• Original Score Composed by: John Williams
• Label: Dreamworks Records
• Online Ordering Options: Amazon.com

Review

One of Williams two big scores for the year, and once again demonstrates why he is considered one of the best film composers working at the moment. Though most know Williams because of his scores for Star Wars and Indiana Jones, he has quite a large collection of work under his belt -- most with co-conspirator Stephen Spielberg.

Amistad is no exception to Williams' usual standard of work. Because of the subject matter of the film, there is an obvious African slant to the music (for good reason). While it isn't as folk driven as The Power of One, it can be distracting to the players if they aren't involved in a relevant adventure. However, the score is a little broader than this, so explore a little before making a choice.

Like many of Williams' other scores, this is a big powerful score and should be used with such adventures as well. There is a wide range of track times, so you'll find some more useful as pure background music, while others will be good as backdrops for events and descriptions.

Another excellent score for Williams. Highly recommended.

Track Listing and Notes

1. Dry Your Tears, Afrika (4:18) - joyous
2. Sierra Leone, 1839 and The Capture of Cinque (3:39) - danger
3. Crossing the Atlantic (3:21) - hurt
4. Cinque's Theme (4:12) - sad
5. Cinque's Memories of Home (2:35) - danger
6. Middle Passage (5:18) - tension ~ hope
7. The Long Road to Justice (3:16) - journey
8. July 5, 1839 (4:01) - magical ~ confrontation
9. Mr. Adams Takes the Case (7:15) - quiet
10. La Amistad Remembered (5:08) - undercurrent
11. The Liberation of Lomboko (4:09) - happy
12. Adam's Summation (2:55) - sad
13. Going Home (2:02) - reflections
14. Dry Your Tears, Afrika (Reprise) (3:37) - joy

Total Running Time: 55:51

Alternative Reviews

• Filmtracks

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