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Filmtracks Recommends:
Buy it... if you seek 5+ minutes of fine orchestral adaptation of the famous Bryan Adams song for the film, or enjoyed one of the many local performances of the score's overture. Avoid it... if you expect the whole of Michael Kamen's music to soar with any sense of swashbuckling spirit or, quite frankly, if you expect a decent performance and recording mix. Filmtracks Editorial Review:
Interestingly, however, aside from the song and the packaged suite of music from the score, the remainder of Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves on album exposes a score that badly underachieves. Kamen's concepts for the film were fine; in fact, his primary themes are quite good at compensating for the lack of energy in the performances on screen. The bold fanfare that opens the "Overture" extends into the ranks of the rolling title theme, provided faithfully by Kamen for moments of Robin's heroic actions. The incorporation of the song's tune into the score as Maid Marian's representation makes for two very easy and enjoyable string and woodwind-led performances in "Maid Marian" and "Marian at the Waterfall." The latter features heavier string textures that highlight the drama of the relationship in the film. Bouncy rhythms for the Merrie Men in "Little John and the Band in the Forest" are more appropriate for the Mel Brooks Robin Hood: Men in Tights, prancing with too much comedy for this context. Woodwind solos in "Sir Guy of Gisborne" are understated and bland. There exists no theme for the Sheriff, with the cue "The Sheriff and his Witch" resorting to underdeveloped groaning and whining string textures. Several missed opportunities in the score are topped by "Training," which fails to muster any vitality or sense of rebellion. Action sequences in "A Prisoner of the Crusades" and "The Abduction and the Final Battle at the Gallows" are general recapitulations of the overture, though Kamen does provide a very strong structure to his themes in the last minute of the score and film. Ultimately, the score has a few highlights, but it seems rushed and fails, outside of a glockenspiel, to provide any interesting instrumental colors. The performance by "The Greater Los Angeles Orchestra" is punctuated by several heinous errors in the brass section, and the ensemble is muddied by an extremely dull recording mix. It cannot compete at any level with the vitality of Willow or John Debney's later Cutthroat Island. The Adams song (with a slightly different mix here as opposed to the single release for radio distribution) truly is the highlight of the endeavor, and Kamen and Adams would team up again to inspire a far more enjoyable score (and another good song) for Don Juan DeMarco a few years later. ***
(track times not listed on packaging)
The insert includes a general note about the score and song from two of the producers/writers of the film. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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