Filmtracks Recommends:
Buy it... if you're tired of the formula scores of the Star Trek film franchise and want a truly unique sound that matches the menacing tone of the film's story. Avoid it... on the commercial album if you seek the roughly ten minutes of material in the film that was omitted from that product (as well as a wealth of alternative recording session takes that are also intriguing). Filmtracks Editorial Review:
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country: (Cliff Eidelman) The final installment starring the original Star Trek crew represented the pinnacle for the series of feature films following the adventures of the Enterprise. With the franchise reborn on television and the fate of the films in serious doubt (after the horrendous fifth film in 1989), director Nicholas Meyer, who had been responsible for the success of Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan in 1982 (and, to a lesser extent, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home in 1986), returned to the series for one final, grand exit. His concern was that the series had repeated too many of the same cliches and motifs over the past few films, causing audiences to lose interest in a series that was essentially beating a dead horse. The plot of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country is a refreshing display of everything that makes a sci-fi film great: a poetic story, a rousing villain, a frightening new technology, and a crew of heroes fighting as underdogs because of their aging status in a bright new future. Meyer decided that the film should be an ominous tale of betrayal, death, capture, ancient hatred, cloaked deception, and, of course, destruction on a planetary scale. Because these elements deviated from the more light-hearted and "formula-bound" films previously made, he decided to make a dramatic decision about the film's score. Meyer opted to use a more classical approach: Gustav Holst's "The Planets" suite. The licensing fees for this music, though, proved extraordinary on the level that was required to manipulate the suite for use in an entire feature film. Disgruntled by the price, Meyer turned to the concept of using a regular composer for the job. Despite Jerry Goldsmith's success with the previous film (perhaps the only positive part of that production), Meyer insisted on a fresh new sound for Star Trek VI. He maintained that the success of the franchise depended on its own reinvention for each entry, and that philosophy carried over to the music. He wasn't afraid of giving a young, new composer a chance; after all, this was the same man who handed a little-known upstart named James Horner the opportunity to score Star Trek II (though Horner's success had eliminated him as a possibility in 1991, too). Having rejected demo tapes from many possible composers, Meyer discovered Cliff Eidelman. More than any other, Eidelman had captured the darker essence that the film needed, and before he had even been hired for the position, Eidelman produced a synthesized demo of the main title sequence. With the blessing of producer Leonard Nimoy, who was still being criticized for his handling of the score for Star Trek IV, the excited Eidelman was given the job. The young composer, recently graduated from school and with only a couple of impressive scores for arthouse films under his belt, impressed Meyer with his ability to not only use Stravinsky's "Firebird" as requested inspiration for the conspiracy theme in the film, but also exercise smart judgment on how to work his four major themes (along with a few carry-overs from previous scores) into subtle rhythmic and fragmentary statements throughout the film. There is no doubt that Star Trek VI is darker than all of its predecessors, with the vast majority of it rooted in the minor key and the darker themes dominating the film's "Overture." The lower ranges of the string section are the main attraction in the score, along with brooding brass tones, an excess of militaristic percussion, and a deep male chorus. The choral sound used to accentuate the warrior Klingon race is a natural and intriguing method of enhancing their masculinity while inserting some deeply rooted mystery into their intentions. There does exist some major key fanfare in Star Trek VI, restrained to the two positive themes in the film, but after a brief statement of this enthusiasm in the mandatory "Enterprise leaves dock" scene (some parts of the franchise simply have to be repeated, for the sake of nostalgia and awesome visual effects), the upbeat, major-key statements are mostly limited to the final minutes of the story. While it is no surprise that Meyer and Eidelman dumped all of Goldsmith's themes for the franchise (dropping the Courage fanfare was simply not possible, and it's used twice here), the most interesting aspect of the Star Trek VI score is Eidelman's use of one of Horner's themes from Star Trek II and Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. With the concept of Vulcan integrity playing an important role in the conspiracy of this film, hearing Horner's Vulcan theme is nothing less than intriguing. For the purposes of this review, the track titles and times referenced will refer to the complete score, which doesn't suffer from the severe edits heard on MCA's commercial album. Eidelman's four major new themes accompany the two favorites from the past. Two of the four are intensely dramatic in their sense of doom, either serving to foreshadow a destiny of war or suggest imminent peril. No theme in the history of the franchise has been as effective at this task as the conspiracy theme. Often mislabeled as a straight representation of the Klingons in Star Trek VI, the conspiracy theme actually applies to the larger political implications of what the film's tagline described as "the battle for peace." It uses a repeating six-note progression on low strings that follows the plot to undermine the peace process between the Federation and Klingon Empire. By association, it also represents General Chang (Christopher Plummer) and his newly enhanced "bird of prey" that can launch torpedoes while cloaked. More interesting about this theme is the fact that the rhythm is only half of its functional whole. On top of this rolling rhythm is the actual theme, ascending in progression as if to balance the tumultuous forces of evil with an expression of hope. The fact that this dual theme is the immediate opening act of the "Overture" is what immediately establishes Star Trek VI as an atypical film in the franchise. As the theme's rhythm gains steam, it is joined by pulsating brass, tapping snare, and chorus, with each bar of the theme adding another section of the orchestra until the intensity bursts with the kind of power necessary to clearly set the stakes. This theme returns again at 2:00 into "Arrival of Kronos One," as a (delightfully old-fashioned) Klingon battle cruiser arrives to rendezvous with the Enterprise and accompany it to the peace conference. It conveys a stronger sense of dread as the plot to undermine the peace process is executed at 1:10 into "Assassinations" and the battle cruiser threatens to retaliate at 1:00 into "Surrender for Peace." As the plan to be rid of Captain Kirk reaches fruition in "The Trial," the conspiracy theme, with pulsating brass, opens the cue. As the film shifts into its final battle sequence, the sight of the bird of prey cloaking to lie in wait is treated with a continuation of the conspiracy theme, heard at the outset of "The Battle for Peace (Part I)." As General Chang blows holes through the hull of the Enterprise, the theme reaches celebratory, orgasmic heights, transferred finally from strings to brass (in unison) at 3:00 into "The Battle for Peace (Part I)" and at 0:45 and 1:25 into "The Battle for Peace (Part II)." The theme's last gasp is heard with tapping snare at 0:30 into "The Battle for Peace (Part III)," punctuated at its start by a single toll of a chime. The theme reprises an abbreviated version of its "Overture" format at 3:15 into "End Credits." Less obvious in the larger picture is the actual Klingon theme that Eidelman provides for Star Trek VI. Abandoning the percussive rhythms and harsh brass tones of the themes that James Horner and Jerry Goldsmith had written for the species, Eidelman provides them with a more sinister, but surprisingly desperate identity. Like the conspiracy theme, the Klingon theme uses an underlying rhythm of forceful determination to strengthen an otherwise heroic harmonic progression over the top. As the story progresses and the distrust of the Klingons inherent in the audience is played upon by the script, the theme's darker, rhythmic half is heard more often in fragmentary statements. A frantic rendition of the theme is introduced at 2:10 into the "Overture," and a solo brass version helps easily identify the idea at 0:20 into "Guess Who's Coming." The "Surrender for Peace" cue uses the theme several times, starting at the 0:20 mark and becoming forceful in the cue's concluding 30 seconds. The electronically aided use of the theme at 4:30 into "Escape from Rura Penthe" reminds of the inevitable pursuers. A reprise of the full onslaught of the "Overture" performance exists in "The Battle for Peace (Part I)" at 2:25. The rhythm becomes split into partial performances throughout the remainder of the final battle cues. One last major statement follows suit at 5:10 into "End Credits." Compared to the conspiracy theme, the one for the Klingons plays more like an action sub-motif, which is why it's often undiscovered during casual browsing of the score's contents. To counterbalance the score's two overwhelmingly ominous themes, Eidelman writes two positive ideas for Star Trek VI. One of them, of course, represents the Enterprise, a requirement of any score in the franchise. Four separate permutations of this theme exist in "Clear All Moorings," ranging from the solo trumpet performance at 0:10 to the massive ensemble expression at 0:55. This theme is not heard from again until "Dining on Ashes," in which two far less spirited brass solos carry the melody. It's not until the opening of "Finale" (and a redemptive string variation at 1:20), as well as the opening and closing of "End Credits," that listeners enjoy this theme again. In comparison to other composers' representations of the famed vessel, Eidelman's is only average, largely swallowed up by the score's other themes. Even the second positive theme for Star Trek VI comes with a caveat. On the surface, this theme could be assumed to represent the crew, since its most vibrant and obvious performance comes over the signature-writing finale of the picture. But the theme more likely represents the concept of peace, and the elusive road that this story takes to achieve it. This peace theme only receives four significant performances in Star Trek VI, and two of them are ironically translated into the minor key to aid in the expression of dread that permeates the "Overture" (1:05) and "End Credits" (4:10). It's much easier to appreciate the theme in its fully heroic incarnation, reminiscent of James Horner's expansive theme for the crew. The lovely ensemble performances at 2:20 into "Finale/Sign Off" and 0:35 into "End Credits" are obviously meant to send off the original cast in the best of light. The minor-key variants of the theme that help bookend the film are so very well translated into darkness that they're not readily obvious. It's one of the more intelligent, though likely unnoticed aspects of the score. Two lesser ideas that Eidelman uses in the score include a three-note suspense motif (often in pairs), heard first at 2:35 into "Arrival of Kronos One" and used frequently thereafter. It's used as counterpoint to the ambassador motif, which is a surprisingly uplifting and hopeful rhythmic idea heard at 1:15 into "Death of Gorkon" and 1:25 into "The Battle for Peace (Part I)." Two themes in Star Trek VI carry over from previous entries in the franchise, one of which fully expected and the other a total surprise. The first is Alexander Courage's fanfare from the television show, performed by solo horn at 0:40 into "Clear All Moorings" and at 0:55 into "Finale." The two varied brass performances backed by the full ensemble in "Sign Off" (at 2:10 and 3:50) are rowdy and satisfying. The first of these two is likely what Dennis McCarthy was trying to achieve in his finale for Star Trek: Generations, but he doesn't capture the same expansive scope or enthusiasm of this performance. The other theme heard throughout Star Trek VI is, strangely enough, James Horner's Vulcan theme from Star Trek II and Star Trek III. Horner used it as an interlude during his title performances in both scores, and while it only had a minimal impact in the cue "Spock" from Star Trek II, it is lovely in its extended exploration during "Returning to Vulcan" from Star Trek III. You first hear this theme in the form of a glass bowl effect during the first two conversational minutes of "Arrival of Kronos One." It is given its only truly beautiful performance during the narrative at 3:30 into "Escape from Rura Penthe," accompanying the vista shot of Kirk and McCoy's snowy escape attempt (and this usage likely refers to Spock's ability to track them once beyond a protective shield). A reprise of the first treatment of the theme returns at 0:25 in "The Battle for Peace (Part I)." It closes the philosophical "The Undiscovered Country" with an eerie fragment. Eidelman pays one last treatment to Horner's work with another lengthy series of statements starting at 1:15 into "End Credits," first with solo woodwinds and eventually extending to a full string rendition. Other minor motifs reminiscent of previous entries exist, including one for the penal colony of Rura Penthe, but their usage is typically restrained to a single scene (or cluster of consecutive scenes). The score, as a whole, is remarkably rooted in the depths of despair, except for those four or so cues that feature the two positive themes. Never has Star Trek sounded so morbidly dramatic, and that dedicated sound in most of its themes has to be strongly commended. One of the less heralded aspects of Star Trek VI is Eidelman's effort to compliment the orchestra with a variety of specialty instruments, including a collection of synthetic effects. The otherworldly tones of the Vulcan theme in "Arrival of Kronos One" are carried over to several suspenseful scenes later in the film (though never so obvious until "The Undiscovered Country"). The eclectic selection of non-Western instruments contributed in part by orchestrators Mark McKenzie and William Kidd offer the Klingons and the penal colony of Rura Penthe a distinctly foreign sound without resorting to the same simplistic drum-banging used by the other composers in the franchise. Hinted at in "Assassinations" and assisting in the moment of panic in "Surrender for Peace," the exotic woodwinds are an integral part of the score's tone. Eidelman inserts them at seemingly illogical points in the story, but they work brilliantly every time. No matter what slight electronic accompaniment he uses (especially in "Escape from Rura Penthe," which offers several outstanding textures), he manages to augment the orchestra without drawing any distracting attention to the specialty accents. The score remains dominated by the orchestra's standard instruments of the lower registers, and only at moments like that at 4:30 into "Escape from Rura Penthe" does Eidelman skirt into the synthetic territory of Jerry Goldsmith. Ultimately, Eidelman's use of strong ensemble hits, often given a sharp edge by the snare, is what remains most memorable about this score. The opening strikes of "Guess Who's Coming" and "The Battle for Peace (Part III)" are extremely memorable in the film, as are the strident rhythms of relentlessly continuous hits during the height of the final battle sequence. It's a score defined not by its theme, but by its rhythms. The perpetual sense of churning movement is invaluable to the film's strong pacing, even in instances such as the end of "Arrival of Kronos One," when various rhythms that typically accompany themes are expressed in solitary fragments. Meyer was insistent that Eidelman "got it" when it came to the kind of propulsive music he wanted for the film, and the finished product is clear evidence of this claim. While conventional film score collectors and fans of franchise tend to hold the Horner and Goldsmith scores close to their hearts, it's difficult to discount Eidelman's contribution to the franchise. In many ways, Star Trek VI was the best score of the film franchise since Goldsmith's opener in 1979, if only because it so perfectly matched and enhanced the mood of the film. It's a truly singular entry, which is precisely why it is both loved and shunned by collectors. The film was the first in the franchise to really utilize digital/surround sound effects to extraordinary levels (the film is truly the only one with the full original cast that you can appreciate on a surround system), and Eidelman's music contributes greatly to the soundscape. On album, his score doesn't offer the same resounding sense of ambience that Goldsmith's later entries do, but that is not as much a comment on the ensemble size as it is on the mix of the recording. This is one of those scores that definitely benefits from the addition of some reverberation for those listeners with the software to do so. Otherwise, there have been several suites of music from the film (usually staying somewhat close to the "End Credits" format that is heard in it) performed quite well by various ensembles around the world and pressed onto disc. The original MCA release of 1991 seemed intent on squeezing as much of the score into 45 minutes as possible, and the resulting presentation suffers from several edits and combinations of separately recorded cues. For the most part, all of the important pieces were edited onto that album, though there is far better material than "An Incident" and the second half of "Revealed" to be included from the overall work. With the commercial album eventually going out of print, fans of the franchise sought out the expanded score in bootleg form and, in the 2000's, were treated to a leaking of recording sessions that not only provided almost the entire score but also contained interesting alternative versions of several major cues. In its complete length during the film, Eidelman's score for Star Trek VI runs about ten minutes longer than the original album. Most of the benefit to hearing the bootlegged session recordings relates to the natural separation of each cue. Of the material heard in the film but not included on the commercial album, much of it consists of incidental meanderings on low strings. Both the noble tone of "Spacedock" and the slightly menacing tone of "The Sentencing" are really uneventful. Both "Morally Unjust Evidence" and "Finding a Clue" are underwhelming low brass explorations of what was better expressed in "Surrender for Peace." The "The Mind Meld" cue is as uninteresting here as it was in Horner's second Star Trek film score. Two hand-to-hand combat cues are far more intriguing, including the primordial drum rhythm of "Alien Fight" and the Goldsmith-like, staggered rhythm of "Kirk Versus Kirk." Four cues that really should have been included on the original album include "Guess Who's Coming" (the most obvious omission from the MCA product), the second half of "Death of Gorkon" (with the ambassador motif), the subsequent "The Trial," which offers another enticing performance of the conspiracy theme much like that heard in "Overture," and "The Undiscovered Country," a thoughtful moment of reflection. Otherwise, you do hear small snippets at the ends of cues, such as "Arrival of Kronos One" that were chopped off of the MCA album for time purposes (on the MCA album, you'll recall that this cue was merged with "Assassination"). Three film versions are included on the bootleg, including the choir-less "Assassination" (a poor decision by Meyer?), a more percussive version of "Rura Penthe (Part I)," and the performance of "The Battle for Peace (Part III)" that halts during the bird of prey's destruction (a good choice... let the sound effects alone accompany the cheers from the theatre audience). A softer ending in "Sign Off" (gorgeous!), slightly alternate takes on the first two "The Battle for Peace" cues, an inconsequential alternate excerpt of "Death of Gorkon," a more forceful and superior version of the middle part of "Revealed," and a slightly more robust interpretation of "Guess Who's Coming" are included. The bootleg is missing "The Search" (0:50 in length), which should come after "Finding a Clue," but the 69-minute album is otherwise fantastic (with perfect sound quality). Overall, while Jerry Goldsmith has been immortalized as having brought the most, musically speaking, to the Star Trek franchise, Eidelman's score for Star Trek VI remains a unique powerhouse. Although the massive exposure led to some noteworthy, subsequent projects for Eidelman, he would never achieve the same notoriety in the decade. ***** Track Listings (1991 MCA Album):
Total Time: 45:16
Track Listings (2005 Bootleg):
Total Time: 69:05
(several different bootleg arrangements exist) All artwork and sound clips from Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country are Copyright © 1991, MCA Records, Bootleg. 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 12/13/96, updated 9/5/08. Review Version 4.1 - PHP (Filmtracks Publications). Copyright © 1996-2005, Christian Clemmensen. All rights reserved. |
1991 MCA