Search - Marc Streitenfeld :: Robin Hood

My Name is Outlaw . . . .

The Silent Gondolier | 05/13/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A previous reviewer faulted Marc Streitenfeld's score to Robin Hood for not sounding more like Gladiator or Braveheart. I already have Gladiator and Braveheart (both excellent scores), but really, why would I want to buy something that sounds like what I already have? This is ROBIN HOOD, not Gladiator. Marc Streitenfeld's score is nothing short of brilliant, using full-orchestral cues suffused with period sounds and instruments to create a work that is at once epic and intimate. In some of the cues, Marc has been able to compose a melodic dissonace that I find curiously wonderful! The epic main theme really takes off in "Fate Has Smiled Upon Us" and recurs throughout the score in many variations. But I think one of my favorite cues is the quiet and sweet "Sherwood Forest." Robin Hood is not a complicated score, but it is a surprisingly layered one that takes you on an unexpected and wonderous journey. Marc Streitenfeld is an up-and-coming composer to watch!"

Better than I expected

Mark Anderson | Rocky Mountains, USA | 05/14/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I was depressed when Hans Zimmer and Ridley Scott seemed to break ties a few years ago, as they had together produced a number of great results. Relative newcomer Marc Streitenfeld has become Scott's new go-to guy, and this score goes a long way in solidifying my opinion of Streitenfeld. Excellent score. True, it's not Gladiator or Braveheart, but it's not trying to be. Definitely not a generic score, this one was clearly customized for the movie. Requires numerous listens to really get a feel for. Recommended."

Scott and Streitenfeld Take New Aim on the Legend of Sherwoo

G M. Stathis | cedar city, utah USA | 05/15/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"While most film fans eagerly awaited the May release of the new "Iron Man" extravaganza, not a few others waited with equal anticipation to see what director Ridley Scott and actor Russell Crowe would do with the legend of Sherwood in "Robin Hood." And some sat on pins and needles, or sharpened arrow points perhaps, wondering what film score composer Marc Streitenfeld would produce as a score for this depiction of Robin and his merry men. Fear not, they both hit their marks. The next and vital point that must be made and then put aside is that this is not Eric Wolfgang Korngold, but then again this is not 1938 either, and after all the score to "The Adventures of Robin Hood" was simply one of the two or three greatest scores ever composed. One might also note that John Barry took a more contemporary spin in Sherwood with his score for "Robin and Marian" as did the late Michael Kamen, and both scores had notable moments but again were not Korngold. This film and its score must be judged on their own merits and there is a great deal to like and enjoy here on both counts. Scott's film is a prequel to the story of Robin of Sherwood, or a sequel to "Kingdom of Heaven," long, detailed, and ambitious, but not without thrills and some fun (almost every film review has made glaring errors regarding English history while Scott is not too bad, and Robin is just a folk legend with no sound singular version), and solid acting including strong performances by Russell Crowe and Kate Blanchett. Streitenfeld himself has been around for some time, much of it as an associate of Scott having scored two films and acted as musical director on several others including "Kingdom of Heaven." There are some similarities with that latter Scott film and they are generally positive. Overall, this is often a fairly somber score, as it needs to be in places ("Godfrey" and "John Is King"), with a variety of themes depicting key developments in the film (a nice mid-disc collection including "Planting the Fields," "Sherwood Forest," and "Robin Speaks") and naturally the main characters especially Robin Hood (a very solid theme for "Longstrides," Marion, Walter,and some ominous tones for the bad guys with nice bits and pieces of a folk melody, note "Planting the Fields" and the final cut "Merry Men" that blends the folk tune and the main theme in a nice coda). And it does all work on the soundtrack and on the big screen. Good production values and adequate packaging by Varese.

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