Filmtracks Recommends:
Buy it... on either the 2005 bootleg or the 2009 limited album if you seek an adequate survey of this humorous and popular Elmer Bernstein parody score in very strong sound quality. Avoid it... on the original 1997 bootleg at all costs (due to atrocious sound quality) or if you expect, despite all logic in this case, to hear anything resembling a consistent listening experience through dozens of short, genre-defying cues. Filmtracks Editorial Review:
Airplane!: (Elmer Bernstein) The ultimate anthology of cliches from classic comedy films, Airplane! is a production that defied the direction of modern comedies in an era when the genre was dominated by the kind of satirical and cynical ideas of Woody Allen. The object of this parody was the rash of airplane horror films that arose with Airport and lasted through all the variants of its sequels, as well as Paramount's own Zero Hour from 1957. The trick to Airplane! that made it such a fantastic parody was its purely unashamed use of sophomoric humor, with jokes so dumb and tasteless that they actually became funny in unison. So predictable (and successful, grossing upwards of $100 million) was the 1980 film that it led to its own sequel, though the original Airplane! will be long remembered for, among other things, changing how people react to the word "surely." Composer Elmer Bernstein was at a point in his career when his comedy-writing skills were in high demand. The early 1980's are recalled by Bernstein collectors as the era of Airplane!, Trading Places, and Ghostbusters, a trend that somewhat baffled those collectors and even occasionally the composer himself. His vast experience in action and Western scores from the 1960's, however, would prove to serve him well when writing these more ridiculous parody scores, of which Airplane! is likely the crowning achievement. Underneath the comedy is an airborne horror plot that Bernstein uses to insert a plethora of militaristic action motifs, and the love story between the lead stewardess and a former pilot who has lost his wits allows the composer to expand on some of his sappy romance writing. The key to the enduring popularity of this score rests in Bernstein's proper decision (as is often the case in similar films with effective scores) to handle the story as though it were completely serious. Interspersed throughout the score are references, for instance, to John Williams' theme for Jaws, which was a highly popular tactic for films to take in the late 1970's. Like many parody scores, however, the quality of the score in the film is vastly different from that on album, and Airplane! is one of those highly effective scores in context that loses some of its punch without the punch lines that go with it. On album, an endless series of short cues cause the score to jump almost incoherently between genres and conflicting motifs. It makes sense on the whole, but it remains a frenetic listening experience. A sappy love theme for the characters of Elaine and Ted is the most enduring memory from the score for Airplane!, though it serves as almost an annoyance in the film, its rising strings at the outset setting the stage for yet another intentionally awkward flashback. The orchestra hits that represent the "tension theme" are mixed almost indiscriminately into the film, and they don't do the score much justice on album. There are few lengthier cues of development; the ones led by snare drums and brass rips represent the militaristic element well and offer some of the more listenable moments. A classical waltz-like rhythm announces the "Resolution" cue (otherwise known as "Success") with much of the same deliberation as cues in Trading Places. Ironically, the best performances of the film's heroic title theme come early, with the LAX-related cues (starting with "Ambulance Arrives") offering bold brass rhythms mocking John Williams' disaster scores with good humor. Interestingly, though, Bernstein plays much of the score without the twist of jazz or other pizzazz that often influences his comedy works (despite some genre-hopping in the source cues), and Airplane! thus becomes as score that seems more functional in its attempt to play it serious rather than purely funny. The film also makes use of source lounge music and a 'native' cue (for the "Molumbo" tribe, a nice deviation) by Bernstein, as well as several song staples of the era. Ultimately, an appreciation of the composer's music for Airplane! depends on the same level of appreciation for the film, a circumstance that again exists in correlation with many of Bernstein's comedy scores of the era. A belated LP release in 1980 was not a product faithful to the score (it was a song-riddled irritation with limited Bernstein material included), and it took until 1997 before the first bootleg of the score was filtered to soundtrack collectors. That bootleg combined 40 minutes of Airplane! music with Bernstein's score for the 1978 television adaptation of Little Women that aired on NBC. As expected, Bernstein's tone for this Alcott story is quietly restrained, often limited to solo woodwinds and whimsical string themes, with occasional honky tonk Western rhythms breaking the monotony. Unfortunately, this bootleg suffered from terrible sound quality, ruining Airplane! completely and doing slightly more justice to Little Women. As such, the pressing was completely unacceptable and an item to be ignored. Several years later, a more loyal bootleg with Bernstein's almost complete Airplane! score appeared from the isolated DVD score track, breaking the cues into film order, supplying the source songs, and, most importantly, presenting the score in glorious sound quality. For several years, that 2005 album was a very satisfying entry in many Bernstein collections, though to give the score the legitimate treatment it well deserved, La-La Land Records included Airplane! as one of its limited offerings (of 3000 pressings) in 2009. Advertised as the first of the label's foray into the vaults at Paramount, the product sold out from the label within a month but was still available from soundtrack specialty outlets for about $20 thereafter. Rearranging the cues a bit and providing alternative takes and rejected material amounting to only about ten minutes of notable additional music, the 2009 album is a comprehensive and carefully assembled product that still suffers from inherent continuity issues due to the score's wildly shifting personalities. For casual collectors, the 2005 bootleg will suffice, for the sound quality on the 2009 product is not significantly different. Either is a vast improvement over the 1997 bootleg that held the spot on the shelf warm for these far more engaging and loyal presentations.
Little Women (TV): *** 1997 Bootleg: * 2005 Bootleg: **** 2009 La-La Land Records Album: **** Track Listings (1997 Bootleg):
Total Time: 64:40
No track titles Track Listings (2005 Bootleg):
Total Time: 45:06
Track Listings (2009 La-La Land Album):
Total Time: 52:21
* entire track not contained in film ** contains music not used in film *** contains "Notre Dame Victory March" by Michael J. Shea, J.H. O'Donnell & John F. Shea # contains "1812 Overture, Op. 49" by Peter Tchaikovsky ## contains "Theme from Jaws" by John Williams All artwork and sound clips from Airplane! are Copyright © 1997, 2005, 2009, Bootleg, Bootleg, La-La Land Records. The reviews and notes contained on the filmtracks.com site may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of Filmtracks Publications. Audio clips can be heard using RealPlayer but cannot be redistributed without the label's expressed written consent. Page created 10/16/97, updated 7/12/09. Review Version 4.1 - PHP (Filmtracks Publications). Copyright © 1997-2013, Christian Clemmensen. All rights reserved. |
1997 Bootleg
