Customer Reviews

The Scarlet Letter (1995 Film)

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

 

 

This soundtrack, while not from the best movie ever made, could just as well be a contender for that category. Combining Native American rhythms with naturistic compositions and soft, mellow themes, The Scarlet Letter soundtrack, composed by John Barry, is a breathtaking mix of beauty. Native American influences can be heard in numerous tracks throughout, most significantly in the beginning song and the dark themes related to Roger Chillingworth. Nature's beauty can be felt in track three, entitled "The Bird-The Swimmer," as the composer uses percussion instruments, strings, and a boy's choir to bring the forest to life. The more suspenseful music, evident in tracks nineteen and twenty-one, use forceful drums, horns and strings to accompany the ending scenes. Although the movie has been hailed as a total disaster, it is a far cry from that of its soundtrack, which is nothing short of amazing.

John Barry hits a jackpot yet again with this beautiful score that stirs you right to the heart. The film was so-so, but it's worth watching if only to see how Barry performs his magic with a perfect marriage of music/film. I am somewhat partial to Barry, but I'm serious.... this is one of his very finest.

This is one of the best soundtracks I have heard in ages! John Barry once again captures the very essence of the human heart in this sondtrack. It is a bit redundant at times (tracks 4, 5, 8, 12, and 23 are all the exact same theme, only with slightly different instumentation), but this can be excused because the theme is so lush and passionate that I actually wanted to hear it over and over. Also included are several dark, brooding themes related to Chillingworth (track 14), the Elders (track 9, et. al.), and the Indian attack (track 21). I particularly favor scaffold-scene tracks 13 and 20 ("She Will Not Speak" and "I am the Father of Her Child") and the beautiful vocal arrangement of Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings (track 6).

This is one of the best soundtracks I think I've ever heard. I had read the book and decided to watch the not-so-accurate movie The Scarlet Letter, and when I heard the music, the soundtrack definitely made second on the list of my favorites. I haven't bought the cd yet but am hoping to own it soon. The love theme is so passionate that it seems to enrich the audience's perception of Hester and Dimmesdale's romance. I could listen to this music forever; the only bad thing about it is that it has the repulsive word "rape" in one of the track titles. Other than that, though, I recommend this to any music lover.

"The Scarlet Letter" is a good film,but the soundtrack is much better.I find it hard to believe that it was not nominated for best score by the Academy.The best themes are:"main title",hester rides to town",love scene","agnus dei" and "i am the father of her child". Thank you so much John Barry,i am a very big fan of you,and "the scarlet letter" is a classic.It is almost as good as "out of africa".

After seeing the movie, I was stunned to find that I did like it more than most people did, or even more than I thought I would. The music, however, swept me away into a world long ago, especially the track entitled "The Swimmer," which combines vocals with percussion and woodwind instruments. Ther other tracks of this soundtrack are wonderful, and they make you believe in the emotions that each character is feeling. This CD is a serious rival against the soundtrack to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein as one of the most favored soundtracks in my collection. A must for anyone with feelings.

Whilst many have derided the movie and enjoyed the soundtrack, I actually like both the film AND the score. The music is just as romantic, if not more so, than the score for Somewhere In Time or the John Dunbar Theme for Dances With Wolves. The Love Theme is just as beautiful as the two scores I mentioned above. Agnus Dei is especially moving. Whatever you may think about the movie, get the soundtrack. You won't regret it.

The film was claptrap but the music is delicious. This is one of my favorite soundtracks and I don't mind at all the John Barry steals most of it from his own 1976 soundtrack for the remake of King Kong. It's fun to compare the two and find the themes and variations.

The fact that this movie was crittically panned sunk this brilliant OST. Based on the reviews of the film I didn't even think it was worthy of renting. Fortunately, one night I was flipping channels and it caught my attention. The film was a great deal better than I expected. But what I really found astonishing was the score. The music is just wonderful, lush, melodious and lyrical. I fell in love with it instantly and logged on immediately and purchased it, as it was no longer available in the record stores. I own several of John Barry's scores and the only one I would put above this would be "Dances With Wolves."

However, still beautiful in it's on right. It had several dark and brooding pieces as someone mentioned before. If you enjoy Barry's work before my only critical critique is that a lot of the songs seemed to be repeated there wasn't a distinction from one suite to the next as seen before in his other works.