Filmtracks Recommends:
Buy it... on the comprehensive 2007 set with all four of Bill Conti's scores for the popular franchise if you are a devoted enthusiast of either the films or Conti's distinctive blend of symphonic and contemporary tones typical to the era. Avoid it... if you expect the ethnic influence on these scores to shake the stylistic habits and overarching tone that equally define the composer's Rocky scores as dated and repetitious. Filmtracks Editorial Review:
The Karate Kid: (Bill Conti) A pop culture icon of the 1980's, the The Karate Kid franchise was among the more original ideas to come from Hollywood. The first two films in the original trilogy (debuting in 1984 and 1986) were fiscal blockbusters and ushered in a new wave of interest in youth martial arts and, more curiously, bonsai trees. The original story's premise spoke to shy and alienated youth by conveying a message of discipline and restraint, all the while dancing through an obstacle course of mainstream stereotypes of the decade dealing with teenage romance, bullying, and culture clashes. A New Jersey boy is transplanted to Southern California with his single mother and immediately becomes the target for hassling from macho brats who belong to a local martial arts training group. He happens across an aging master of the arts who not only trains the young man in how to cope with his adversaries, but also serves as an important father figure. The boy's eventual triumph in competition is a crowd pleaser of the highest order, and every youngster's hope to achieve such heights cemented the character of Mr. Miyagi (and actor Pat Morita, who earned an Oscar nomination for his role in the film) as an instant favorite, a circumstance that did not go unexploited by marketers of toys and novelty items. While the 1986 sequel was also highly regarded, the third film in 1989 is largely considered a failure and a 1994 spin-off with Hilary Swank as "the next karate kid" was an embarrassment. It would take until a reboot of the franchise in 2010 for the concept to be touched again without fear of ridicule. The first three The Karate Kid films were directed by John Avildsen, whose partnership with composer Bill Conti was unquestioned in its loyalty, especially considering the success of their collaboration for the original Rocky. Conti, like Morita, was a vital source of identity for the franchise, his music maintaining the same thematic constructs and instrumental style throughout all four of the original films. Anyone not pleased with Conti's habit of extremely basic repetition of franchise ideas in his Rocky scores can rest assured that the The Karate Kid scores at least feature a better evolutionary flow. Still, the music for the 1984 original, highly regarded in its whole because of a few remarkable, singular cues in the film, is perhaps one the decade's more overrated scores. As Conti has stated, his work for the franchise of The Karate Kid is not rooted in research of Oriental musical culture. Instead, Conti chose to do as his has always has, accompanying his comfortable personal style of writing with a touch of the stereotypical elements of a region. In the case of The Karate Kid, this translated into a standard Conti ensemble with a pan flute and, to a lesser extent, taiko drums, to represent Miyagi's teachings. The composer had always been a fan of pan flutes, hiring renown performer Gheorghe Zamfir for the first and third scores in the series. The lovely lower tones of the instrument are betrayed by Conti's insistence upon forcing it into its higher ranges; by the time it starts sounding like a penny whistle, you'll be covering your ears. Outside of that flavor, The Karate Kid pretty much adheres to the typical Conti sound. A relatively small orchestral presence makes itself felt in the score's three or four highlights, while a very restrained and almost somber atmosphere accompanies the pan flute theme during its extensive exploration in the score. Most notable for Conti enthusiasts is his application of elements from his Rocky scores, starting with his pop-infused material for the conflicts at the start of the film and extending to his usual string fugues for moments of advancement later in the picture. Also utilized are light romance tones for watery keyboards ("Decorate the Gym" and "The Kiss") that are anonymous in the mass of such material to exist for contemporary interaction at the time. Thematically, Conti introduces a wealth of ideas but rarely develops them with any significant depth, a problem that inhibits this score severely. The only really obvious identity is the nine-note figure heard on plucked strings and pan flute for Miyagi. It's a nimble little theme, first expressed in "Bonsai Tree," though Conti saturates the mid-section of the score so thoroughly with the idea that it becomes tiresome after the tenth identical performance. More redemptive is the victory theme foreshadowed in "Main Title" and orchestrally robust in "Daniel's Moment of Truth." A hip series of two notes in the bass region represent the bad boys of the tale, heard on Conti's grating synthesizers, electric guitars, and badly dated drum pads from "Fite Nite" to "Dan Ducks Out." The trademark Conti fugue in "Daniel Sees the Bird" is obnoxiously reminiscent of the Rocky scores, though the same classical inclinations produce a highlight of the score late in "Training Hard." The saving graces for The Karate Kid on album are the opening and closing tracks, both conveying ambitious orchestral harmony and rhythmic propulsion that isn't really referenced in most of the score in between. The "Main Title" features a lovely string capitulation of the victory theme before transitioning into something of an homage to Jerry Goldsmith's upbeat Western style of the 1970's (complete with woodblock effects and traditional woodwinds over broad strings and brass). There is no doubt that this cue is the highlight of the score, begging only for a larger ensemble for the performance. The final cue recaptures some of that appeal, though packaged more like the climaxes of the fight scenes in Rocky. With the exception of these five minutes of outstanding material, The Karate Kid remains otherwise overrated, a victim of both its age and Conti's lack of cross-pollination of ideas to give the score truly convincing development to mirror the multi-dimensional growth of the story's protagonist. Still, it remains a favorite for those enraptured by the concept and immune to the seriously dated tones of Conti's pop-influenced side, and for these collectors, the four scores for The Karate Kid movies were never treated properly on album. The only available music commercially released for the first film included some of Conti's source songs for the film, completely omitting the score. Bootlegs of the score had existed since 1999, offering substandard presentations partnered with The Right Stuff. In 2007, Varèse Sarabande included all four of Conti's scores in a Club-limited box set of 2,500 copies that not surprisingly sold out and has commanded significant prices since ($200+). For Conti and concept enthusiasts, it's a glorious product with satisfying sound quality, though if you define yourself as belonging to a generation younger than that franchise's original lifespan, then be careful when considering the hype that its loyal fans perpetuate. If you're looking for symphonic performances of more robust stature and less repetition of the pan flute theme, seek the set for The Karate Kid, Part II (despite its cheesy synthetic rendering of the flute). Varèse re-released the set's material from The Karate Kid on a standalone CD Club title of 2,000 copies in 2010 to meet continued demand. For the 2010 reboot, the franchise originally went to the Hans Zimmer clone factory before asking James Horner for a replacement score. It makes one wonder if Conti, who was still composing at the time of its production, was ever called, because regardless of your opinion of these original scores, his return to the concept would have been a pleasure to hear. *** Track Listings (All Albums):
Total Time: 35:24
(only the first CD in the 2007 set contains music from The Karate Kid) All artwork and sound clips from The Karate Kid are Copyright © 2007, 2010, Varèse Sarabande, Varèse Sarabande. 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 6/14/10, updated 12/29/10. Review Version 4.1 - PHP (Filmtracks Publications). Copyright © 2010-2013, Christian Clemmensen. All rights reserved. |
2007 Varèse