Customer Reviews

Robin Hood

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A previous reviewer faulted Marc Streitenfeld's score to Robin Hood for not sounding more like Gladiator or Braveheart. I already have Gladiator and Braveheart (both excellent scores), but really, why would I want to buy something that sounds like what I already have? This is ROBIN HOOD, not Gladiator. Marc Streitenfeld's score is nothing short of brilliant, using full-orchestral cues suffused with period sounds and instruments to create a work that is at once epic and intimate. In some of the cues, Marc has been able to compose a melodic dissonace that I find curiously wonderful! The epic main theme really takes off in "Fate Has Smiled Upon Us" and recurs throughout the score in many variations. But I think one of my favorite cues is the quiet and sweet "Sherwood Forest." Robin Hood is not a complicated score, but it is a surprisingly layered one that takes you on an unexpected and wonderous journey. Marc Streitenfeld is an up-and-coming composer to watch!

I was depressed when Hans Zimmer and Ridley Scott seemed to break ties a few years ago, as they had together produced a number of great results. Relative newcomer Marc Streitenfeld has become Scott's new go-to guy, and this score goes a long way in solidifying my opinion of Streitenfeld. Excellent score. True, it's not Gladiator or Braveheart, but it's not trying to be. Definitely not a generic score, this one was clearly customized for the movie. Requires numerous listens to really get a feel for. Recommended.

While most film fans eagerly awaited the May release of the new "Iron Man" extravaganza, not a few others waited with equal anticipation to see what director Ridley Scott and actor Russell Crowe would do with the legend of Sherwood in "Robin Hood." And some sat on pins and needles, or sharpened arrow points perhaps, wondering what film score composer Marc Streitenfeld would produce as a score for this depiction of Robin and his merry men. Fear not, they both hit their marks. The next and vital point that must be made and then put aside is that this is not Eric Wolfgang Korngold, but then again this is not 1938 either, and after all the score to "The Adventures of Robin Hood" was simply one of the two or three greatest scores ever composed. One might also note that John Barry took a more contemporary spin in Sherwood with his score for "Robin and Marian" as did the late Michael Kamen, and both scores had notable moments but again were not Korngold. This film and its score must be judged on their own merits and there is a great deal to like and enjoy here on both counts. Scott's film is a prequel to the story of Robin of Sherwood, or a sequel to "Kingdom of Heaven," long, detailed, and ambitious, but not without thrills and some fun (almost every film review has made glaring errors regarding English history while Scott is not too bad, and Robin is just a folk legend with no sound singular version), and solid acting including strong performances by Russell Crowe and Kate Blanchett. Streitenfeld himself has been around for some time, much of it as an associate of Scott having scored two films and acted as musical director on several others including "Kingdom of Heaven." There are some similarities with that latter Scott film and they are generally positive. Overall, this is often a fairly somber score, as it needs to be in places ("Godfrey" and "John Is King"), with a variety of themes depicting key developments in the film (a nice mid-disc collection including "Planting the Fields," "Sherwood Forest," and "Robin Speaks") and naturally the main characters especially Robin Hood (a very solid theme for "Longstrides"), Marion, Walter,and some ominous tones for the bad guys with nice bits and pieces of a folk melody, note "Planting the Fields," and the final cut "Merry Men" that blends the folk tune and the main theme in a nice coda. And it does all work on the soundtrack and on the big screen. Good production values and adequate packaging by Varese.

Where are the songs and music as written and performed by Alan Doyle (Alan A'Dayle)? All Great Big Sea fans want to know.

I love movie sound tracks. This is my first purchase of Streitenfeld as the previous films he worked on with Scott I wasn't too fond of. Although "A Good Year" was better than I expected.

His work on "Robin Hood" captures a different feel than say, Kamen's work on "Prince of Thieves." It's richer and feels more "real" to the world of the movie. I loved the music in the movie.

Regarding the actual CD, I'm a little dissapointed. Streitenfeld's creativity and style are there, but the tracks are all quite short and I don't feel I get enough of the music in each track. They are all beautiful to listen to, but by the time I'm really getting into them, they are coming to a close.

Streitenfeld definately has his own style on this score, and I hope to hear many more great things from him in the future. I can hear strains of Zimmer and Gregson-Williams in some of the pieces, (which is ok, because I love both of their work.)

While I love the music, I was dissapointed in the CD presentation of it. The tracks; Sherwood Forest, Robing Speaks, and Merry Men, Creatures and Godfrey, are the stand outs in my mind at this point Also disappointed that the disc was so hard to find. None of the retail stores but Barnes & Noble carried it, not available on iTunes either. The disc is always nice to have, but for the track presentation I'd have been happier paying $11.99 on iTunes rather than $20 at B&N.

So yes, the music and Marc Streitenfeld are very good. The CD itself is lacking, leaving you wanting more. So I can't wait for his next score to sample.

I was really looking forward to this soundtrack, so imagine my surprise when it didn't have 3 of the most interesting pieces from the film. All of the folk music scenes were not included in the soundtrack. The two party scenes in the movie in particular had some really enjoyable tunes and I had wanted those.

An additional annoyance is the fact that the tracks are not order. If you know this movie, it can be disconcerting to listen to the CD.

After reading several scathing reviews about the movie, I decided I would go into the theater with low expectations...and I came out loving every minute of the movie. I equally love this soundtrack. From track one, "Destiny", a beautiful introduction to the film and score, to the end track, "Merry Men", a lively end theme, I was, in a word, enraptured with this score. I definitely recommend. :)

This is the first Marc Streitenfeld cd I've ever heard, and I'm liking what I'm hearing. Streitenfeld comes from the much-maligned (and deservedly so) stable of Remote Control Hans Zimmer clones, but unlike his brethren he strives for individuality.

Streitenfeld blends a lot of different elements together to create a gritty and sometimes dark soundscape, typical of what you'd expect for a Ridley Scott film. There is a Gladiator-like feel to some of the tracks, especially so after having seen the movie, but any real comparisons between the two are wishful thinking. Like all RC productions programmed drums, keyboards and chorals blend with the orchestra. Unlike Ramin Djawadi's dismal Clash of the Titans OST, Streitenfeld put his hours in on this one. Instead of hitting the listener over the head with the motifs and instruments they're subtle and judiciously used- touches instead of slaps. There's even a few bagpipes sprinkled in to add a little celtic flavor to the mix, and it comes off very well.

Some highlights:

Creatures: Haunting melody and chorus underscores the youths left behind to forage the forests when the men are sent off to battle. Very evocative.

Fate Has Smiled Upon Us: Electric cellos and strings fill a stirring piece about the fortunes of war.

Godfrey: Flute and string motifs combined with a low drum and bassoon emphasis to highlight the mayhem and treachery he causes. Excellent piece of work.

John Is King: Low choral voices and cello foreshadow the looming chaos of John's reign, highlighted by excellent use of a modified version of the Godfrey flute motif.

Siege: Action-oriented strings and good driving drum beats punctuate the action.

Charge: String rushes start off slow and understated, building to a good, rising finale.

The Legend Begins: Flutes and vocals invoke both the sanctuary that Sherwood Forest provides for the rebels and their future adventures.

Merry Men: Irish reels and strings go well with a vocal accompaniment.


The main problem here is there's not a real cohesive feel to the music, almost as if he was doing it scene by scene and added previous elements to give it the feel of an arc. If it had been a tighter composition it would've been great, but instead is good enough to entertain. It's better than 3-stars but not quite enough for 4.

I am a fairly faithful soundtrack fan and collector. As an avid moviegoer, I feel soundtracks are very important to one's overall enjoyment of any film. I, of course, loved Ridley Scott's film as I do just about everything he does. I enjoyed the performances by everyone. I thought the soundtrack was spot on - every scene enhanced by the music. I bought the film and have enjoyed it several times. I finally got the soundtrack today and I have to say that it left something to be desired. The two most beautiful pieces were not included. There was a 7 or 8 second touch of the haunting love theme in track 21 - the most beautiful song, pervasive in every scene with Kate Blanchett and Russell Crowe, which grew in complexity as they became more aware of each other, reduced to 8 seconds on the soundtrack? What's that about? The next song obviously missing was the waltz played at the dance, which sounded very much like the Chieftains "Women of Ireland" featured in Barry Lyndon. Another beautiful song not included. Why do they do that? I know this isn't the first soundtrack to do that and often, we are forced to by multiple CDs in order to get the actual music we hear on the film. It's tough to be a collector when they do this to us. Of course, this won't be the last soundtrack I buy but this one was disappointing.

I have yet to see the film, so I can't speak to how the score enhances it. As a separate listening experience, I can say that there are some cues that are absolutely stunningly beautiful. The chosen orchestral sounds are top notch and the recording of this music is first class. With that being said, the overall listening experience is a bit disjointed and I wish that there were stronger melodic themes in the score to bolster up the interesting action cues. In many instances you begin to hear the gorgeous low cello notes and you think "Here comes the melody" but the result is not too melodic and you can't recognize any unifying theme. I realize that modern film scoring has gone away from this, but I still think that this score would have benefited from it. As it is, there are brief moments of amazing music but these moments don't add up to an amazing overall listening experience.

EDIT: After watching the movie (which I very much enjoyed), I appreciate the music a bit more, but not enough to change my initial review. I'm really mad that the producers didn't include the beautiful waltz playing when Marion and Robin are dancing. That would have added some much-needed variety to the score! It's a shame.