Filmtracks Recommends:
Buy it... if you are an avid "Prince Valiant" reader or a fan of campy adventure scores that remind you of the Golden Age of film music in their romantic heroism. Avoid it... if your ears are finely tuned to only accept real symphonic action music on a large scale, and you don't want to spend extra money to hear otherwise. Filmtracks Editorial Review:
Prince Valiant (Prinz Eisenherz) (1997): (David Bergeaud) Harold R. Foster's Arthurian comic strip has remained popular for more than half a century on paper, and the concept has inspired both live-action and animated adaptations onto the screen. The classic 1954 Twentieth Century Fox version, with an impressive cast and bloated budget, was for a long time the only Prince Valiant representation on film. The 1990's brought new life to the comic in the form of an animated series that became a staple of The Family Channel. As could be predicted, the renewed attention to the series caused more interest to rise for the prospect of another live-action film. In 1997, director Anthony Hickox, who had envisioned a "Valiant gone James Bond" kind of twist on the story but encountered understandable resistance, eventually produced in Germany a more traditional rendering of the tale (the fact that it couldn't be filmed in its appropriate venue is just one of the many problems with authenticity that exists here). With dialogue in English, the film was quick in production, short on money, and creative in its special effects solutions, and to nobody's surprise, it disappeared from attention without the fanfare due to the concept. The task was just as fluid for composer David Bergeaud. Known best for his work on the television shows "Earth 2" and "The Outer Limits," Bergeaud was originally challenged to produce a Prince Valiant score that melded traditional orchestral elements with modern rock instrumentation. Whether such a creation would have turned into a precursor for Edward Shearmur's Johnny English in 2003 will never be known, because as the production of Prince Valiant ultimately focused more on a straight, non-Bond portrayal of Valiant, Bergeaud eventually dropped the rock elements and rendered a solely orchestral and similarly synthesized score. Given the film's dramatic post-production edits (which would require six months of additional work from the composer), the score's mere existence in its current form serves as testimony to Bergeaud's effort to rearrange his music into a serviceable form. It may not have catapulted Bergeaud's career the way similarly undersized productions functioned for the likes of James Horner and others, but it is worthy of investigation for fans of the concept. Producing low budget scores often causes lesser-known composers to become masters of editing, layering, looping, and remastering. For Prince Valiant, Bergeaud worked with a string orchestra and several specialty instruments, including a harp, hurdy-gurdy, penny whistle, recorder, viola de gamba, hand organs, and an array of percussion. Also recorded separately were synthesized brass samples and keyboarding to provide additional depth. Recreating brass on a machine is a tricky prospect, because it often doesn't mesh well with the sound of live string ensembles. In this case, though, Bergeaud used an effective technique of re-recording all of these elements from speakers that were playing the sections of the orchestra as if the orchestra was actually positioned as such in his own studio. The result is a strong sounding and robust medieval action/adventure score with excellent reverberation and a somewhat realistic tone that may fool many listeners into believing that the score was recorded with 120 players. There are times when the composer reaches for the greatest grandeur of the Golden Age of film music, and during these moments of fanfare and action (as in "The Duel"), the sparse nature of the small ensemble can indeed be heard. Part of this flaw is caused by Bergeaud's consistent use of romantic, large-scale themes and harmony that indeed recalls the age of the original Fox production. A very pleasant score in its harmonious constructs, Bergeaud's work is strong in the heroic and driving force of its rhythms. The themes pay homage to some of the best, including Jerry Goldsmith's dreamy subtheme for Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (in progression only), but Bergeaud remains fresh enough in his approach to keep this score distinct. Woodwind solos offer some of the score's most enticing highlights, including "Back to Life." It is a fantastic example of a low budget success, proving that creativity and talent can defeat obscurity and the lack of a large performing group. On album, Prince Valiant was the initial release of Perseverance Records in early 2003 (after some legal wrangling), with a pressing limited to 1,000 copies in a promotional format. It sold out in late 2006 and became a rare find. The score is both a campy and epic tribute to Foster's comic creation, beckoning adventure enthusiasts who maintain a healthy collection of similar soundtracks from an age long ago. **** Track Listings:
Total Time: 41:56
All artwork and sound clips from Prince Valiant are Copyright © 2003, 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 3/25/03, updated 3/22/09. Review Version 4.1 - PHP (Filmtracks Publications). Copyright © 2003-2013, Christian Clemmensen. All rights reserved. |
