Customer Reviews

House of Flying Daggers [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As like Crouching Tiger and Hero, the impressive impact and emotion of the movie is be attributed a large deal to the score, but I think House of Flying Daggers offers the best one yet.
Tan Dun's Crouching Tiger was beautiful, very traditional and emotional, with some epic sounds thrown in for the desert scenes. Hero tried to follow suit, but I think it sounded way too much like Crouching Tiger, and thus became extremely repetitive. House of Flying Daggers on the other hand offered something entirely new. It has a more contemporary sound than the other two, and is one of the least repetitive soundtracks I've heard.
The running theme of 'Lovers' is extremely moving, whether it be in the melancholy Er-hu solo in track 10, the operatic title song by Kathleen Battle (with a beautiful piano opening) or track 8, the soaring 'Lovers - Flower Garden', where the heart of the soundtrack lies (and which is also my favourite track!)
There are also other elements in the score, such as the middle-eastern sounding 'Battle in the Forest'(after a serene intro), the epic orchestra in 'No Way Out', and the rhythmic strings in 'Farewell'.
The HOFD soundtrack is so multifaceted it's hard to get tired of listening to it. A must for your record collection!

This soundtrack is a wonderful mix of classical oriental music and modern film score symphonics, a taste of the far east that's accessible to everyone. The Chinese flute and stringed instruments are blended with modern synthesizers and orchestra instruments to create a moody, elegant and very romantic soundtrack. Most of the pieces are very short, around two minutes long, but there are several longer pieces as well and all of the works seem to flow together so when listening to the entire album you feel a sense of continuity. I would recommend this album to anyone who loved the movie or to anyone who enjoys oriental or new age music.

while tan dun's scores for crouching tiger and hero have been highly praised, this work is both more effective and far more individual. full of memorable moments and powerful emotion, it is well worth checking out. watching the film, i found myself thinking it was the most powerful film score by an asian composer since takemitsu's score for ran (itself one of my all time favorite scores for any film.

This album has everything good music needs. It's driving, subtle, powerful and soft. It is a truly amazing work of art. It gets the emotions of the characters and the events of the story out perfectly. A ballet could be performed to this score.

I truly enjoy this CD. The music is enchanting, emotion-evoking, and powerful. I love to listen to it in order to relax before going to bed. I recommend this CD to anyone.

I really love this soundtrack. After seeing the movie I imediately went looking for the music. My favorite surprise ofcourse was the beautiful soft voice of Zhang Ziyi herself on the second track, "Beauty Song". It's simple melody and sparse traditional instrumentation was perfect for calling all the attention to and accentuating her vocal. As I listened, I kept picturing her beautiful face singing in that scene at the Peony House.

The rest of the CD is awesome. All the moods, and colors of the film come alive in your head as you listen. The entire score is similar in style and arrangements to CTHD but much more romantic and musical to listen to. More contemporary to the point it stands by itself just to listen to rather than just being a movie sountrack.

But this CD, seat back, relax and let your mind wonder.

Sit back close your eyes and remember this great and glorious film through it's breathtaking score. The perfect quiet evening with this CD is an evening spent in memory reliving all the beauty, dynamic action, and natural surroundings that the music brings you back to time and again. A true classic, and film music not to soon be forgotten.

The movie, House of Flying Daggers, is a pure gem. I think it is possibly the most underated movie this year and should be seen by everyone. The love story is operatic in its beauty and tragedy, and I was holding tears back through the entire film due to its simple yet dramatic grace and the gentle melodies of the score. However, when the credits appeared and that beautiful voice of Katleen Battle rang through my ears, I could no longer hold in the tears and began to cry profusely.

The movie is true MUST SEE and the Soundtrack should be listened to over and over.

House of daggers was no doubt and awsome movie... brilliantly well done. Tons of action, excitment, love... But what really made the movie so good was the music. the music is so good in it that I play the movie over just to hear it. the sound and quality of the music is unreal. Each song has it's own story to tell and that is truly amazing. as i skimmed through the songs on her I came across track #17 "Mei and Jin" love song, I totally fell in love with that song. It is the most beautifil love song I have ever herd in my life. It reminds me of all the amazing and high points in my life and I come to tears just listning to it. I am 100% thankful For Shigeru Umebayashi's talent and his work. I can not wait for another score of his to come out. This whole cd is amazing and I highly insist that who ever is into japanese and chinese music like this to go pick it up. I tottaly love this cd and will hold on to this for a while. yet again "mei and Jin"!!!!! It's so good.

John...

The music in this movie really exemplifies the kind of mood you feel when you watch it. The melodies are really great, and are played throughout the film in many different moods. It perfectly accompanies the beautiful visuals, but also stands very well on its own as a wonderful piece of work.