 |
|
|
|
|
 |
Composed, Orchestrated, and Conducted by:
|
Frederic Talgorn
|
Produced by:
|
Alan E Smith
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Availability:
Regular international release to soundtrack specialty outlets, and still
available at its original prices.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Sorry, there are no commercial ordering options for this title. However, you can
search for this title at the soundtrack specialty outlets listed on the Filmtracks Links Page. |
|
|
| |
|
|
![]() |
| |
|
Filmtracks Recommends:
Buy it... if you enjoy Frederic Talgorn's romantic style of
thematic development or the brassy fanfares that often accompanied the
larger-than-life robot genre.
Avoid it... if the cheese factor in these simplistic B-film scores
is just too great to overcome.
Filmtracks Editorial Review:
 |
| | Talgorn | |
|
Robotjox: (Frederic Talgorn) There was a time in
the 1980's when giant robots were the hottest thing around, and the
father/son team of Albert and Charles Band brought several movies about
them to the big screen. While many of these robot genre films were
animated at the time (The Transformers seemingly spurred them all
into production), advancements in film technology made live-action robot
films possible at the outset of the 1990's. One of the first was
Robotjox, directed by famed sci-fi, action, and horror master
Stuart Gordon. The concept of this plot was as ridiculous as any of the
other giant robot films that would follow. There always has to be some
far-fetched reason why there are huge robots fighting each other over
flaming ruins, and in the case of Robotjox, the story tells us
that 50 years after the nuclear holocaust, war has been outlawed and all
battles between the two superpowers (Soviets against Americans, of
course) are settled by huge robots in arena duels. One such giant robot
dual (all of which involving a guy controlling the machine from within)
involves the ownership of Alaska... so that should give you enough
information to make the proper judgment that Robotjox is an
intellectual wasteland. They even made one of the robots in the film
into a giant transformer capable of becoming a tank... how original!
Poor sets, clumsy stop motion robot effects, and other difficulties with
the low-budget renderings of the robots caused the film to be laughable,
especially compared to the giant robot films that would greatly improve
the effects as early as 1995. Movies like Robotjox were typically
plagued by cheap synthetic scores, and in reality, this film could have
been decently served by one as well. But Gordon's usual collaborator for
these projects was French composer Frederic Talgorn, and enough funding
in the budget was saved for him to conduct a rousing performance by the
Paris Philharmonic Orchestra.
It's truly sad to think that Robotjox is among
Talgorn's most accomplished compositions, for the film is so wretched.
But in his unfortunately sparse career in major film scoring,
Robotjox has moments that highlight that career. Talgorn's usual
strong development of thematic ideas is well utilized in rather
simplistic fashion in this film, perfect for the contrasting characters
and their underdeveloped dimensions. Three major themes exist, and all
are given spectacular treatment by the ensemble. Talgorn hits us
immediately with a heroic fanfare for brass over a sharp,
Western-inspired rhythm. Opening and closing the film with simplistic
masculine appeal, this theme is also used as the announcement piece for
the early duels in the film. A softer string theme is presented as an
interlude to this fanfare in the "Overture" and finale cue. A general
nod to the human side of the story, this romantic string theme with
noble brass counterpoint is the highlight of the score, and is given an
extended performance in "We Can Both Live" at the end of the film. A
third theme is presented for the Russian champion robot fighter, an
entertaining militaristic piece for brass culminating in "Space Battle"
and "Transformation." A dynamic performance by the Parisian ensemble is
mixed with an ambient wet sound that fits the larger-than-life subject
matter well. Detractions from the score exist in two significant doses,
however, and both involve Talgorn's use of synthesizers. He approached
the female fighter's character with synths in mind, both in a
conversational piece ("Achilles' Bedroom") and in her fighting fanfare
("Fanfare for Athena"). A source cue tacked on to "Fanfare for Athena"
("The Jock Strap Bar") is a highly annoying light 80's disco rock
deviation from the rest of the score. Due to money issues with the
studio, the film was delayed a few years and largely forgotten (its
title was even confused as "RoboJox" or "Robot Jox"). A score album was
pushed back to a 1993 release by Prometheus in Belgium, and while the
film bombed, the album is still readily available at soundtrack
specialty outlets. Talgorn collectors and fans of high brass action
should give it a second look. ****
 |
|
Viewer Ratings and Comments:
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
• 1. Overture (3:35)
• 2. Prologue/The Battlefield (2:44)
• 3. Achille's Bedroom (1:38)
• 4. "Open Her Up!" (1:14)
• 5. "Crash and Burn"/Achilles vs. Alexander (6:57)
• 6. Achilles Leaves (1:44)
• 7. Fanfare for Athena/The Jock Strap Bar (3:38)
• 8. "Hey Jock, Old Buddy" (2:01)
• 9. The Traitor (1:55)
• 10. Alexander's Four-Legged Robot (1:09)
• 11. "That Won't Work"/Achilles to the Rescue (2:47)
• 12. Space Battle (2:24)
• 13. Transformation (1:07)
• 14. The Final Confrontation (2:34)
• 15. "We Can Both Live!"/End Titles (4:28)
| |
|
The insert includes extensive information about the score and film.
|
