The Public Eye has to be the greatest mystery of Goldsmith's career--I've never talked to anyone who's heard it and even Richard Kraft had no memory of it being recorded.
I wouldn't know how to post it here, but do a search on YouTube for "The Public Eye Trailer ". There's a jazz rift in the middle that I wouldn't connect with Goldsmith quickly, but the stuff towards the end sounds very much like him.
In a world of diminishing Goldsmith returns where the best we can hope for is a few more minutes of "Congo," this release is like a revelation for me. It's a fully formed, full-throated effort from a really rich time period. The low piano stabs, the tragic-tinged love theme, the (now) retro funk orchestra stuff. It's just this side of kitsch, and the sound quality puts the unmentionable to shame. People comparing this to "Criminal Law" can have their point of view, but this is a fantastic release that should be getting lots of attention.
It IS a solid score and a great listen. Is it essential Goldsmith? Nope. Brilliant movie music? Nope. But there is, as mentioned above, some great low piano, a nice funk feel at times, and some great energetic dramatic action music. It isn't as cold as Criminal Law ( a score I still enjoy the heck out of), nor as nuanced and emotional as Hoosiers... but JG's craft and skill is evident all the way. The synths will put some off...but it is a worthwhile release.
I wouldn't know how to post it here, but do a search on YouTube for "The Public Eye Trailer ". There's a jazz rift in the middle that I wouldn't connect with Goldsmith quickly, but the stuff towards the end sounds very much like him.
This one? Difficult to hear over the sound effects and dialogue, really, but it's interesting that the trailer already has the "Soundtrack Available On Varese Sarabande" caption on it.
A sessions musician told me he had a score repalced on "Speed". Now, I understand people are hestitant to not believe that, and will say that's not true, but they have to understand, I take the word of a film score session player from hundreds of scores, over them. I checked other titles with him and his mind was right on all them, and I asked again to make sure he wasn't confusing it. So, take it for what it's worth.
I respect that. But I still don't buy it. Why not? Because I remember very distinctly when "Speed" was a few months from release that the soundtrack press (such as it was at the time) reported that this Mancina guy whom we'd never heard of was scoring it. No mention of Goldsmith (as there certainly was in those magazines about such later-rejected Goldsmith scores as "The Public Eye," "Gladiator," and "Two Days in the Valley"). The story at the time was that director Jan de Bont had really admired Hans Zimmer's score for the television documentary "Millennium: Tribal Wisdom and the Modern World," and that when he called Zimmer, Zimmer explained that Mancina was the man responsible for the cues he liked. (Why do I remember this when I don't remember the names of people I work with?)
Does this mean Goldsmith could not have written a score before? No, of course not. But it makes me suspicious, because I rabidly followed all Goldsmith news at the time, and these magazines reported on all Goldsmith assignments well in advance, even those that didn't ultimately pan out.
Furthermore, the producers of the recent expansion of Mancina's score also saw no evidence of a prior score. That seems pretty damning.
So we weigh this against one musician's memory. Most session musicians (good ones, at least) at the time played on many scores a month (in a busy season, several in a week). I used to work at the CBS Radford lot and my office overlooked the Todd-AO scoring stage (which is now the "Entertainment Tonight" studio). I saw the same musicians arrive daily, for different projects, over several years. (My friend snuck into the "Waterworld" sessions. I was too chicken.) So it's easy to see how one's memory could play tricks.
I worked on a show years ago that featured what I considered a terrible and unfunny character. For years (close to twenty), I would tell the story of one scene in particular that was especially awful, and people always laughed about it. A couple of years ago, somebody I'd just told the story to found the scene on YouTube. And you know what? The part I'd been complaining about? It wasn't there! My memory of this is absolutely clear as a bell… but my memory is incorrect. The proof is out there.
So what I'm saying is I have no doubt this musician believes he played on a Goldsmith "Speed." But without a single other shred of anything to back up his memory, I remain doubtful.
You do realize, Mr. Schiff, that admitting you were wrong violates the Internet Code of Conduct?
Yeah. Keep in mind, Schiff, after we take you out back and flog you for violating the Internet Code of Conduct, that it doesn't matter whom was hired first early on, as films do switch composers afterwards, and then go back to the original composer. There's probably half a dozen that come to mind, on the Rejected Film Scores list, such as "Wings of the Dove" and "Far North".
Also, keep in mind, if you're referencing lack of reports, hundreds of scores on the main lists, were never reported.
Justin, as I think you know, I'm not saying it didn't happen or couldn't have happened. I'm just saying your source has not convinced me. (And it's me you're hoping to convince, right?)
I'm sure that the La-La Land release of Speed confirmed that Goldsmith was never involved. Also, Jerry was busy with The Shadow during this time (the large amount of work and time required on The Shadow also led him to turn down Baby's Day Out).
Well, I tried ordering this from Screen Archives when I saw Intrada had just sold out, and just got the following email response: "Your order #070213-124951-0017 has been cancelled because Gladiatoris now out of print and we unfortunately oversold it. You will not be charged for this order. Sorry for the inconvenience and have a great day."
This reminds me of Inchon -- anybody else in the same boat?
More importantly, is there anyone out there who bought Gladiator but was underwhelmed and doesn't want to keep it? I'd be willing to trade for it (I have some rare scores that I was underwhelmed by and don't want to keep), or pay if it's not too much more than you paid...I know it can get it for $35 on Amazon but I'd rather not pay that much.
Enjoying this vintage 90s Goldsmith right now. Did I miss it or do Jeff Bond's liner notes fail to mention that the love theme was reused for The Vanishing? Just curious why they don't. Is this for the label in any way tricky territory regarding the rights situation? I understand that composers actually aren't allowed to do that but studios let them get away with it if a score is rejected.
