Soundtrack Review: Hook (1991)

Posted by Jon Blough

November 20, 2008

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hook Soundtrack Review: Hook (1991) This is a review of the motion picture score for Hook by John Williams.

This is perhaps the finest score of John Williams’ career if for no other reason than how brilliantly it develops eleven major themes without ever feeling cluttered (admittedly, an over two hour running time helps). The 9-note main theme with the full-blast highlight in “Flight to Neverland”, the triumphant theme for Pan that rivals the composer’s own Superman in terms of soaring heroic exuberance at the end of “Remembering Childhood”, the jovial bursts of brass and woodwinds for the endlessly addictive theme for the Lost Boys…on the heroic themes alone this score crushes it out of the ballpark. Yet the more dramatic themes, those being the theme of remembrance that glides throughout the middle of “Remembering Childhood” and the five-note children’s theme elegantly transformed into song in “When You’re Alone”, ground the score in one of the most resonant emotional cores of the composer’s career. All these ideas plus the superb orchestrations (lots of twinkling percussion) craft a score that sincerely feels magical.

Of course, we can’t have a score called Hook without a prominent idea for the villain, and Williams delivers some of his most devilishly fun material. “Pirate Town/Presenting the Hook” introduces a bouncy plotting motif that builds into one of the composer’s superior trademark brass climaxes. A more proud 8-note motif is pompous and grand in all performances, the highlight being the regal “Captain James T. Hook”. Never has music for a Williams villain been so enticing in its mirth. All the major themes weave together for the 20-minute tour-de-force that is “Ultimate War”, which takes the composer’s racing, complex tendencies to their most rousing, thematic, and varied heights. The themes for Hook go through more memorable variations in that track that most major themes do in the entirety of a score. Bonus points go to the astounding choral statement and innocent woodwind solos in “You Are The Pan”. Few scores leave an impression such as this one, though to get the full effect I recommend one search out the full bootlegs of the score. The 4CD one is redundant in its later discs but boasts the superb End Credits suite that contains the most expansive performance of the main theme. A must-have for any fan of film music.

Original Album (75:23)
1. Prologue (1:30)
2. We Don’t Want to Grow Up (1:30)
3. Banning Back Home (2:22)
4. Granny Wendy (2:57)
5. Hook-napped (3:56)
6. The Arrival of Tink and the Flight to Neverland (5:55)
7. Presenting the Hook (2:58)
8. From Mermaids to Lost Boys (4:24)
9. The Lost Boy Chase (3:31)
10. Smee’s Plan (1:44)
11. The Banquet (3:07)
12. The Never-Feast (4:39)
13. Remembering Childhood (11:02)
14. You are the Pan (3:59)
15. When You’re Alone
16. The Ultimate War (7:53)
17. Farewell Neverland (10:16)

2-Disc Bootleg (122:55)
Disc 1
1.    Prologue (1:30)
2.    We Don’t Wanna Grow Up (1:50)
3.    Banning Back Home (2:22)
4.    Granny Wendy (2:57)
5.    The Nursery (1:08)
6.    Wendy Tells Bedroom Stories (1:34)
7.    The Watch (0:56)
8.    The Dog Barks Hook (2:00)
9.    Hook-Napped (2:02)
10.    No More Happy Thoughts (0:57)
11.    The Stories Are True 1 (1:04)
12.    The Stories Are True 2 (1:20)
13.    Arrival of Tink/Flight to Neverland (5:31)
14.    Pirate Town/Presenting the Hook (3:45)
15.    Captain James T. Hook (2:40)
16.    A Shadow of Pan/Tink’s Deal (7:40)
17.    From Mermaids to Lost Boys (4:24)
18.    Rufio (0:26)
19.    Lost Boy Chase (3:34)
20.    The Face of Pan (2:41)
21.    Hook’s Lament (2:25)
22.    Smee’s Plan (1:44)
23.    Pick ‘Em Up (1:17)
Disc 2
1.    The Lesson (3:06)
2.    The Banquet (3:22)
3.    The Never Feast (6:07)
4.    When You’re Alone (3:14)
5.    The Museum (3:59)
6.    Remembering Childhood (11:02)
7.    You Are The Pan (3:59)
8.    Ultimate War (19:36) – Note: this is an editing together of three tracks
9.    No More Hook (1:08)
10.    Farewell Neverland and Finale (10:17)
11.    Exit Music (1:41)