Buy it... if you respect the pleasantly conservative dramatic underscores that typically grace the Hallmark-style of films that involve children bonding with animals.

Avoid it... if you expect to hear the more richly melodic, dynamic style that Basil Poledouris provided for Free Willy and other related projects in the same sub-genre.

Poledouris

Amanda: (Basil Poledouris) The formula for the small budget film Amanda could fit into an Hallmark Entertainment scenario, though this film would never receive such exposure. The primary focus of the film's story is a crippled young boy's relationship with a horse, as well as all the typical themes of maturation of confidence and the overcoming of disabilities that has a tendency to drive such stories. The twist in Amanda is an older, wiser horse expert who inspires the boy with stories of swords, warriors, and knights, thus bringing an element of imaginative adventure to an otherwise serene scenario of mundane character development. The setting of Montana allows for expansive photography that serves any horse movie well, and Basil Poledouris' career is equally at home in such circumstances. In a cross between Poledouris' western, mystical, and children's genres of composition, this light and fluffy score exists where its movie does not. The film was slated to be released in 1996, at a time when Poledouris had finished a string of popular and effective films in the children's adventure scene, including the Free Willy films, White Fang, Jungle Book, and Lassie. Unfortunately, practically no audience was treated to his score, for the film played in a limited theatrical release in South Africa in 1996 before being banished to a European video market. No American exposure was ever afforded the film. None of this is necessarily a concern for fans of Poledouris' writing, though most film score collectors have been impressed by the scores that often come from this Hallmark style of films, whether from Mark McKenzie, Lee Holdridge, or the plethora of other talented B-film composers currently working. In the 1990's, Poledouris was an expert at capturing the musical essence of the relationship between an animal and a young human. You've likely heard more flamboyant attempts at the sub-genre from both Poledouris and other composers in the past, but Amanda utilizes a more pleasantly conservative approach.

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The formula of the score doesn't require much analytical thought. Poledouris' two themes are simple in their chord construction, one for the boy and other for the landscape of Montana. Performed by the certainly adequate, but not overwhelming Seattle Session Orchestra, the majority of material composed includes light woodwind solos with string overlays. It is pleasant material, harmonious in almost all circumstances, and contains the expected gravity of weight that Poledouris often provides with supporting brass whole notes. The overbearing, dramatic bass evident in his stronger action scores and the forthcoming Les Misérables, however, is absent. The highlights of the score exist when the boy's imagination of knights, swords, and warriors takes over and Poledouris injects the otherwise subdued score with shades of timpani and brass that hail back to the days of Conan the Barbarian. While brief in their outbursts, these cues for riding scenes are symphonically impressive and well worth the price of the album for Poledouris enthusiasts. Explosions of brass and snare occur exclusively during the four storytelling tracks of the album, with an additional short burst of rhythmic spirit from Quigley Down Under and Lonesome Dove in "To the Rodeo." No other "local flavor" is really used in the score. The woodwind section receives, as usual for the composer, some interesting performances at the limits of its ranges. The delicate sensitivity utilized by Poledouris for the mass of underscore has a hint of James Horner's thematic approach for children's films, never deviating much from the same lofty, adolescent harmonies throughout the score. Poledouris had a knack for rarely repeating sequences of music or obvious styles in his later efforts, and while Amanda is no exception, the score offers little in instrumentation or extended, rousing themes to distinguish itself in his career. While therefore a lightweight when compared to Free Willy and Poledouris' other children's efforts, Amanda remains an enjoyable afternoon listen. Even with the film's monumental failure, the score was released in limited numbers by the Belgian label Prometheus in 2000, available only through soundtrack specialty outlets. ***   Amazon.com Price Hunt: CD or Download

Bias Check:

For Basil Poledouris reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.47 (in 33 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.27 (in 32,977 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.