Bill Wrobel's DVD - Film Score Rundowns

notes and then Bb-G half notes to (Bar 18) Bb to middle C# whole notes (repeat as
given). Etc. [end session Sunday at 12:23 pm]
[Reel 10/A] 5 pages, 19 bars. Moderato. “Sue?”
[Reel 10/B] 40 pages, 157 bars.
[Reel 10/2] 11 pages, 42 bars.
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-Species (1995) ** [music *** 1/2]
http://www.amazon.com/Species-Collectors-Natasha-
Henstridge/dp/B000TJBNEY/ref=sr_1_4?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1306866103&sr=1-4
[reviewed Tuesday, May 31, 2011]
This is another creepy (Giger-inspired) alien monster on the loose movie. It is in
my (and my wife’s) “ugly” classification but I’ve seen far worse (like Starship Troopers
2). It has good production values and stars (including a young and relatively thin Alfred
Molina!) and competently directed by Roger Donaldson (I just reviewed his Dante’s
Peak the other day) so I’ll give it a two ** star rating. But it’s not a movie I care to watch
over and over again! My wife saw a few minutes of it and turned away in disgust: “I’m
not going to watch that ugly movie!” I’m only watching it in order to review it, especially
the overall good music by Christopher Young (I reviewed his score for The Core in this
paper).
I like Young’s “Main Title—Revised” [1M1 Revised]. The original Main Title
was rejected. The orchestra is large consisting notably of a 24-women’s chorus—no men
allowed since this is a female monster! There are 24 violins, 10 violas, 8 VC, 6 CB, 3
flutes/piccs, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, Eb C. B. clarinet, Fag, C. Fag, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3
Pos, tuba, celeste, 2 pianos, timp, etc. The opening bar is a mixed tonality of the F maj
(F/A/C) of the harps, low dissonant cluster of tones of the horns, and so forth. Violins are
in harmonics on high A tied (sustained) whole notes. Shortly in Bar 6 the women’s choir
sings “AAH” the combined D minor (D/F/A) tonality in a sort of heavenly fashion as we
see the serene star field a viewed by the observatory. Skipping to Bar 16 (dvd 00:01:02)
the violins start to play p a three-note serene pattern of I believe dotted half notes tied to
8ths to Line 2 D/F/Bb 8ths to (Bar 17) E/A/Line 3 C# (A maj 2 nd inversion) whole notes
decrescendo. Violas play Line 1 D-F-D-F 16ths figure played 4X to (Bar 17) C#-E-C#-E
16ths figure four times. VC/CB in Bar 17, after an initial half rest, play Great octave A
half note response. The triangle and vibe sound in Bar 16, and one flute plays the phrase.
The celeste plays Lines 1 & 2 F-A-F-A 16ths 3X and so forth. The piano also plays the
same pattern. This all sounds a bit like Goldsmith and maybe a bit like Herrmann (to a
lesser degree). Skipping to Bar 36 (dvd 00:02:23) the strings are dominant in the tonal
phrasing of the still serene music. Violins I play Line 3 D to C# quarter notes to D half
note to (Bar 37) D to Eb quarter notes to D half notes. Violins II play Line 2 Bb to A
quarter notes to Bb half note to (Bar 37) Bb down to G quarter notes to Bb half note.
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