What appears on screen during the World War II movie Saving Private Ryan suggests that director Steven Spielberg has studied the hyperviolence of Quentin Tarantino, John Woo, and Stanley Kubrick (think Full Metal Jacket). What you hear, however, assures that Spielberg still collects Norman Rockwell paintings. Composed by Spielberg's long-time musical companion, John Williams, Ryan denies the pair's penchant for ebullience in favor of funereal grace. Rather than mirror the visual kinetics, Williams lends the gunfire a tone-poem aura. Oliver Stone's Platoon makes the best comparison; remember how Barber's Adagio for Strings accompanied its most bloody moments? Williams later worked with Stone on JFK and Nixon, providing scores so somber, they qualified as morose. They remain two of his best, and Saving Private Ryan shares their restraint. --Marc Weidenbaum
