Saving Private Ryan: Music From The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

After having listened to quite a bit of film music over the last decade, the singularly most moving film music I've heard for a motion picture- and not just from Williams' discography but from any film music composer- is for Saving Private Ryan. Steven Spielberg's gritty monumental film demonstrates personal honour, unmitigated courage, and selfless endeavour; and William's "Hymn To the Fallen" in this soundtrack mourn supreme sacrifice, but yet salute resolute heroism. The score here has been highly praised on the Amazon customer reviews; and I'm glad to add my vote with the other supporters here too of this magnificent music-making. I'd add however that I found not just the Hymn inspiring; but the second last track, "The Last Battle" (heard just after Captain John Miller is wounded and takes on the last Panzer tank, and lasts all the way until the modern day visitation back to the cemetery), worked equally as well. In fact, aside from the Hymn, and the...Read more

John Williams' score for Saving Private Ryan, Steven Spielberg's searing World War II drama about eight U.S. soldiers ordered to rescue a paratrooper whose three brothers lost their lives in combat, follows the simple-is-better-than-operatic format that made his music for 1993's Schindler's List powerful and effective.

Considering that most of Williams' film scores tend to be very bombastic and energetic (his Star Wars and Indiana Jones music tends to follow the Wagner/Korngold tradition of big orchestras and action-oriented cues), it's refreshing to hear this very prolific (and much-imitated) composer use orchestral restraint where he might have been tempted to utilize strident and Sousa-like marches, as is common in most war movies, especially movies about World War II.

But starting with the reverent-yet-mournful "Hymn to the Fallen" (a piece that is not heard till the End Credits, but is nevertheless an apt start to this album), Williams utilizes musical motifs to...Read more

Saving Private Ryan. Written in July 1998, Saving Private Ryan is known as one of more peaceful scores of John Williams. Much different then much of the music that John Williams has written, this score depicts the beaches of Omaha well. The main score of the soundtrack, "Hymn to the Fallen", is a piece that starts with quiet drums of war in the background, before the Tanglewood choir joins the music, making it a track that makes you want to think back at the beaches at Normandy, and all the fallen men. (I won't blame you if you cry while listening to this one!) Very little of the music on Saving Private Ryan is tense. Most of the other tracks have the main theme mixed into them. You wouldn't think that a war movie such as Saving Private Ryan would have a peaceful soundtrack, while most World War II movies have very tense soundtracks. This score is probably what brings the movie out so well, since it is not your average World War II score. If you enjoy quiet and...Read more