CD Reviews: The Omen and The Final Conflict Deluxe Editions
The following abbreviated reviews will run in their entirety in an
upcoming issue of FSM...
The Omen - The Deluxe Edition ****
JERRY GOLDSMITH
Varèse Sarabande 302 066 288 2
20 tracks - 49:00
To those who have been waiting to buy the definitive version of Jerry
Goldsmith's Oscar-winning score to The Omen: you will have to wait
a little longer. Though Varèse Sarabande's newly remastered edition
(featuring 14 minutes of music new to CD) does bring out more of the Bang
und Strum of Goldmsith's Satanic mass, it misses a few beats.
One of the advantages of the new edition is the sequential ordering
of the tracks. The correct sequence takes you on a better musical journey
that doesn't involve programming or splicing (they even cut out a track
on the 1990 CD to keep the order intact). The only track that's out of
order is the full version of "Ave Satani." But it does give a nice intro
to the score, since the words are later adapted in various forms throughout
the album.
The first new cue, "On This Night," underscores ambassador Thorn's dilemma
as he adopts a boy born the same minute his infant son dies. The music
foreshadows terror without sounding frightening. The love theme is introduced
on piano, accompanied by a harp and flute.
"The New Ambassador" expands on the love theme with a wonderful string
orchestration. "Where is He" immediately follows, as terrifying strings
score the Thorns looking for Damien. The love theme takes over as Damien
is found, and a montage of the lovely family takes us to Damien's fifth
birthday (part of "Happy Birthday to You" completes the transition in the
film, but not on disc).
"Broken Vows" marks the first appearance of the chorus in the score.
Goldsmith uses an increasingly powerful three-note combination until the
car approaches the church. At that moment, the orchestra and chorus pull
out all the stops as Damien goes into a fit and attacks Kathy. As the family
drives away, the chorus makes its final statements.
The spacing on the CD during "Broken Vows" proves that Goldsmith did
not stop recording in the break between the moment when the angel appears
onscreen and Damien starts his attack. Listen closely and you can hear
a couple of chairs squeak!
The choral and three-note arrangement from "Broken Vows" appears in
a bonus at the end of "Safari Park," when the baboons attack the car. I
call it a bonus because the CD made no mention of the new music on the
back of the jewel case, so I sat up as the music continued. The music is
virtually the same as heard in "Broken Vows," although a little faster.
I have always agreed with the omission of the first part of "The Killer
Storm" in the film, but have wondered why the music ends so abruptly before
the lightning rod strikes Father Brennan. It dilutes the terror of the
scene and its sudden end is awkward. If you cue up the music to the film,
you can tell that Goldsmith had scored the film right up to the second
that Brennan gets skewered. It has a more frightening effect than a clap
of thunder and Brennan screaming for his life.
"The Fall" is another cue that is cut short in the film, but is different
from "The Killer Storm" in that listening to the music in the film actually
detracts from the emotion of the scene. The squeak of the tricycle and
Kathy's final yell as she falls work better than Goldsmith's music.
"Don't Let Him" is the most gripping cue on the disc, with its lifting
strings as Thorn looks over the balcony where Kathy fell. It ends with
a peaceful rendition of the love theme as Thorn checks on Damien.
After "A Sad Message" of Kathy's death and a trip to Jerusalem to get
the daggers used to kill Damien, Jennings is "Beheaded." After hearing
this on CD for the first time, this has replaced Mrs. Baylock's death as
my most favorite musical moment in the film.. The choral cheers at the
beginning are at once chilling (when accompanied by visuals) and fun (you
can tell Goldsmith wanted the chorus to sound like the beheading was cause
for celebration).
After a few seconds of unsuspecting silence, the chorus lets loose again
in "The Demise of Mrs. Baylock." While it is no longer my favorite cue,
it is still a treat to listen to. The cacophony of the instruments compliments
the fight on screen. And my favorite part -- the choral whispers -- comes
through much clearer on the new disc. You can almost make out what they
are whispering.
The first part of "The Altar" is an alternate vocal cue written for
the scene in the church where Thorn must kill his son, despite Damien's
plea. Replacing the obtrusive music with part of "Don't Let Him" (incidentally,
they used that great piece I mentioned before) was a much better choice
because the love theme illustrates Thorn's conflict.
The score ends with the version of "Ave Satani" used in the main credits,
and "The Piper Dreams," a song using Jerry Goldsmith's love theme and lyrics
by his wife, Carol. This song is never heard in the film.
With the new sound quality, I felt as if I was listening to the score
again for the first time. The choral chants come through much cleaner,
and the bass registers on the cellos and percussion gave my subwoofer a
little workout.
But the CD has drawbacks. Most important is the curious omission of
three cues. The music used when Kathy falls to her death is the cue that
seemed to deserve a place on the CD. It's a great cue that scores a pivotal
moment in the movie, but apparently will not get its day in the sun.
My absolute favorite moment in the score is also missing. When Thorn
returns from Jerusalem, he hears the rotweiller lurking upstairs. As the
dog creeps around trying to find Thorn, the chorus is heard whispering
"Sanguis bibimus, corpus edimus" until the dog is trapped in the basement.
Every time that part comes in the film, I can't help but whisper along.
What is most amazing about the cue is that it continues to scare and petrify
me even without music. With Thorn and the dog playing hide and seek, it's
a wonderful way to score the scene.
Also missing is the synthesizer music played to hypnotize Damien's first
nanny and when Damien spots the dog. The question remains whether or not
Goldsmith composed this music, since Robert Townson does not reveal this
information in his comprehensive liner notes.
I have been pacing the floor waiting to hear the full score to The
Omen. I'm not extremely disappointed in this new presentation because
the score is one of my all-time favorites, but I guess we'll have to wait
for the "Ultimate Deluxe Edition" to get everything we expected.
-- Jeff Commings
The Final Conflict: The Deluxe Edition **** 1/2
JERRY GOLDSMITH
Varèse Sarabande 302 066 289 2
15 tracks - 62:40
Unless you're the sort who just can't get enough of people being impaled
by church lightning rods or cut in two by elevator cables, the only possible
reason to experience the Omen movies is Jerry Goldsmith's masterful
scores, a combination of Carl Orff, Stravinsky and Goldsmith's own indelible
stylistic approaches. Without Goldsmith's groaning male bass choir chanting
exortations to the Devil in Latin, it's doubtful the Omen movies
would be remembered today. In conjunction with new Omen DVDs that
were released a few months ago, Varèse Sarabande has gone back and
remastered The Omen and the final Omen movie, The Final
Conflict (that's if you don't count that great TV movie The Omen
IV), improving the sound dramatically and adding previously released
cues.
Unfortunately, The Final Conflict is really just another Friday
the 13th movie in terms of its action. Nevertheless the film had an
epic look and Goldsmith responded to its inherently compelling (if unaddressed)
themes by composing what may be the first and last epic horror movie score.
From its heraldic french horn opening to the motivic groanings of its full
chorus, The Final Conflict is markedly in Goldsmith's lush, full-throated
1980s mode rather than the spare, gritty '70s sound of The Omen.
The score is full of spectacular highlights, including the awestruck stellar
conjunction cue "The Second Coming"; a thundering fox hunt that rivals
the one Goldsmith wrote for The List of Adrian Messenger; the portentious
gathering of evil forces that marks "The Blooding Reel"; and of course,
the composer's hair-raisingly wonderful finale, scored for Damien's death
and the subsequent arrival of (I kid you not) a 30-foot tall glowing Jesus
to save the day. The sound quality of this release is amazing, adding previously
unheard depths and details to this score's already elaborate soundscape,
and while it's not as loaded with added material as The Omen (there
are two additional cues and an extended prelude for the climactic piece),
the additions do add to the overall feel. The best new highlight is "The
Statue," Goldsmith's riveting textural scoring of one of Neill's compellingly
sick monologues delivered to a crucified statue of Christ that he keeps
in his attic. If you're a Goldsmith fan you probably bought this the day
it was released, but if there's any doubt that you should own this masterpiece,
let me dispel it now. -- Jeff Bond
MailBag@filmscoremonthly.com
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