Filmtracks Recommends:
Buy it... if you want a superior John Williams crossover score that connects the high-flying fantasy of his early 1980's efforts with the more complex rhythms, instrumentation, and density of his 1990's scores. Avoid it... only if you have clearly established that you have no interest in Williams' large-scale action and adventure scores. Filmtracks Editorial Review:
Jurassic Park: (John Williams) With Michael Crichton's fabulously outlandish adventure story, the spectacular digital and live action effects of Industrial Light and Magic, and an odd assortment of entertaining character-actors, Steven Spielberg led the charge of Jurassic Park to immense box office returns that would spawn continued journeys back to the land of the dinosaurs in sequels to come. The qualified success of Jurassic Park, in all its domination of the summer of 1993, somehow managed to leave composer John Williams behind. Despite a score of Herculean scale for Jurassic Park, Williams would overshadow his effort for Isla Nublar by composing Schindler's List later in the same year, a score that not only swept every major award for 1993, but is considered by many film score veterans to be among the most effective single film scores of the modern age. So outstanding was the reception to these two monumental scores that Williams would conduct them in concerts throughout 1994 and take a break from scoring assignments while doing so. Compared to the great action themes that Williams has etched into the minds of mainstream movie-goers through the years, Jurassic Park has become surprisingly anonymous, with its bold identity rarely heard in public performances since the franchise reached its sputtering conclusion at the cinemas many years later. This does not mean, however, that Jurassic Park is no less a score; it was, and will always be, one of John Williams' most impressive masterpieces, despite the tepid criticism of the score that you will likely see from even the most veteran film score reviewers. With Jurassic Park, Williams was given an opportunity to merge nearly every one of his dominant composition styles of the early 1990's (a fantastic era for the composer, by all accounts) into one score. And in the process of rolling all of these styles in to Jurassic Park, he managed to create a score with a magically cohesive core that is extremely potent in the film itself. Among the styles that fans of Williams enjoy in Jurassic Park are, first and foremost, the bold themes, with the primary identity of the island split into two separate ones (more on that later). The multitude of themes that receive full performances in Jurassic Park will remind collectors of Far and Away, while the broad spectrum of emotions covered in those themes, especially in their sensitivity, will recall the sadness of Hook. Varied electronic rhythms, sometimes brutal in execution, thump their way from the suspense of JFK. Relentless orchestral rhythms, often led by intense chopping of the string section hail the glory of action cues all the way back to Raiders of the Lost Ark. Charming piano and light percussion solos, and their integration into an ever-increasing orchestral depth, relate back to E.T. and more recently raise the brightness of Home Alone. Williams only sparingly uses choral ensembles, though the employment of such a group in Jurassic Park is the icing on the cake, infusing the score with a delicious flavor that any fantasy film should be so lucky to have. Perhaps the most amazing aspect of Williams' ability to combine all of these elements into one score is the wide range of genres the music was required to travel across in the film. From fantasy to adventure, the horror to the child-like, Jurassic Park covers miles of territory musically, making Williams' achievement all the more impressive in the film and interesting on album. Loyalty to the development of his themes is critical in Jurassic Park, for Williams' collaboration with Spielberg would lead to projects with fabulous, but fractured themes (A.I.) or no dominant thematic presence whatsoever (Minority Report, War of the Worlds). There are few blocks of 30 seconds in Jurassic Park when Williams is not developing (or combining) his multitude of themes, providing the film with easy identification and causing a fluid listening experience on album. In a somewhat irregular (but in this case understandable) move, Williams graces Jurassic Park with two primary themes. Their purposes are obviously different: a bold and layered brass romp, aided by crashing cymbals and rolling timpani, introduce the audience to the island near the outset of the film, and continues to define the adventure associated with the park. Conversely, Williams wrote what is technically "the theme" for the film in the form of a romantic string and choral piece that remains as noble a fantasy theme as any Williams has ever created. It's interesting to note that Williams would return more heavily to the bolder brass theme in The Lost World, thus attaching its identity with the concept of the dinosaurs' return and placing the string and choir theme from Jurassic Park as the identity of the particular island in the first story. Viewers of the film are introduced to the "panic theme" relatively early in the film; in the latter half of "Incident at Isla Nublar," after a nasty little accident with a raptor, Williams presents the rolling woodwind panic theme, often performed in the depths of the section. It rises through the clarinets and is eventually aided by strings in both that cue and at the outset of "High-Wire Stunts," where it builds to a phenomenal, full-ensemble crescendo of horror. As a churning resident of the lower ranges of the ensemble, this panic theme is not only extremely effective in achieving an ominous emotional response, but also remains harmonious enough to enjoy apart from the visuals. The music for the dreaded raptors would fit any predator, taking the rhythmic movement of the ensemble even lower. A highly mechanical four-note theme performed by harsh brass tones is a perfect identity for the equally mechanical killers, and it is malleable enough to be used as a foreshadowing devise (as partially heard, for instance, in the opening titles). While the raptor's theme is an extremely effective device, it's a tougher pill to swallow in album, and one of Williams' rare oversights in the score is the lack of this theme's foreshadowing in "Hatching Baby Raptor." Several subthemes prevail throughout the score, often contributing impressive, individual tracks that stand out on the album. Often enjoyed by collectors are the lush string layers in "My Friend, The Brachiosaurus," a cue that treats the non-threatening dinosaurs with the wondrous and imaginative innocence from a child's perspective (significant parallels can be drawn between this cue and similar ones from Hook). Another cue slight on the volume is "Remembering Petticoat Lane," a music box piece for the lamentation of the park's creator as all goes to hell. While this cue is a significant departure from the overarching style of Jurassic Park, mirroring the more ethereal emotions of Always, Williams uses the same general instrumentation to represent a calming influence on the story's two children in "A Tree for My Bed" (this time returning to the film's primary string theme for structure). For the film's bumbling conspirator, Dennis, we hear a return (with no surprise) to the electronic bass rhythms of JFK, including the rambling piano motifs and tinkling percussion identical to the previous score. Several other partial structures exist throughout Jurassic Park, with a noteworthy amount of them featuring some sort of four-note construct; it's not known if this is intentional by Williams, but it's definitely a trend in the score's themes to be considered. As expected, the "panic" and raptor themes do eventually draw closer to one another, with the churning bass of the raptor theme adopting the panic theme's structure by the final cues of the film. Even the brass that perform the raptor theme merge finally with the panic theme at 2:20 in "T-Rex Rescue," appropriately erasing their distinctions. The arrangements of the two primary themes remain rooted in mostly concert suite-based form, and therefore don't mingle in any great volume during the rest of the score. Their variations on album are even more generous than those in the film, with multiple mixes of both themes available separately, and two cues combining them for use in the film. The presentation of those two primary themes on album can be confusing to those not familiar with the film. Their two combined performances are both heard in the film: "Journey to the Island" is exactly that, and features easily the most robust performances of both themes. The "Welcome to Jurassic Park" cue is actually the end titles, employing Williams' trademark use of piano to introduce the theme in the credits before providing the string-based fantasy theme with its only significant brass treatment. Unfortunately, the following performance of that fantasy theme by the strings is lacking the necessary choral presence in the end credits, an unfortunate event more than likely meant to make the cue accessible for concert performances. The album cuts of "Theme from Jurassic Park" and "End Credits" are edits and mixes heard in other cues (from the journey and end titles cues, respectively). The album has been significantly rearranged from film order, though to its credit it does include a sampling of every major idea from the score despite missing significant material. Before leaving Jurassic Park, however, there are individual aspects of the score that help give it the personality it has maintained through the years, apart from the major topics discussed above. First, the opening titles are treated to an electronically-distorted thump of a Japanese drum, an unmistakable way to start the score. Also used in that cue is sakauhachi flute, a staple of James Horner's career that also flutters and blasts with an eerie, wet (echoing) sound during Dennis' attempted escape. The use of electronics and low male choir in the short opening titles and "Incident at Isla Nublar" are rare in their combined employment by Williams in his career. The native drum rhythm of "Jurassic Park Gate," aided by harp (of all things), sets a perfect mood for entry into the park. The last 30 monumental seconds of "Finale" stand among Williams' most satisfying closing statements. Finally, of course, Williams slips in a faint brass inclusion of the raptor's theme at the end of the titles (and concert suite) to leave the door open for the inevitable sequel. Overall, Jurassic Park remains a crossover score that connects the high-flying fantasy of Williams' early 1980's efforts with the more complex rhythms, instrumentation, and density of his 1990's scores. Despite whatever cynicism you may read from other film score critics regarding Jurassic Park, some of whom may have been soured by the less effective use of the same themes in the two sequels, this score is as enjoyable as Hook and Far and Away, and is even more technically ingenious. Kudos need to go to the recording team for Jurassic Park; rarely is a score with so many instrumental layers mixed with such attention to detail. The mixture of wet and dry elements is well handled, especially in a multifaceted cue like "Dennis Steals the Embryo." The choral mix in Jurassic Park is also outstanding; on occasion, Williams uses it as a subtle background element in such a way that you don't really notice its presence. Such is the case in "Journey to the Island," a cue in which you don't outwardly notice their contribution until they majestically alternate to a counterpoint line at 6:45 (the same applies to the second track mix on the album). In the years following Jurassic Park, Williams began moving away from the unashamed enthusiasm of full-blown fantasy scores, with an absence of new material in 1994 leading to four underachieving or decidedly darker scores before returning with Spielberg to score The Lost World in 1997. Unlike many of Williams' impressive works for sequels, and despite many outstanding qualities of his music for The Lost World, he wouldn't quite capture the same abundance of energy (either in writing or in performance) that we hear in Jurassic Park. The third film in the franchise was scored by Don Davis, making use of Williams' themes but presenting only average material surrounding those ideas. Whether overshadowed by Schindler's List or not, Jurassic Park is one of Williams' very best action scores, and no collection of the maestro's works would be complete without it. ***** Track Listings:
Total Time: 70:20
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