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Catch Me If You Can
Catch Me If You Can

The Film | The Music
Audio | References | Links

Compositions: Films

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The Film

Release date: December 25, 2002
Studio: DreamWorks
Running Time: 141 minutes
Director
: Steven Spielberg
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Christopher Walken, Jennifer Garner, Amy Adams, Martin Sheen, Frank John Hughes, Brian Howe

Steven Spielberg's film adaptation of an autobiographical book by Frank Abagnale, Jr. tells the story of a teenage conman on the run from the law.

Catch Me If You Can

The Film | The Music
Audio | References | Links

The Music

Music by: John Williams

Catch Me If You Can is the 20th film John Williams has scored for Steven Spielberg (if one counts The Unfinished Journey and omits the two Spielberg-directed episodes of Amazing Stories).  Williams told the Hollywood Reporter that "Of all the films we've done together, this is probably the closest to a romantic adventure-comedy piece...The style of the film includes a very vivid and accurate re-creation of the sort of swinging '60s style.  The score that I've written for it — I hope it's amusing — features some so-called progressive jazz elements derived from the style that was popular in the '50s and early '60s.  In particular, it features some brilliant alto sax work by a man named Dan Higgins, in almost a Charlie Parker style.  The film has functional comedic film music but with a doffing of the cap to the jazz greats of the era, all of which is done to re-create the ambiance of those years."

Williams also spoke about the uncharacteristic (for a Spielberg-Williams project) amount of source music in the film: "The score also includes some prominent recordings of the period — something that neither one of us have rally done before. Frank Sinatra's 'Come Fly With Me' is featured, as well as Nat King Cole's 'Christmas Song' and Dusty Springfield's 'Look of Love,' among others — all of which are placed within the film and around which I've built my score."

Williams' score for this film was nominated for an Academy Award.


Although Spielberg usually meets with Williams during the scoring process and listens to the composer play his themes on the piano, Catch Me If You Can proved an exception to the rule. With the composer and director on opposite coasts over the summer, Spielberg heard Williams' music for the first time as it was being recorded with a 100-piece orchestra at the Sony Pictures scoring stage.


Dreamworks 450 410
Audio

The soundtrack album for Catch Me If You Can was released on December 10, 2002. In addition to 11 tracks by John Williams, the CD also includes standards by Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, Nat King Cole, Stan Getz, Nat "King" Cole and Dusty Springfield. The film's official web site (see link below) contains sound clips of all 11 of Williams' contributions to the CD.



Catch Me If You Can

The Film | The Music
Audio | References | Links

References

"Keeping the Score," Dylan Callaghan
Hollywood Reporter, Nov 12 2002, S, 18-20

"Spielberg decides it's time to have some serious fun," Rachel Abramowitz
Los Angeles Times, November 3 2002

"Movie credits find new currency in retro images," Jon Burlingame
Los Angeles Times, January 4 2003

Catch Me If You Can

The Film | The Music
Audio | References | Links
Links

Internet Movie Database entry for Catch Me If You Can

Official web site for Catch Me If You Can


Page last modified
June 05, 2006
 
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