Customer Reviews

Catch Me If You Can

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The legendary John Williams' (STAR WARS, JURASSIC PARK, HARRY POTTER, BORN ON THE 4TH OF JULY) 20th musical composition for Steven Spielberg's 20th motion picture, results as great as the show had offered that no wonder the film giant himself felt as if this was their 20th anniversary.

With a full 40-minutes score of jazz idiom for each scene as the intelligent Frank Abagnale Jr. (Leonardo DiCaprio) ventured from one identity to another, Williams not only conducted an illustrative tell-tale sound but also added a mixture of agony and ecstasy keys reflecting the sentiment underneath inscrutable surface of the teenage imposter, together with a few blends of classic pop tunes. It's all begun by THE "FLOAT", flowing from high and low notes within the centre score into Frank Sinatra's swing standard COME FLY WITH ME. An ambitious THE AIRPORT SCENE for Abagnale's about-to-roar jet-setting high life moving to Getz & Gilberto's rhythm for a good life THE GIRL FROM IPANEMA. A haunting FATHER AND SON section inspired by Abagnale's grief over dad (Christopher Walken), whilst A BROKEN HOME further echoes Abagnale's reminiscence over his family after Nat King Cole's nostalgic THE CHRISTMAS SONG. A Dusty Springfield anthem, THE LOOK OF LOVE, heartfeltly warms up the theme of the sountrack's ending.

CATCH ME IF YOU CAN is a true masterpiece of John William's sentimental approach.

Anytime Steven Spielberg and John Williams team up, the result is a guaranteed success. The music that Williams comes up with for this film is much different than his previous scores. John Williams is most known for writing memorable themes, but the theme for this film is not as memorable as some of his previous works, but still is satisfying nonetheless. For Catch Me If You Can, Williams gives the music a jazz treatment. The main theme, found in "Catch Me If You Can", reminds me a lot of George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, with a solo for sax by Dan Higgins, a bass line, and finger snaps. "The Float" contains a 3 note rhythm that jumps all over the place. "Recollections" is more somber in nature, while "The Airport Scene" and "Learning the Ropes" are more upbeat and more typical of Williams' usual style. The last cue contains a suite of the themes from the film in a concert like fashion, which Williams usually does on his scores. The songs on the album are actually quite good and fit in with the score nicely. In the end, a solid album with solid music that will satisfy any Williams fan or fan of classic tunes.

My dad told me that John Williams started out by writing these kinds of scores in the 1960s. He was right up there with Henry Mancini but Johnny Williams never became a household name until his score for JAWS. I like this score very much because John Williams really has captured the sound and feel of those times. Lately there seems to be a renaissance going on for this type of music, and the look of those times, at least where I go to school. The main title "Catch Me If You Can" is very good capturing the zigzagging and elusive main character. Frank Sinatra singing "Come Fly With Me" is a classic.

Catch Me If You Can marks the 20th film, in which composer John Williams, has worked with director Steven Spielberg. The end result is without a doubt, one of the "lightest on it's feet",(even during it's softer or more dramatc moments) film scores that Mr. Williams has ever done. Much of the score (but not all) zips along like a bee flying through the air. Even when this "chase" film slows down a bit, the music retains a bit of its urgency, and you know that things wont let up for long. The use of Jazz as the score's thrust helps to define the film's period, of the 1960s, and aides in taking you to that period. The score is a departure for the composer, in that he is best known for taking on flights of the fantastic or very dramatic movies. This film is based on real life--but for the most part allows for Williams to have some fun as well.

In addition to a sizeable chunk of the film's score, and the usual note written by Spielberg, the CD soundtrack includes a handfull of songs from the era. Frank Sinatra's version of "Come Fly With Me", Judy Garland singing "Embraceable You", as well as the always smooth Nat King Cole and "The Christmas Song" also helped to make the soundtrack worthwhile. The CD has 16 tracks and a running time of 62:33 If you want to hear something a bit different from composer JW than this is for you

Steven Spielberg said that he made this movie because he was tired of making movies about depressing events of the past or the fantasy of the future- he wanted to do something light-hearted. He certainly achieved this goal with "Catch Me If You Can" as does John Williams. While much of Williams's music has been a little lighter lately (Minority Report, AI) he really lightens up in this one to provide a fun, somewhat jazzy score. The theme to this film with the opening vibes and "Shh"s of the orchestra set the mysterious but fun stage for the movie. The exciting saxophone solos throughout the score also show a change of pace from Williams's usual timbre. This score proves that even the master isn't afraid to take a risk.

This definitely has the sound of the Pink Panther. John Williams studied and worked under Henry Mancini and the influence his heard in this brilliant and jazzy memento of the movie.

2002 was an incredible year for John Williams because he wrote three film scores. Two of them were terrific: "Minority Report" and "Star Wars-Episode II: Attack Of The Clones". Yet I found his work on "Catch Me If You Can" average.

Don't get me wrong. I think this is a fine album. In fact, I find his jazzy approach (à la Henry Mancini) interesting. The main theme is experimental, and it's well married to the opening credits sequence. The music for the audacious adventures of Frank Abagnale, Jr. is very refreshing. The suspense music -as heard in 'The Airport Scene' -is catchy. However, the rest of the album doesn't get me as much as the other two Williams scores, in spite of the songs performed by the likes of Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole.

This is strange that I give this kind of opinion about this composition, since I am a John Williams fan, but I guess I'm going to stick with the other two albums.

I was impressed with the score written by John Williams. I saw the movie first, without ever hearing any of the music before, and it was very fitting throughout the movie. As you listen to the music pace pick up, you can remember back to a scene in the movie where the action is picking up. By itself, it's a music collaboration that is relaxing and enjoyable.

I'm not crazy about the other 'classic' tracks by different artists, but John Williams tried something new (thankfully) and succeeded, horray!

See the movie and buy the soundtrack if only to hear Dusty Springfield sing "The Look of Love." The song never sounded better and fit the movie's "love scene" perfectly. Unlike most soundtrack songs, Dusty sings "The Look of Love" in its entirety, which will carry you back to 1967, and make you feel all warm and nostalgic. The other songs aren't bad, either!