Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Music from an aviation classic, 16 Oct 2001
By A Customer
The music for 'Battle of Britain' will go down in history as being one of the best scores ever written for an aviation film. After dumping Sir Wiliam Walton's music, the producers of the film called in Ron Goodwin just four weeks before the movie was due to be premiered. After a lot of late nights Goodwin provided a classic soundtrack. His 'Luftwaffe March' rates as one of the best pieces of martial music written for the silver screen.
Walton's music, of which only 'Battle in the Air' made it into the final cut of the film, was thought to be lost for nearly 30 years, but thankfully resurfaces here. Listening to it, it fits the bill perfectly, which begs the question, why was it dropped in the first place?
This is an enhanced CD, which includes a copy of the film's cinema trailer, so those with a PC can enjoy a bit of screen action as well as the movie's score.
As with 'Where Eagles Dare', 'Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines', '633 Squadron', 'The Trap' and many others, this is a fine tribute to Ron Goodwin's composing skills for the silver screen.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ron Goodwin's Finest Hour!, 5 May 2002
By A Customer
From the infectious main title track; 'Aces High'(aka'The Luftwaffe March'), through to the variations on the 'Battle of Britain theme',this score remains truly memorable and perfectly compliments this classic aviation epic. Variations on both themes are used to complement the stunning aerial photography of both air forces to equal effect. Equally powerful are the cues that underscore the horrors of the war on the ground, notably 'Death and Destruction' and 'Civillian Tragedy'. Sir William Walton's rejected score is also heard here for the first time and, although very different in style to Ron Goodwin's, is equally memorable and vintage Walton. 'Battle In The Air', the only cue from Walton's rejected score to appear in the final cut of the film, features here with the bonus of an alternate take to the one used. This remains one of the most remarkable pieces of music ever written by Walton for the screen. It is used to stunning effect during the scenes of the climactic dogfights over London in September 1940. Brilliantly remastered and sounding as good as new, both original scores stand up equally well and make this a CD to treasure. Vintage Walton certainly, but for me it's Goodwin's score that stays in the memory. Definately a disc that will be played over and over again and,in my opinion, Ron Goodwin's Finest Hour!
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The film just wouldn^t have been the same,without this sound, 22 Mar 2001
The film is superb,but it^s really the inclusion of this soundtrack by Ron Goodwin that makes it so.The music really does bring out the feel of the battle itself,all the preparations,the sucesses and despair of war.This cd also includes the original score by Sir William Walton,which wasn^t actually used in the film.So different in tone to the one used,but equally good and expresses the feelings of battle clearly in its composure.Buy the film and this cd,you will not be disappointed.
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~ Ron Goodwin
![Battle of Britain - Definitive Edition [1969] [DVD]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51PC3-O%2BYyL._SL500_SS90_.jpg)
DVD ~ Laurence Olivier
~ Various Artists
~ John [Composer/Conductor] Addison
~ Benjamin Frankel
See all 28 tracks on this disc
