Film Reviews

The Book Thief Soundtrack Review

• 7th Dec 2013

John Williams puts another notch on his belt with this dramatic score for The Book Thief.

A lovely piano lead piece opens this gorgeous soundtrack. But as beautiful as the piano solo is at the start of the opening track, William’s sumptuous strings very quickly rise to prominence.

The one thing that hasn’t changed in Williams work is his precision and timing. Each note and pitch you can tell has been as perfectly timed and balanced like some of his best work. Anyone expecting anything even remotely “Spielberg” can halt right there. The hooks of his Hollywood highlights are dropped in favour of the mood chosen for the picture. There is still no denying that it is Williams, and there is still no denying that late in his career he has what it takes to deliver a powerful mood piece.

The Book Thief works well as a dramatic, and at times adventurous, sounding score full of swells and swings. You may not be humming it as you listen, but you can help but give yourself over slightly to the charms of a composer still working to the best of his ability after so many decades of brilliant music scores.

Steven Hurst