The adventures of tintin secret of the unicorn

#The adventures of tintin secret of the unicorn series#

This cue also introduces one of the scoreвЂ™s defining features вЂ“ the constant sense of movement and fluidity that encompasses the entire ensemble, flowing, jumping from section to section, passing melodies across the orchestra, never resting. Things soon move into more familiar territory with вЂњSnowyвЂ™s ThemeвЂќ, which is a direct descendent of his cheerful and playful Harry Potter music, by way of вЂњJimвЂ™s New LifeвЂќ from Empire of the Sun, albeit with a much more florid piano motif. It reminds listeners that, before anything else, Johnny Williams was a jazz man, and heвЂ™s lost none of his flair and knack for that style of writing. For example the opening cue, вЂњThe Adventures of TintinвЂќ, which introduces TintinвЂ™s undulating motif, is influenced by his progressive jazz style, a wild and effervescent combination of The Terminal, Catch Me If You Can, and the Cantina Band from Star Wars, filtered through a set of Euro-flavored orchestrations including an accordion, harpsichord, muted clarinets, tubular bells, and lots more besides. ThatвЂ™s not to say that Tintin is in any way unoriginal вЂ“ on the contrary, there are some wholly original and entirely unexpected pieces on the score вЂ“ but instead it is a score which is immediately and entirely steeped in the stuff that makes Williams great, and which will appeal to fans across all his compositional styles. If one was to resort to broad generalizations, one could say that The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn is WilliamsвЂ™ lost fourth Harry Potter score, infused with hints of stylish Gallic-flavored jazz.

#The adventures of tintin secret of the unicorn series#

Not that he hasnвЂ™t been busy вЂ“ he wrote an original piece for Barack ObamaвЂ™s inauguration as US president in 2009, as well as a trio of concertos for viola, harp and oboe, and has continued to conduct his concert series at the Hollywood Bowl вЂ“ but considering his age and reputation, new film scores from him will always be momentous occasions, and this is no exception. ItвЂ™s been a long 3ВЅ years to wait for new music from the now 79-year old maestro, especially for those who remember when he would score three or four films a year for the greater part of a decade.

Of course, with Spielberg at the helm, the film also heralds the return to the film score world of John Williams, an event that has been breathlessly anticipated by score fans since the release of Indiana Jones and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in May 2008. The film is co-produced by Peter Jackson, who first championed the use of motion-capture technology through his Lord of the Rings films, and is the first animated film Spielberg has ever directed. In order to unravel the riddle, Tintin and Haddock must obtain three identical models of Sir FrancisвЂ™ ship, the Unicorn, but discover that criminals are also after these model ships, and are willing to kill in order to obtain them.

The plot of the film вЂ“ which combines elements of three of HergГ©вЂ™s stories (The Crab with the Golden Claws, The Secret of the Unicorn and Red RackhamвЂ™s Treasure) вЂ“ concerns a young reporter named Tintin (Jamie Bell), his dog Snowy, and his friend Captain Haddock (Andy Serkis), who discover a series of clues left by HaddockвЂ™s ancestor Sir Francis Haddock, which could lead them to the hidden treasure of the pirate Red Rackham (Daniel Craig). Not only that, the stories have been adapted for radio, theatre, and a popular 1960s animated television show with its famous voiceover proclaiming that you are watching вЂњHergГ©вЂ™s Adventures of Tintin!вЂќ Despite all that, and for reasons I have never fully understood I was never a fan of the franchise вЂ“ unlike Hollywood giant Steven Spielberg, who is not a Francophone, but who is adapting the story for its first major big screen adventure using state of the art-motion capture technology. Created by the Belgian artist and author Georges RГ©mi under his pen name HergГ©, the character first appeared in print in 1929 and went on to appear in 23 adventure novels spanning a 46-year period up until 1975, followed by the posthumous publication of a final story in 1986, three years after HergГ©вЂ™s death.

I think you have to be Belgian, or at least a Francophone, to fully appreciate all the subtleties and nuances of Tintin.