{"id":2053,"date":"2010-12-31T20:08:05","date_gmt":"2011-01-01T01:08:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/?p=2053"},"modified":"2010-12-31T20:08:05","modified_gmt":"2011-01-01T01:08:05","slug":"cd-jackboots-on-whitehall-2010","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/?p=2053","title":{"rendered":"CD: Jackboots on Whitehall (2010)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Return to<\/strong>:\u00a0Home <\/a>\/\u00a0Soundtrack \u00a0Reviews<\/a> \/ <\/em>J to L<\/a><\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/a>Rating: Excellent<\/p>\n

Label: MovieScore Media\/ Released: October 26, 2010<\/p>\n

Tracks & Album Length:\u00a032 Tracks \/ (64:07)<\/p>\n

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Special Notes: \u00a0CD-only release<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Composer: Guy Michelmore<\/p>\n

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Review:<\/p>\n

Guy Michelmore\u2019s rare foray into feature films is a perfect showcase for his grasp of classical and contemporary scoring styles, transposed to a big orchestral setting with memorable themes and clever little allusions to classic war film scores.<\/p>\n

The film\u2019s plot \u2013 of Britishers mounting a purge against Nazi invaders in London \u2013 gave Michelmore full license to create a breezy \u201cFreedom\u201d theme that draws on the cheery melodies of vintage wartime tunes, using woodwinds to instill passion, as well as a slight tongue-in-cheek quality that dominates the score. (The choral version of \u201cJerusalem,\u201d however, still manages to invoke a bit of sentimentality because of it\u2019s lyrical beauty.)<\/p>\n

\u201cNazis in London\u201d has a wry Burt Bacharach jauntiness with wheezing clarinets, and the cue\u2019s second half \u2013 a waltz \u2013 pokes fun at Prussian pomposity with delicate woodwinds and a smattering of smashing cymbals. The German national anthem is quoted several times, but it\u2019s also given stealth variations in cues like \u201cTravelling North,\u201d with strings adding an unusual warmth to a theme that\u2019s otherwise recapped for satire.<\/p>\n

Michelmore also seems to draw from the canon of Elmer Bernstein (\u201cPunjabi\u2019s Escape from London\u201d), with sets of triplets performed by a large brass section, and chords that accentuate optimism, heroism, and dramatic success in the face of evil. \u201cWhere is Winston Churchill?\u201d contains a quotation from Michelmore\u2019s recurring jig, heard in full with woodwind and pounding percussion in “Scottish Attack.”<\/p>\n

Jackboots on Whitehall<\/strong> is surprisingly grand in scope \u2013 \u201cThe Battle\u201d is an epic choral piece with thunderous percussion, brass, and wiry electric guitar – but Michelmore\u2019s use of melody and multiple themes allows him to switch gears, moving through suspense, action, satire, and romance, giving the album a rich variety of moods without coming off as mickey-mousy. Half the time it feels like a vintage war score from 1968, but it\u2019s also a welcome change from the batch of pop-centric animated scores of 2010 (such as Megamind<\/strong>), which relied on source songs to support jokes instead of allowing the composer to use his \/ her own instincts to craft a broader, more cohesive sense of humour.<\/p>\n

Michelmore\u2019s background lies in commercial, documentary, videogames, and TV, and Jackboots<\/strong> is a wonderful showcase of his talents, sense of film score history (be it Bernstein, Silvetsri, or Zimmer), and the composer’s own wry funny bone.<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 2010 Mark R. Hasan<\/p>\n

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Related links:<\/em><\/p>\n

CD: \u00a0Megamind <\/a><\/strong>(2010)<\/p>\n

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External References:<\/p>\n

IMDB <\/a>— Soundtrack Album<\/a> — Composer Filmography<\/a><\/p>\n

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Return to<\/strong>:\u00a0Home <\/a>\/\u00a0Soundtrack Reviews<\/a> <\/em>\/\u00a0J to L<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Return to:\u00a0Home \/\u00a0Soundtrack \u00a0Reviews \/ J to L . Rating: Excellent Label: MovieScore Media\/ Released: October 26, 2010 Tracks & Album Length:\u00a032 Tracks \/ (64:07) . Special Notes: \u00a0CD-only release. . Composer: Guy Michelmore . . Review: Guy Michelmore\u2019s rare foray into feature films is a perfect showcase for his grasp of classical and contemporary […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[20],"tags":[241],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8nuyW-x7","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2053"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2053"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2053\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2056,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2053\/revisions\/2056"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2053"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2053"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2053"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}