Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Michael Kamen's 1st animated score is a classic!, September 16, 1999
By A Customer
A truly epic score to a charming film. Sweeping themes, and the last track will bring tears to your eyes. And absolute must-own for all fans of the film. And don't forget to wait for the hidden track (featuring, if I remember the film's closing credits correctly, the melodic tones of Director Brad Bird).
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Masterful and moving., November 5, 1999
By A Customer
Here's a score I found almost by accident. I havent seen the movie yet but this thing still moves me like no score has in along time. A very flavorful and varied musical pallette. I cant wait to see the movie!
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Sweeping Masterpiece. , December 2, 2005
This is the type of music which drew me into
soundtracks decades ago. Sweeping in its
symphonic might, its derring-do penetrates
with astonishing subtlety, playful insight
and a sensitive clarity perfect for its
gargantuan subject. Composer Michael Kamen
was a deft composer of many a film score,
but his prodigious skills were never better
employed than when he contributed his
considerable skills to Brad Bird's animated
epic, THE IRON GIANT.
A cinematic adaptation of poet Ted Hughes'
sole prose presentation, the Warner Bros.
film stands as a landmark of folkloric
proportions. Great credit for this must go
to the inspired use of music in this film.
Even the incidental music (available on
Rhino, with at least one Kamen selection
not on this release) is hardly that. A
snazzy collection of Jazz, Blues, and R&B
used in the film, it exudes a charm and
presence which will not be denied.
As this Varese Sarabande release reveals,
it is the Kamen score which is all-pervasive
in its wonderful ability to dramatically
summarize and propel its subjects to greater
challenges with each moment. Don't know how
the one reviewer missed a unifying theme
in this work, considering the multi-note
theme which spells the main character's
innocence and potential menace is sounded
throughout the feature.
At points the theme is struck gleefully with
glockenspiel and malletry to signify healing
and renewal. At other points the theme is
imbued with loneliness, smiling discovery,
or sheer wonder with just the right play
of strings and percussion, brass and
woodwind.
The Prokofiev-inspired main theme weaves its way
through the entire film, and is a key example of
just how versatile Kamen is. Each play of the theme
unveils a different facet of the Giant's character,
and says much about those who affect -and are
affected by- what he is and who he will grow to
become.
This gives even greater insight into the overall
music for THE IRON GIANT, from the desperate glory
of the Military to the seedy manipulation of a
Government agent with less-than-ideal motivations
for his actions, however he may fool himself. A
healthy injection of Jazz gives sweet perspective
into the first hint of budding romance, while
old Weekly Reader absolutes lend a dangerous
whimsy to the hidden theme sung well after the
CD's supposed climax. Listen sharp!
Best of all, Kamen's music is so enjoyable whether
with the film, or heard on its own. Listen to this
CD, and find yourself in the healthy grasp of tone
poetry at its finest.
Lifting you to the stars, sweeping you into the
loftiest winds, headlong into peril and loss, or
gently into the promise of a brighter Tomorrow,
this is an aural portrait of grand vision and
delicate homespun, a tribute to the emotional
power and inspirational wisdom of great Music.
Listen well, and enjoy.
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Interact With Your Music: Discover, listen to, and buy new music, all from the pages of SPIN's digital edition, free to Amazon customers.
~ Michael Giacchino
~ Steve Jablonsky
~ Andrew Lockington
~ Various Artists - Soundtracks - 1999
See all 23 tracks on this disc
by Michael Kamen 
