This is another entry in my Complete Score Breakdown Series, focusing on the complete scores to films that have had abbreviated previous releases or have gone unreleased.
Today we are looking at Flightplan (2005) by James Horner.
If you have any interest at all in Flightplan, this CSB will provide some very interesting insight into the score runtimes…
I am a sucker for a straightforward old-school James Horner action/thriller, and although 2005’s Flightplan wasn’t so much the action part, it was in many ways the last out-and-out contemporary suspense thriller that he ever did. His scores that fit in that general genre don’t tend to be the most popular among his fans, but I know there are some out there including myself that enjoyed Flightplan and its focus on tight suspense wound like a ticking clock, its central, lyrical, gentle Horner main character theme, and its moments of enticingly dark WTF moments. It seemed to me with this score that Horner hadn’t exhausted his supply of suspense thriller creative ideas, employing unusual prepared piano percussive motifs, undulating fluttering woodwinds, and inventively unique (even for Horner) metallic drum sounds. His main piano theme for Jodie Foster and her daughter was even pleasantly fresh and very attractive.
As I worked on the CSB for Flightplan, I was quickly surprised by how different the film score version turned out to be from the CD score version. A lot like the differences between score presentation for The Missing, the variations of presentation between CD score and film score for Flightplan are exhaustively different, so much so that if the film version of the score is ever released on CD, people will be in for quite a surprise in hearing a lot of unreleased music.
The current CD runs 50 and ½ minutes, and the score as heard in the film runs just 63 and ½ minutes. However, when you factor in three extensive alternate film versions of cues as well as two partially unused CD tracks and one fully unused CD track, the complete known amount of score written for the film comes to a grand 93 minutes. That’s a ton of score for a film that runs 98 minutes! Finally, the total amount of unreleased music comes to 42 and ½ minutes.
I’d say this definitely makes Flightplan a ripe candidate for expansion, were there enough interest. I’m afraid there aren’t enough fans of this score, however – speak up if I’m mistaken! – but hopefully this awesome, tightly wound latter-day thriller score by one of Hollywood’s film composing legends will not be forgotten and will get a nice Deluxe treatment so people can hear the extensive breadth and depth and amount of creativity that this score can provide.
Notations: The CD track “Leaving Berlin” only has 5:00 represented during the end credits roll, but is replaced by an alternate film version at the opening of the film. The CD track “The Search” is split into 3 parts in the film, taking 3 segments of the CD track and dividing them up and leaving nearly 4 minutes unused in the film. The CD track “Creating Panic” features an alternate film version in the movie, as does “Carson’s Plan”, which runs nearly a minute and a half longer in the film and incidentally is misspelled “Carlson’s Plan” on the CD. Finally, the CD tracks “Missing Child” and “Opening the Casket” are completely unused in the film.
CURRENT CD RELEASE RUNTIME: 50min 35sec COMPLETE SCORE RUNTIME (AS HEARD IN FILM): 63min 20sec ALL KNOWN ORIGINAL MUSIC WRITTEN FOR THE FILM (INCLUDING UNEDITED CD TRACKS, UNUSED TRACKS, AND/OR ALTERNATE FILM VERSIONS, WITH NO IDENTICAL DUPLICATION REGARDING FILM TRACKS & CD TRACKS): 93min 15sec
UNRELEASED SCORE RUNTIME: 42min 25sec
Complete Score Cue Titles and Cue Times (unreleased cues named by me for the sake of identification):
+ – previously unreleased (or includes previously unreleased material)
1. Leaving Berlin (4:49) + – (alternate film version) 2. The Night Before (1:20) + 3. False Alarm (0:46) + 4. Sweet Dreams (1:04) + 5. Wake Up Alone (0:57) + 6. First Notice (2:10) + 7. No Record (1:40) + 8. Threat? (0:57) + 9. Not Imagined, But Fragile (2:13) + 10. The Search Pt. 1 (3:27) + – (features 0:48 of alternate unreleased film version; represents CD track 0:00-2:36) 11. Recognition (0:41) + 12. The Search Pt. 2 (2:01) – (CD track “The Search” segment 3:15-4:35) 13. The Search Pt. 3 (1:53) – (CD track “The Search” segment 5:43-7:30) 14. Interrupted Search (0:43) + 15. Unbearable (1:07) + 16. So Vulnerable (3:56) 17. Creating Panic (4:25) + – (alternate film version) 18. Relieved Passengers (1:24) + 19. Where Were You? (1:17) + 20. Truth Revealed (1:17) + 21. Misdirection (0:30) + 22. Landing (2:17) + 23. Carson Off the Plane (3:06) + 24. Captain Off the Plane (1:04) + 25. Carson’s Plan (8:16) + – (alternate extended film version) 26. Mother and Child (5:02) 27. End Credits (5:00) – (includes 5:00 of CD track “Leaving Berlin”)
Current CD Release Track Titles and Track Times:
1. Leaving Berlin (8:24) – (full CD version) 2. Missing Child (6:21) – (unused in film) 3. The Search (9:41) – (full CD version) 4. So Vulnerable (4:01) 5. Creating Panic (7:06) – (CD version) 6. Opening the Casket (3:16) – (unused in film) 7. Carson’s Plan (6:52) – (CD version) 8. Mother and Child (5:02)
I love these breakdowns! Really admire your hard work...but what does "edited from CD" mean exactly? I know you've probably explained it somewhere but I forget
I love these breakdowns! Really admire your hard work...but what does "edited from CD" mean exactly? I know you've probably explained it somewhere but I forget
Thanks connorb93, that means a lot! "Edited from CD track" simply means that full length CD track has been edited in length in the film and has a shorter runtime in the film than it did on the CD. I don't think there are any "edited from CD tracks" in Flightplan but there were on the recent Deep Impact CSB. For example a CD track may run 4:00 on disc but it may have been edited for the film, a.k.a. "edited from the CD track" and only run 2:12 in the film, and even though it's missing 1:48 of music from the CD track, it's still the same cue.
