2) How does the music for Poltergeist II compare to the original? Is it worth getting?

(3) Additional question: Could the 25th Anniversary Edition DVD have been worse in terms of supplemental features??? This movie deserves better!)

It ranks either 1 2 or 3 on my list over the last 26 years since I first heard it.

Under Fire is another thats right up there.

Several of his late 70s and early 80s to mid 80s scores are also in the top ten for me with a few earlier ones mixed in from earlier like Sand Pebbles and Papillon etc.

Poltergeist 2 is a very good score to me also. Its not as high as the original one but very good. It has great action cues again and some different themes. But I like both of them a lot. That cue for the Tequila Monster bit is a great one. In the original one I like all the action cues a lot and the extended cue with the one that tracks over into the Resurrection cue is fantastic. How it builds up and goes right over into that one.

Tremendous. He is greatly missed.

FYI and reference my top ten as of right now:

1. Poltergeist
2. Under Fire
3. Blue Max
4. Legend
5. Rambo II, Sand Pebbles tie
6. Night Crossing
7. In Harms Way
8. Final Conflict, Papillon tie
9. Capricorn One
10. Star Trek, Hour of Gun tie
honorable mention Patton, Swarm, Wind and Lion, King Solomons Mines, and 50 others

In fact after the first few there are so many that I like its hard to rate them all.
There are only a very few of his I dont like.

Scary as all hell.

From an entry dated 6-8-2000:

I would have liked to discuss with Mr. G the old capture vs. create thing by comparing his approaches to Matinee's Halfway Home with Poltergeist's "The Light." The reason is that both scenes depict a grown-up mentoring a youngster. In Matinee, it occurs when the John Goodman character walks down Main St. while explaining the magic of making movies to the awestruck young man. I love the scene so much because Woolsey/Goodman doesn't patronize one bit and Jerry "created" a beautiful mood of melancholy. At one point, though, the music turns ominous & menacing, and this is where Jerry "captured" the boy's feelings as the kid views an imaginary animated prehistoric beast in-tandem with Woolsey's voice-over. But then it goes back to that beautiful music as the camera swings forward into the theatre and makes its way past the ticket counter, popcorn machine & into the auditorium. It is a powerfully directed scene.

In Poltergeist, the scene is when the Beatrice Straight character explains to the little boy the story behind the lost souls and their loneliness ("oh, they're so lonely"). "The Light" perfectly captures both her's and the boy's fascination, awe and wonder. You see this in their faces. It's a magnificent moment.

My question to Jerry would have been "2 similar scenes, 2 different approaches; was this a deliberate act or was it more an instinctive thing on your part?" Could have been a neat discussion. I've tried playing "Halfway Home" while envisioning the Poltergeist scene in my mind, and it's somewhat of a fit, but a tough one. "The Light", however, together with the Matinee scene, is a definite no-go. One reason, perhaps, is that even though there are some moments of comic relief in the horror film that is Poltergeist, the opposite holds true for Matinee, a film that is basically a comic romp with moments of sublime drama.

What a neat way to pick apart J's composing mind. Ah, the stuff of dreams.

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Originally posted by SFT:
1) Could this be Jerry Goldsmith's best score?

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The reason I ask is that I've just recently started to really 'get into' Goldsmith's music again after some years of not really listening to him. Sure, I've loved his music for ages, but the last year or so, as I've gotten a hold on the scores for Poltergeist, The Omen 1-2-3, The Wind and the Lion, The Swarm, and Alien, I've started to like his work more and more. Poltergeist, to me, is unquestionably one of his absolute best works and probably my favourite.

As for Poltergeist II I just had a chance to listen to it a few days ago, and I have to say that it does not live up to the quality of the original. I haven't seen the film, but from a purely musical standpoint I don't really like the way Goldsmith toned down the rich orchestral colouring of the original in favour of a more sterile sound dominated by synthesizer. Doesn't work for me, but it may be completely appropriate within the context of the film.

So I'm still looking to expand my Goldsmith collection. Next up I think will be Under Fire and Planet of the Apes. The Great Train Robbery looks like a good candidate, too

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Originally posted by Scott:
Poltergeist was my very first Jerry Goldsmith score and at first I hated most of it due to the fact that I had been previously unexposed to non-linear writing.

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It took me a while, as I bought it just during my transition phase from someone who couldn't stand Goldsmith to being a Goldsmith fan. But after a few days, I started getting really excited about it.

quote:

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Originally posted by SFT:
[B]Next up I think will be Under Fire and Planet of the Apes. The Great Train Robbery looks like a good candidate, too

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