Filmtracks Recommends:
Buy it... on any of its bootlegged forms if you seek a truly balanced presentation of this spectacular action and science fiction score. Avoid it... if the blatantly patriotic tone of David Arnold's major action pieces is so outrageously and obnoxiously heroic in every stereotypical sense that you cannot enjoy the score's softer, more compelling parts. Filmtracks Editorial Review:
ID4: Independence Day: (David Arnold) If you doubt that anticipation alone can sell a non-franchise film as a blockbuster long before its release, then study what 20th Century Fox accomplished with Independence Day. The film itself was mediocre, just as all of Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich's early productions turned out to be, but it became a classic disaster staple due to its revolutionary special effects, a likable performance by Will Smith, and a tendency to bloat every aspect of its production to overblown levels. Starting with the film Broken Arrow early in 1996, Fox pushed trailers showing the fiery destruction of the White House (a compelling image given that it was a presidential election year and the public still enjoyed a desensitized pre-9/11 mindset) and other landmarks. With a story full of as many preposterous loopholes as that by Devlin and Emmerich, seeing the spectacular annihilation of the cities of the United States, primarily, was the main attraction. Like any good science fiction invasion flick, Independence Day didn't require the nasty-looking aliens to have any reason for choosing Earth as their next target. Nor was there any reason to shy away from melodramatic deaths, a poke or two at the pious, and noisy and blatant patriotism at its flag-waving best. Contributing to the overbearing noise factor was David Arnold's score for the film, recorded with 90 players, a choir, and every last ounce of stereotypical Americana he could muster for the occasion. Devlin once commented on the apparent fact that "you can leave it up to a Brit to write some of the most rousing and patriotic music in the history of American cinema." Indeed, the score is not only among the most obvious fanfares representing American culture in the modern age (or perhaps ever), it has also proven to be one of Arnold's most memorable and popular. Along with his striking opening cues for Devlin and Emmerich's Stargate in 1994, Independence Day caused many film score collectors to speculate that Arnold could be the long-awaited replacement for the maestro John Williams. Ironically, Williams would replace Arnold for 2000's The Patriot and, outside of some highly varied, but occasionally outstanding music for the James Bond franchise, Arnold's career never soared as expected. Still, the high quality of the music for Independence Day, regardless of how obnoxious it can potentially be outside of context, was proof that Arnold's previous two major scores, Last of the Dogmen and Stargate, were not flukes. Some doubts about the score's originality have been raised through the years, however. A lawsuit was reportedly leveled against Fox and Arnold by a composer named Terry Herald, who claimed that a theme in the Independence Day score was lifted directly from his 1991 television documentary Air Force One: The Planes and the Presidents. The same reports indicate that Herald was paid off in a settlement, and given that such legal troubles are usually mopped up quietly, there's a definite possibility that all of these circumstances are true. That scenario has also led to speculation that the lawsuit is responsible for the fact that the Independence Day score has never, surprisingly, received the expanded commercial album release it deserves. Regardless of the inspiration for the score (which Arnold claims came to him in a Los Angeles hotel room), the composer very successfully tackled the assignment with the same ferocious patriotism and sense for Americana as the vigorous plot. No plug remained un-pulled for Independence Day, with all the snare-ripping, wild piccolos, blaring trumpets, and cooing choral elements necessary for such a story. The precise orchestration of constantly overlapping lines (a true introduction to the talents of orchestrator and conductor Nicholas Dodd) and the enthusiasm of the ensemble's performances are the reason why Independence Day is more than just a loud mess of noise. Critics often denounced it for its sheer volume, but the robust structures in the work are intelligent enough to satisfy those who might usually avoid such elevated volume. For all of its bravado, Arnold's work here is surprisingly well developed and complicated in its handling of the three primary themes. Given that the commercial album was arranged with most of the banging and clanging action music as the emphasis of the presentation, fans may write off Independence Day too quickly, a problem only rectified unfortunately by widespread bootlegs that have dominated the market for the score since 2000. The three primary themes developed in Independence Day are extremely well integrated, often blurring the lines between the two that represent mankind. The first and most obvious one is the hopelessly optimistic and most patriotic brass theme that sometimes extends to the high woodwinds. The "End Titles" suite offers a strong presentation of all three ideas, and this aforementioned primary theme opens and closes that suite with all the flair you can imagine for an upbeat fanfare. This idea is provided in slower, darker hints, often by soloists, in the first half of the score. When humanity starts fighting back, however, the theme's more expansive performances define not only America's struggle, but that of the entire world. In the trio of adjoining cues from "David Gets an Idea" to "Planning the Attack" and the popular "International Code," this theme gains a sudden burst of momentum that launches it to its numerous explosive performances in the twenty minutes of straight action material late in the film. The second major theme is one that represents both the American president and the more compassionate side of humanity. You hear this theme often during scenes of the aftermath of the initial attack and most prominently in "The President's Speech." This idea holds most of the running time late in the "End Titles" suite and, as in much of the score, is often elevated in tempo to match and blend with the patriotic theme. The sometimes sappy nature of this theme is augmented more often by choir, and it's easy to hear that Arnold was attempting to maximize the melodrama in this idea. The third theme represents the alien invasion, or at least it seems as though Arnold intended that to be the case. This theme was originally set to open the film, as the aliens pass the moon and approach Earth, but was replaced with a more generic, tense crescendo. Regardless of whether this idea was meant to accompany the aliens or a broader sense of devastation is somewhat moot, for Arnold utilizes it extensively as a fanfare of doom in the first half of the score. Whether its descending progressions are being performed by massively ominous brass layers or in subtle fragments during the earlier scenes of the film, Arnold carefully reminds the audience of the idea so well that it's one of the more distinctly memorable "badguy" themes in recent times. There are other thematic ideas that come and go in Independence Day. A sensitive woodwind theme for Captain Steven Hiller's (Will Smith) relationship with his family is heard in both "Cancelled Leave" and, more extensively, "Pre-Flight Check." There's a hint of James Horner's Apollo 13 in this theme, but given the motif's overall brevity, the impact of the similarity is minimal. Another consistent theme exists for Mary McDonnell's somewhat lame portrayal of the First Lady, an unnecessary character. Arnold nevertheless gives her a tender, somber theme heard initially at the end of "First Lady Found" and carried for several minutes in "The First Lady Dies." Unfortunately, you'll catch yourself thinking of the lyrics "tomorrow never dies" during the main phrase of this theme, for it heavily influences the softer sections of the composer's first Bond score the following year. Meandering choral progressions meant to stir up wonder and awe are heard in "Area 51" and "Spaceship from Roswell," giving the old 1950's sense of fantasy some due respect. The instrumentation in and itself serves as a great factor in the cohesion of the score. The fact that Arnold never resorts to the synthetic realm (as well as the complexity of the simultaneous lines of action in the louder sequences) is likely what caused many listeners to compare this work to that of John Williams. The percussion section is often disregarded for its rampant snare tapping, but the "Base Attack" cue offers a stereo-bouncing effect of struck metallic effects (anvils or cow bells?) in its third minute that remarkably synchronizes with the ensemble's tone in its use of a full octave (more of this in the score would have been awesome). A tambourine in "International Code" supplies additional depth to the Russian-style vocals. That cue, in many ways the highlight of the entire score (and film), appropriately infuses some stereotypical Arabic progressions (comparable to Stargate in its waning moments) and Morse code-like effects. In the brass section, a wildly blaring figure is used for the alien destroyers' actual firing mechanism, and that motif is used as a foreshadowing tool at 2:05 into "Base Attack." Arnold even allows the trumpets to wildly meander off tone at 3:05 into "Evacuation" to represent the mounting panic. The strings, while often frantic in their contributions, seem to get lost in many of the more ambitious cues. The mix of the score on the 1996 commercial album is quite strong; the choir provides depth without adding volume. But the tragedy of that RCA/BMG product has been its brevity, with its arrangements offering only half of the material heard in the film. In most cases, such highlights on a commercial product would suffice, but Independence Day is an exception. First and foremost, the score is of outstanding quality in even its less spectacular moments, so the music left off of the first album is quite good. Additionally, many of the arrangements of the cues for the album differ from what you actually hear in the film, a problem that persists even on the later bootlegs. Finally, the last two or three minutes of the "End Titles" suite from the score are used frequently in fireworks displays around America, not to mention the score's use in everything from small-town band performances to Memorial Day ceremonies in large American cities. As such, interest in the music has persisted. Arnold's more elegantly compelling cues of a softer volume, like "First Lady Found," "Area 51," "Spaceship from Roswell," and "The First Lady Dies," are all absent on the 1996 product, leaving "Aftermath" among the few such representations intact. Released two days before the film's opening, the RCA/BMG product was not only short, but it offered lousy packaging that only printed the track titles on the CD itself (an illogical faux pas that should lead to the firing of any album art director). An expanded album was promised late in 1996, but one was never released (reportedly due to financial restrictions, but the lawsuit is still a possibility as well). It was thus only a matter of time before the bootlegs appeared on the market, and for a short time during their main debut in late 2000, they were sold at regular soundtrack specialty outlets (oh, the good old days when they peddled bootlegs along with everything else!). While substandard attempts to bootleg Independence Day had been floating around for a few years, the first mass-produced bootleg of the score hit their shelves as the sixth part of the so-called "World Records" bootleg series. Many variants have existed since, and whichever one you happen to obtain will offer top-notch sound quality (outside of some minimal upper-range hiss). Overall, Independence Day is a spectacular score, and it's a rare occasion when you really do need to seek a bootleg to enjoy the music in all its glory.
Music as Heard on the 1996 Album: *** Music as Heard on the 2000 Bootleg: ***** Overall: ***** Track Listings (Original 1996 Album):
Total Time: 50:39
Track Listings (2000 World Records Bootleg):
Total Time: 99:14
* previously released track (track titles and contents vary between the many different bootlegs) All artwork and sound clips from Independence Day are Copyright © 1996, BMG Classics/RCA Victor, World Records 006 (Sample Bootleg). 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 9/24/96, updated 8/12/08. Review Version 4.1 - PHP (Filmtracks Publications). Copyright © 1996-2005, Christian Clemmensen. All rights reserved. |
1996 RCA/BMG