John Williams
A.I.: Music From the Motion Picture
Warner
I haven’t seen the film, though I’ve read some very good reviews, most notably John Simon’s and James Derbyshire’s in The National Review. The movie has generated serious discussion regarding the definition of “human” and such. From what I understand, A.I. is based on a Brian Aldiss short story about robots in a human society. According to a liner note from Steven Spielberg (the film’s director) the film “studies the unique friendship between human and machine•” etc. Which it most likely does. John Williams’ score is, in Spielberg’s words “•a musical interface• you don’t need the images to have the story told to you•” I agree. The soundtrack’s various pieces certainly transport the listener from mood to mood. At once things are happy, then there’s doom, drama, chase, adventure, resolution, revelation, the end. Musically, it’s the usual commercial film excellence John Williams produces. With that in mind, he’s fit his talent to the story to be told, so we’re treated to a lot of soft, ethereal tone poems (um…) including Lara Fabian’s songbird vocals.
Warner Bros. Records, 3300 Warner Blvd., Burbank, CA 91505-4694; http://www.ai.com
