out as a jazz musician. With his score for "Catch Me If You Can," he gets a chance to bring out that side of him with this slick, jazzy and infectious score. One drawback is it does lacks the true William's signature: The memorable melody. It's likely due to the fact that Williams and Spielberg have a film set in an era (or begins in an era) that was musically into jazz styles like Cool and Be-Bop; styles that were driven more on dissonance and broken melodies created by improvised riffs. It only seems fitting to incorporate those styles to accompany the film. Nevertheless, the arrangements and orchestrations are top-notch. Even Spielberg points out on the liner notes that we "may swear that the E flat sax solo was improvised, but John wrote every single note of it."

With that, this score is riddled with the sound of a saxophone. There might even be credit to what Spielberg wrote: the saxophone solos do sound improvised. It seems Williams uses the saxophone in the score to parallel the main character Frank Abagnale (Leonardo DiCaprio)who is an amazing imposter. Because like an imposter, his every move may sound and appear improvised, but underneath the veneer, every move (or every note) is calculated.

There are three themes in this score. The main theme here is aptly titled Catch Me If You Can, a minimalist piece that consist of vibes, xlyophones and woodwinds written in an offbeat time signature. The second is an upbeat 4/4 progressive motif with staccato strings and alto saxophone riffs that reminds me of William's own "Home Alone" scores and Howard Shore's "Mrs. Doubtfire" score. This theme is present in "The Float" and "Doctor, Lawyer, Lutheran." The third is a five minute concert piece entitled "Recollections (The Father's Theme) which showcases the saxophone and xlyophone again. A slow, haunting piece. It harkens Gabriel Yared's work for "The Talented Mr. Ripley," which is another film about an imposter.

The songs are great in this CD and it's amazing how they somehow interweave with the score which is a plus.

Overall, the score stands out from previous Williams work because it's his most daring and youthful score in my opinion, sounding like nothing he's written before. Unfortunately though, a few moments in the score sound like other composers which is another reason why I gave it four out of five stars. Thankfully, it's only in a few moments in the score. "Catch Me If You Can" proves that John Williams is a versatile film composer who still delivers the goods.

This score, like most of John William's music, is strickingly different than the ones before. William's ability to dabble in different musical forms is decidedly one of his greatest strengths, along with his ability to follow the pace of the movie. If you happen to simply be a fan of William's, I think you'll enjoy this bit. It's very light, entertaining, and enjoyable. A very happy bit, indeed. Don't expect it to be like Star Wars, but expect to enjoy it.

Catch Me soundtrack is a mix of original music and oldies songs. The score is jazz like, with the usual elements of John's musical composition. Is it good music with the movie? I would say yes! Can it stand strong by itself? I have mixed feelings about it. If you're patient and just kicking back, it's very cool stuff! But if you're not patient and just want to hear exciting tracks immediately, then this stuff is just OK. It's true, the jazz tunes make up about 45 minutes of the CD. The great songs really hold up the listening enjoyment of the soundtrack. Without the songs, the score can get a little repetitive. I gave this a 4 star, so it's definetely a recommendation. It'll most likely go up for BEST ORIGINAL SCORE at the OSCARS, since jazz tunes of the 50s are favorable to them. The only reason I wouldn't give this a 5 is that the theme song isn't the strongest. It's cool, but not revolutionary. The musical score time, 45 minutes, is a bit short. Some of the tracks repeat in other songs. It's OK if the album is long, but if it's short, I expect a bit more variety. Other than these factors, it's cool, pleasing, romantic, haunting, and reminescence of the 50's. What an experience it would be!!!

The way people have been talking about this score, from the reviews to the liner notes, you'd think it was a stylistic counterpart to "Checkmate." In truth, there is minimal jazz or even pseudo-jazz content in this score. It is mostly orchestral with occasional jazzy touches, such as vibes or sax, but it's hardly a return to his days as Johnny Williams (as some have suggested). And the handful of tunes by the likes of Sinatra, Dusty, and Getz/Gilberto are readily available elsewhere in more appropriate settings. On its own terms, the score is certainly pleasant, but it's hardly a "jazz score" as defined by the likes of Mancini, Lalo Schifrin, Johnny Mandel, Kenyon Hopkins, and others.

The opening theme is the coolest ever. It has that jazzy, suspenseful, space-age groove that takes you back to the early 60's era portrayed in the movie.

Once I discovered it was done by John Williams, things started to click. The arrangement and themes actually go back way before he was famous. Back to an era he may not want you to remember. Back when he was known simply as "Johnny" Williams.

First, notice the melody and pace of the creeping marimbas and bubbling flutes. Next, catch a repeat of the old Sci-Fi, TV Fairy-Tale known as "LOST IN SPACE." Listen for the incidental, suspense-scene music throughout. Did you catch the composer's name in the credits?

Bingo!(and still very cool)!

This is brilliant. You will have this theme ringing in your ears for a month after listening. I have collected around 25 to 30 J. Williams scores. This is wonderful like the rest...

Steven Spielberg's 2002 film CATCH ME IF YOU CAN was a breezy crime caper movie based on the true-life story of Frank Abagnale, a real "phony" who nevertheless embarked on a three-year spree of writing bum checks adding up to millions during the 1960s. To capture that era's swinging mores, he had his great friend John Williams design one of that composer's quirkiest scores ever--very jazzy and redolent of the scores Henry Mancini devised for the "Pink Panther" films and Stanley Donen's 1963 classic CHARADE.

But for Williams, CATCH ME IF YOU CAN was very much a homecoming, as he started out in jazz and even worked quite closely with Mancini early on in Hollywood. The genuine jauntiness and mystery of the film's main musical motifs are balanced by moments of warm but not mushy sentimentality, and hit songs of that period by Frank Sinatra, Stan Getz, and Dusty Springfield round out this appealing collection.

CATCH ME IF YOU CAN was such an offbeat project for a composer and a director known for boldness, but it served as a challenge that Spielberg aced on the screen and Williams aced in his music. It is highly recommended for its sheer audacity in going back to the past and still remaining relevant to today.

This definitely has the sound of the Pink Panther. John Williams studied and worked under Henry Mancini and the influence his heard in this brilliant and jazzy memento of the movie.

See the movie and buy the soundtrack if only to hear Dusty Springfield sing "The Look of Love." The song never sounded better and fit the movie's "love scene" perfectly. Unlike most soundtrack songs, Dusty sings "The Look of Love" in its entirety, which will carry you back to 1967, and make you feel all warm and nostalgic. The other songs aren't bad, either!