MrBibbledog's Full Review: Home Alone by Original Soundtrack
We all know the crashing fanfares of Indy and Star Wars. We all know the sinister, frightful theme to Jaws. And we all know the majesty of Jurassic Park.
But John Williams is more than the sum of his blockbusters. In fact, and it surprised me too, Mr Williams can do comedy movies too. Not only that, but he can SAVE a comedy movie from being a complete and utter cheese-fest.
Of course, I'm talking about Home Alone. Now, I know, I know, it's not THAT bad, especially considering how awful the sequels were. But if you remember that Mr. Hughes was once actually a RESPECTED director -- he created such 80s classics as The Breakfast Club and Ferris Beuler's Day Off -- you'll wonder why he has digressed, in the 90s, to become the "mastermind" behind such slapstick garbage as Baby's Day Out(or whatever the heck it was called) and Dennis the Menace.
Anyway, Home Alone was ok the first time around, as long as we don't have to analyze it at all. One thing that does manage to stand out, though, as being more-than-hokey is the score, provided by the illustrious John Williams himself. I don't know how he got talked into doing it (probably with the help of some ex-president friends...) but instead of sinking to the level of most other "comedy" scores, John Williams takes his and proves that he can work with limited material and create something pleasantly surprising, and altogether beautiful in it's own respect.
A number of motives ring throughout the piece. Firstly, there is the opening melody, a slight, almost dark little dance which sets us in a Christmas atmosphere. It is more reminiscent of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker than a "normal" pop Christmas piece. (And thank God for that.) This motif, started by the glock, is later played and modified into the We Bandit's theme played mainly by woodwinds. The "Home Alone" theme, is a nice, simple melody, all at once pop-oriented and classically decorated. It's gentle, melancholy, but not corny. There is also a short motif for Kevin's "fear," which usually manifests itself when the old snow-shoveler makes an appearance.
Final Thought: It's a solid score, both in composition and performance. But its Christmas-y feel (and that can't be helped by any means) will make it "inappropriate" out of season.
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