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Composed and Produced by:
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Mark Isham
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Orchestrated and Conducted by:
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Ken Kugler
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Release Date:
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October 24th, 2000
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Availability:
Regular U.S. release.
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Awards:
Grammy Award nominee for 'Best Film Soundtrack Album'
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Filmtracks Recommends:
Buy it... if you value Mark Isham's ability to deliver a great heart
into a large-scale, thematic, orchestral effort.
Avoid it... if you, for some reason, did not embrace Isham's
character-score style for A River Runs Through It or Fly Away
Home.
Filmtracks Editorial Review:
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Men of Honor: (Mark Isham) The historically accurate
story of an American Navy diver and his difficult and rebellious commanding
officer, Men of Honor was a reasonably successful venture of the year
2000. The true tale is an interesting one, a glimpse into the face of
adversity and discipline. With determination at heart, the story's central
character overcomes enormous pressures --from the job and from cultural
mores-- and becomes an acknowledged and accomplished enlisted leader in the
Navy. Composer Mark Isham was best known at the time (and still is) for his
light-footed scores for such pleasant projects as A River Runs Through
It, Fly Away Home, and At First Sight. After providing a
fan favorite score for October Sky the previous year, Isham dabbled
in greater depth with the action-drama genre with Rules of
Engagement. Despite the solo trumpet performances he is so well known
for, Rules of Engagement was a critical and popular disappointment
for Isham, and some critics questioned the composer's ability to score a
dramatic film that was driven by powerful action scenes. Indeed, Men of
Honor would require a significant number of action cues, and Isham would
need to shed the flat sound of his action music from the previous part of
the year in order to adequately parallel the Navy diver's determination to
succeed. Fortunately for the film and the composer's fans, Isham's score for
Men of Honor is a considerable triumph, and would net Isham part of a
Grammy Award nomination for "Best Film Soundtrack Album" that year.
Isham succeeds to a much greater extent in capturing the
military spirit in Men of Honor. Through the constant use of noble
brass, and an alternation between snare and timpani, Isham instills a
serious tone in the score. The tone becomes victorious in its thematic
expressions as the score progresses and the primary character realizes his
fears and aspirations. The title theme is more rambunctious and spirited
than many of Isham's more slowly melodic and pleasant themes. Several layers
of brass often perform simultaneously, producing an effect that leaves the
listener with the same feel-good sensation as James Horner's Apollo
13. A significant number of orchestral crescendos during the score allow
for an engaging and rewarding listening experience. A handful of
underscoring cues represent the true heart of the score, including the
authentic piano performance in "Gwen" and the solitary female vocal
performance in "Jo." The title theme is a coherent element in the entire
effort, drawing the score together in a nicely wrapped package on album. The
advertised highlight of the album is the original song "Win," by Brian
McKnight, a pop effort that does not entirely fit with the two following
songs. Both Motown entries from the classic era, the songs by The
Temptations and Marvin Gaye more accurately represent the era of the film.
The score, which is largely unrelated to any of the songs, is thankfully
presented for thirty minutes in a solid block on the album, and will be an
enjoyable, albeit short, listen for Isham collectors. Isham's ability to
create and maintain the title theme through cues of action and character
from the start to end will also make Men of Honor a score that is
easy for mainstream film score collectors to appreciate. It is a significant
improvement over the ill-fated Rules of Engagement earlier in the
year. ****
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Viewer Ratings and Comments:
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• 1. Win - Brian McKnight (4:11)
• 2. I Wish It Would Rain - The Temptations (2:52)
• 3. Say When - Marvin Gaye (2:38)
• 4. The Navy Diver (1:48)
• 5. A Son Never Forgets (3:27)
• 6. Bounce Dive (2:44)
• 7. Fouled! (4:55)
• 8. Gwen (2:45)
• 9. The Breath Holding Contest (2:57)
• 10. Jo (4:28)
• 11. Men of Honor (6:51)
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Insert includes no extra information about the score or film.
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