Filmtracks Recommends:
Buy it... on the 1993, 2009, or 2012 CD re-issues of the original LP presentation if you seek a fantastic rearrangement and re-recording by Jerry Goldsmith of this brutally propulsive score. Avoid it... on those albums if you prefer the sparse and harshly raw version of the score recorded by Goldsmith at MGM for the film itself, of which the 2005 Intrada Records album is a very loyal representation. Filmtracks Editorial Review:
Capricorn One: (Jerry Goldsmith) Director Peter Hyams took aim at one of America's most respected institutions in his 1978 thriller Capricorn One, a film hailed as a classic by conspiracy theorists who believe that NASA would be capable and willing to fake a manned journey to another planet. In very sinister fashion, Capricorn One tells of NASA's much hyped mission to send three astronauts to Mars. Upon realizing that due to a myriad of reasons (but mainly budget problems) the mission would result in certain failure, the astronauts are secretly spirited away from the launch pad before the space vehicle blasts off without them. The great deception of NASA continues from there, as the agency forces the reluctant astronauts to perform the remainder of their duties from a remote sound stage created to look like their vehicle and the Martian landscape. Under threat of harm to their families, they play along with the scheme and temporarily save NASA's reputation, but upon the unexpected destruction of the vehicle upon re-entry, the three men must be terminated. Realizing this, they escape through the desert of the American Southwest, chased relentlessly by helicopters containing assassins hired by NASA. While the film is somewhat dated by its retrospective implausibility and O.J. Simpson's casting as one of the three astronauts, Capricorn One remains an extremely compelling piece of storytelling. Distrust of the federal government is an enduring factor in American society, and Hyams managed to construct the narrative in a fashion that still provokes considerable thought more than thirty years later. The collaboration between Hyams and composer Jerry Goldsmith only lasted for two pictures, and there's a significant difference between the application of music in Capricorn One and the score for the equally entertaining space Western Outland two years later. Whereas the music in the latter film played a purely secondary role (and is far less complicated), Goldsmith's extremely intricate composition for Capricorn One is a vital part of the film's success and, on its own, a striking entry during this period in his career (one that is often referred to as his peak). The debate about Capricorn One is not about its quality; nobody can effectively argue that the score isn't tremendously effective. But the two different recordings that Goldsmith produced of the score are worlds apart and thus open the doors for a debate that happens surprisingly infrequently in regards to this era in film music. As was customary at the time, Goldsmith recorded the score for Capricorn One in late 1977 at MGM's studios in Los Angeles and then took his manuscripts to London, where he rearranged several pieces, beefed them up significantly, and re-recorded 35 minutes with the National Philharmonic Orchestra for the LP album release. Only in a few cases in the Bronze Age, such as with John Williams' The Fury, is there such a dramatic difference between the film and album recordings that questions about why the album arrangement wasn't used in the film can be raised. Purists and the most veteran collectors will refer to this discussion as rubbish, because they often accept the intent and functionality of the two types of recordings without such debate. With Capricorn One, though, you have an outstanding composition that works in the film, but the MGM version is so sparse compared to the London recording that it's difficult not to be curious about how Goldsmith's more symphonic rendering would have impacted the picture. Certainly, some of the effectiveness of the film version exists because of what some would call the avant garde constructs and instrumental choices. There is sense of harsh, raw energy and a feeling of the inevitable that Goldsmith infuses in the MGM recording that is undeniably scary. His title theme is built on top of an extremely memorable, jagged ostinato (of near-octave hopping, an obvious choice for corruption) for deep brass, percussion, timpani, drums, bells, and xylophone and serves as the identity for NASA's treachery and, more specifically, the almost life-like helicopters that pursue the astronauts at the climax of the story. Goldsmith split the string section into two, placing them in equal halves on either side of the ensemble and forcing them into combat with another when performing this ostinato, and the effect is quite menacing in its overbearing, chopping tone. The early sequences in the film extensively employ fragments of this ostinato to underline the mechanized nature of the plot. By the end of the film, all the audience needs to hear is two or three notes in this rhythmic figure to know that something unfortunate is about to happen on screen. The secondary theme in the film is one of romance for the primary astronaut's family ("Kay's Theme") and it is this yearning, tragic idea for strings, harp, and piano that only slightly occupies the soundscape until its triumphant performance in "The Celebration." Goldsmith merges the two themes in the end titles cue (and consequent concert arrangement) with fantastic success, though the score never really loses touch with the brutality of the relentless NASA theme. As heard in the film, Goldsmith's MGM recording uses a smaller orchestra (but still imbalanced in its shifting of strings and emphasis of low brass) and electronics in sparse fashion for most of the narrative. It isn't a score of sustained action material; early scenes use very quiet, but ominous fragments of the ostinato to great effect. The few action bursts, along with the opening and closing titles, suffice in their brutality but do so without much resounding depth. The secondary family theme is equally sparse in its rendering until the end. It's not surprising, upon examining the tone of the MGM recording, that Goldsmith sought to really enhance the album version through not only a rearrangement of the action material into longer variants (and adding a concluding major key note at the end of the title theme), but also the replacement of the synthesizers (for the most part) with a larger orchestral ensemble. The resulting performance in London gives this score incredible power, offering the kind of depth that the MGM version badly lacked. The assembled "Break Out" cue, despite a few awkward splices of the master tape for the LP, is among Goldsmith's most ambitious and satisfying, and the "Main Title" is a classic piece. So here's where we get back to the perplexing question: would the album arrangement have better serviced the film? It's superior in every performance aspect and the sound quality is vastly improved. Purists, once again, would dismiss this issue. But the brutality of the composition is retained in the London recording, and the more powerful sound is arguably appropriate for the level of treachery on display. In short, the London recording might have enhanced the film even more than the MGM version, especially if the spirit of the un-rerecorded early portions was kept intact. The LP album performance, available in identical presentations on a collectible 1993 CD from GNP Crescendo (with Outland) and inexpensive retail CDs in 2009 from Collector's Choice and 2012 from Perseverance, is a very strong presentation and will be best for nearly all listeners. True fans of the score will be interested in Intrada Records' limited and remastered 2005 release of the entire 53 minutes of the MGM recording. While a fascinating listening experience, the film version of Capricorn One simply can't compete with the album recording. What's really unfortunate is that Intrada, unlike its practice with many other Goldsmith re-issues of the late 2000's, did not include the album version along with the film version on their 3,000-copy pressing. As it is, most fans seeking to hear this fine score will be best served by the GNP Crescendo, Collector's Choice, or Perseverance products, or even the City of Prague Philharmonic's re-recording of the title theme suite, a performance that remains that ensemble's finest single handling of a film music piece in their history.
Film Recording as Heard on the 2005 Intrada Album: *** Overall: **** Track Listings (1993 GNP Crescendo Album):
Total Time: 78:21
Track Listings (2005 Intrada Album):
Total Time: 56:32
Track Listings (2009 and 2012 Albums):
Total Time: 39:08
All artwork and sound clips from Capricorn One are Copyright © 1993, 2005, 2009, 2012, GNP Crescendo, Intrada Records, Collector's Choice, Perseverance 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 7/16/09, updated 11/19/12. Review Version 4.1 - PHP (Filmtracks Publications). Copyright © 2009-2013, Christian Clemmensen. All rights reserved. |
1993 GNP Crescendo
