Soundtrack Snippets

Destiny; Merry Men
"Another re-boot of Robin Hood? Seriously?" That was my first reaction when I heard about this film back in 2010. It was as bad as all of the King Arthur/Camelot movie re-boots (Click here to read more on that subject)! The movie boasts of a different take on Robin Hood which I heard is a darker story-line. (Aren't all movies getting "darker" or am I just paranoid?) Enough of the movie, though, I'm here to discuss the soundtrack.
Steitenfeld's score definitely has plenty of dark material but among it shines the light: human vocals! I confess, I was hoping for a more epic-in-scale score and I was a little disappointed when I heard the album at first; but it grew on me. Some of the cues have bittersweet female vocals, and some of the cues have a full-on choir. The only cues that I didn't enjoy as much seemed a little out of place. The theme for the Merry Men has a happy, jaunty melody but doesn't seem to go with the rest of the scores gritty nature. The music is fun, but rather superfluous. All in all, Streitenfeld has a great potential in upcoming film music. Not my favorite "Robin Hood" score but still enjoyable nonetheless.
Rating: ***


The Adventures of Robin Hood
by Erich Wolfgang Korngold

The golden age of film music truly had many wonderful scores. But out of all of them, one composer remains one of the best and one score remains my favorite score from that period. The score is The Adventures of Robin Hood.
The music is swashbuckling, fun, and at times quite lighthearted. This score truly captures the heart of the film and Errol Flynn's Robin Hood character. One of the cues, Robin Meets Little John, even incorporates some brief whistling from the film. This album is a definite favorite of mine!
Rating: ***1/2

Walt Disney's: Robin Hood
by George Bruns
Ooh-De-Lally; Finale
I didn't know Disney had a Robin Hood film until I researched it......a few hours ago......! I was pleasantly surprised, listening to this score. The soundtrack is very optimistic, has some expected "mickey mousing" (Click the link for the definition), and some enjoyable cast performances. The whole score has somewhat of a country feel to it, and I'm not sure if I enjoy that aspect or not. There also is a prominent whistling theme as well. (On an interesting sidenote: If you look at the fox, Robin Hood long enough you can almost see a likeness to Errol Flynn's Robin Hood character! Did Disney purpose that? )
If you are looking for a trip down memory lane, and you happen to own a record player, (Because I think that is only how the score was released), then buy this soundtrack.
Rating: ***