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Posted: |
Jul 22, 2014 - 3:18 PM
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By: |
JSDouglas
(Member)
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The summer movie season of 1985 was filled with promising releases (at least in terms of music): RAMBO: FIRST BLOOD PART II, COCOON, THE GOONIES, SILVERADO, EXPLORERS, BACK TO THE FUTURE, MAD MAX BEYOND THUNDERDOME, LIFEFORCE, RETURN TO OZ, RED SONJA, A VIEW TO A KILL, THE BRIDE and PEE WEE'S BIG ADVENTURE. An exceptional array of then-newer names like James Horner, Bruce Broughton, Alan Silvestri & Danny Elfman mixed with veteran composers like John Barry, Jerry Goldsmith, Dave Grusin, Maurice Jarre, Henry Mancini, Ennio Morricone & David Shire.
I was particularly looking forward to the combination of Elmer Bernstein and Disney animation called THE BLACK CAULDRON. Anticipation was high for this after Elmer's great work on HEAVY METAL back in '81. I attended a screening on opening weekend and came away rather disappointed by the film and luke-warm about its music.
The story-telling seemed to be determined to undercut any excitement or suspense (I've never liked stories whose narrative is "foretold" - talk about spoilers!). I picked up the Varese Sarabande LP release (and the CD a little later) and found it to be a mixed bag. Although it came out swinging with the action track titled "Escape From the Castle" it lost momentum with tracks like "Taran" & "Gurgi." I liked the love theme ("Eilonwy") and also the music for the Horned King - wishing the album contained more of it.
I enjoyed the dynamic intro to "The Witches" and the fun tango-style theme that followed as well as the sprightly music of "The Fair Folk" (someone once told me that the latter piece sounded like "Gilligan getting sick at Christmas"). The Ondes Martenot of Cynthia Millar was overused I thought at the time. The merits of its use remain controversial, but Elmer seemed to like it! Ultimately, the score failed to ignite my passion and was filed away as a lesser luminary in the Elmer Bernstein canon.
28 years go by. Intrada presents their first release of the original film performance of THE BLACK CAULDRON and my estimation of the score is revised (though I suspect I would still find the film to be a bummer).
In addition to the wealth of exciting new material, the orchestrations add significant elements like choir to the mix. I did not remember the choral element (which is used rather subtly) and it gave me a start when it entered alongside the Ondes partway through "A Special Pig and a Vision." The entire score now feels bigger and grander with a more enjoyable balance of moods. Mysterioso passages, nifty variations on the thematic material, and lots more of that great, dark music tipped the scales for me.
I now regard THE BLACK CAULDRON as a many-faceted jewel of a score with a dizzying array of themes (remember those?) and highlights. Now no longer a disappointment, it proudly takes its place with all the wonderful scores from the summer of 1985.
The Intrada release stirred some minor controversy in its choice of artwork. I actually prefer their choice over replicating the original poster art in this case. I've rarely been impressed with the artwork created to sell animated features and THE BLACK CAULDRON is no different. I'd rather not be reminded of the film as it was, but instead enjoy an imaginary film more deserving of the music of Elmer Bernstein.
JSD
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I watched this movie as a kid and probably that's the reason why I still like it. The Varese album Always made me want to have a complete soundtrack. In the end, I'm still listening to the Varese album. It's great to have the expanded version, but as a listening experience, I'd prefer the 1985 version.
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It's certainly has it's moments but a bit atmospheric for my own tastes and doesn't hold a theme very long. If he let themes breath it would have been a lot better, IMHO. Proud to own it as a Disney animation fan. 