SNOW FALLING ON CEDARS - JAMES NEWTON HOWARD

Old score with a new review by me for anyone interested :

http://www.bsospirit.com/comentarios/snowf...oncedars_e.html

Like i stated in the review :

"Three pieces that can be easily characterised as highlights of the album are ‘The evacuation’ and ‘Tarawa’ that feature fascinating choir lines with the accompaniment of strings and rhythmic percussion, grand and pompous, similar in style with Elliot Goldenthal’s choir work, specifically used in Final Fantasy among others; altogether with the last piece, ‘End Titles’ with the brilliant solo violin lines and the restates of the memorable main theme."

It’s one very good score which Pablo Nieto of BsoSpirit and i though it deserved to be ’brought-up’ , ’reminded’ and also introduced to anyone who doesn’t own (or know) it by now ’cause with all the attention James Newton Howard is rightfully getting these days, it’s a little gem worth having.

Snow Falling on Cedars is a score that showed that James has really matured. In my opinion it is a profound textural score that is out of context sometimes difficult to listen to and understand. But it really shines in the film. I remember when I first saw the movie, I was so impressed about how the music was seamlessly glued to the images and really enhanced the film. Just like Predator it is one of those rare scores where the music and the film accompany each other with almost absolute perfection. And that is what every film composer strives for. James can be enormously proud of Snow Falling on Cedars.

Great review Demetris. After The Village, Snow Falling On Cedars is my favorite JNH score. In fact as you said in the review this two scores have a lot in common. My favorite tracks are The Evacuation, Tarawa, Humanity Goes On Trial, Can I Hold You Now? and End Titles.

Very nice review Demetris!

Dennis

Thanks people. Will share more reviews in the future. :)

Just listened again to this masterpiece again on my Discman. Even after all these years it's still growing on me and I'm still hearing new things. James is amazing.

I agree that this is a real masterpiece.
I couldn't believe that it was JNH when I first heared the score, knowing him only from Waterworld and the disney films at the time, but after all this is a great proof of his talent, writing music to whatever the film asks him to.
A bit disturbing though was the use in the Matrix Revolusions trailer, a shame that now many people I know associate this masterpiece with the garbage known as Matrix 3.
Never saw the film, BTW, and I don't plan to, the films in my head tend to be better after all. ;)

The film is in my opinion an artistic masterpiece and not to be missed. An incredible atmosphere and very moving. The score is really glued to the images. Scott Hicks also directed Shine and is a pretty unconventional director. He has a great talent in cinematopgraphy. Really artistic camera work. But of course he also had some help from Oliver Stone's director of photography Robert Richardson.

This is what James had to say about Snow:

"Snow was a particular love of mine, a pet project of mine. I was a huge fan of Scott Hicks' movie Shine and the wonderful book. As far as I was concerned, it was a monumentally interesting project. I always dedicated myself as hard as I could, but with this one I felt it was a more satisfying and complete expression than many of my other scores. With Snow Falling on Cedars I worked so hard writing things out. I spent weeks working on the string counterpoint. Consequently it's some of the least James Newton Howard sounding music I've ever done. That's a good thing! If I wasn't living in a Hollywood world I'd do more of that."

Anyway Pogel I think that if you see the movie you will like the score even more. And understand it more. The lifelong and difficult bond between the Japanese girl and Ethan Hawke is really moving.

I totally agree. Give it a try, it's marvellous!

OK, if the movie is on TV next time, I'll watch it.

I feel the same thing. I think that James should write masterpiece on the CD cover :D .

I've decided that my favorite Snow cue by far is "Can I Hold You Now?". For me it's the cue that perfectly embodies the special and dramatic bond between the Japanese girl and Ethan Hawke.

A lot of people think "Tarawa" is the best cue from the film. It's certainly very prominent due to usage of a large choir and the climactic character. But I'm more drawn to the brilliantly dramatic and subtle, quiet nature of "Can I Hold You Now?" Actually "Can I Hold You Now?" preceded by the track before it "Snow Angels" is the highlight for me of the album. Am I alone in this? What is the favorite Snow cue of you guys?

I'll go with Emile on this one; "Can I Hold You Now?" is also my favorite "Snow Falling On Cedars" cue, I think it's gorgeous. Man, what a great score is this, probably James' most beautiful score.

Dennis

:music: "Snow Falling On Cedars" - James Newton Howard

My favorite cue from SFOC is Humanity Goes On Trial. The way that James use the cello solos, choir and a female vocals to create this dramatic cue is just awesome.

Check out this interesting interview with Bill Shozan Schultz. He played the shakuhachi on Snow Falling on Cedars:
http://www.shakuhachi.com/K-Schultz.html

Very interesting. Thanks for the link.

I am absolutely worshipping this score at the moment. The sheer atmosphere, emotion and haunting qualities I find nearly impossible to describe, and yet this is without question in my top 3 JNH scores (the others are Signs and Kong).

It's just so unlike anything I've heard from any other composer...Tom Newman would be proud. The way that strings and the shakuchi (sp?) are used, depict for me, with stunning perfection, a sense of bleakness but also beauty and an almost otherwordlyness, untouched by humanity.

Spiritual is the absolutely perfect word for me, and a set of simple but devastatingly powerful themes, that all take me back to spiritual areas of my childhood.

My favourite tracks are The German Soldier, Snow Angels, Humanity Goes on Trial, The Strawberry Field and of course, Can I Hold You Now. Oddly, I'm not as turned on by Tarawa and the louder tracks - it's the quiet beauty of cues such as Lost in the Fog which nearly send me to heaven :rolleyes:

Do you have The Village?
If you don't have it this should be your next purchase.

Of course I do :)

Great score as well. I only didn't root for it directly at the oscars because all 3 of my favourite composers were nominated (Newman & JW)

Oh, great then, I didn't see it in your top 10. Nice top 10 you have by the way.

All the nice words you said about Snow Falling on Cedars, I agree with you entirely. SFOC is my favorite score of all time and it is very hard to explain in words how I feel about this score. I have one word though, MASTERPIECE!

This movie is on swedish telly tonight and since I haven`t seen the film n'or do I have the soundtrack so I am for sure gonna see it tonight and I am very curious about the music

snow falling on cedars is beautiful and very emotional! especially "tawara" rocks your mind :D

:omg: http://www.movie-wave.net/titles/snow_falling_cedars.html :omg:

Even Southall couldn't resist to the beauty of this score. He gave it 2 star if I remember correctly. After all these years he finally realise that this score is a masterpiece. Better later then never.

Coincidently I saw this movie yesterday again. The cinematography is absolutely breathtaking. Maybe the best cinematography I have ever seen. It's obvious that the quality of this movie gave James an enormous inspiration.

New here, hoping to get some info from people that know more than me ...

I bought the Snow Falling on Cedars score many years ago not because I'd seen the film, but because I'd seen the trailer. The score in the trailer is sweepingly romantic after the 1:10 mark - I can hear all the same themes in the CD score, but it seems like everything has been toned down, stripped down - the CD score is spare in comparison. I've always wanted the music from the trailer itself. Does anyone know anything about this?

Here's a link to the trailer for you to compare:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcErS6pI_0M

-Davy

You're right, that's some amazing trailer music. The first few parts and the last few chords are definitely from the CD, but the fuller thematic pieces between the 1 and 2 minute marks are new to me - and they're absolutely gorgeous :D Particularly the outburst at 2:00 when we see Hawke standing on the porch... wow.