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Orchestrated by:
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Mark McKenzie
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Release Date:
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June 4th, 2002
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Availability:
Regular U.S. release.
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Filmtracks Editorial Review:
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The Sum of All Fears: (Jerry Goldsmith) The series of Tom Clancy's Jack
Ryan stories continues on the big screen in 2002, spanning 12 years, three
different actors as Ryan, and three different composers writing his themes.
While Basil Poledouris' The Hunt for Red October remains a popular score
to this day, James Horner's two sequel follow-ups, Patriot Games and
Clear and Present Danger, are both footnotes in his own flourishing
career and forgotten by most mainstream fans. For The Sum of All Fears,
some fresh veteran blood in the composer's chair accompanies a complete turnover
of cast. While the actor portraying Ryan has gone from young to old to young
again in those 12 years, the franchise turned to the most veteran of urban
action masters, Jerry Goldsmith, to spice up the mix with a powerful and
ethnically charged action piece. Goldsmith's output in the last three years,
since his magnificent 1998-1999 stretch, had slowed to a crawl. His scores had
been functional at best, lacking in much of the spirit that has distinguished
his long career. He had also been the victim of being associated with some very
underperforming films during that time. In these regards, therefore, his work
for The Sum of All Fears marks a welcomed return for Goldsmith to the
mainstream blockbuster scene-- a scene which seems to bring out the best in him.
In addition to the quality of the score itself, The Sum of All Fears is a
project that will gain Goldsmith more recognition than his usual efforts because
of the songs. On first glance at the album, a fan of the composer who sees all
the songs might be immediately disgruntled. But if you have seen the film or
heard the album, you'll note that Goldsmith himself was responsible for many of
the songs. The title song, "If We Could Remember," is a vocal interpretation of
the Goldsmith theme for the film, and serves the topic of innocence and
rememberence well. In the film, this song is heard at the end, although
identical versions of it bracket the album (likely since the performer, platinum
artist Yolanda Adams, is an Elektra partner and the label is pushing her as much
as they possibly can). It's a decent song --nothing to hear at awards time, but
certainly no disgrace to the film or album either. The second track on the album
is the opening to the film, even though it is listed as a song. It's the piece
that even non-score fans are talking about, if only for its solemn beauty and
operatic interpretation of a Middle Eastern theme. As in many past scores for
Goldsmith, this is yet another new experiment for the composer, and judging from
the reactions of fans around the country, it is enormously popular. The somber
choral progressions continue for three tracks into the album, building a tension
that symbolizes the dramatic terror of the plot very well. The score's strongest
points in both the film and album occur in the first half, with the underscore
becoming more like Goldsmith's stock action music from the 1990's as it plays.
The majority of underscore, with its well balanced combination of symphonic and
electronic elements, is similar in style to The 13th Warrior and Star
Trek: Insurrection, with instrumentation from the former and electronics
from the latter. This is, at the least, a compliment towards Goldsmith's
achievement in The Sum of All Fears. It contains less brassy, bombastic
action than a score such as, for instance, Executive Decision, but its
intensity is not dimished in any way.
It has been mentioned by some that the score, and more likely the song, is a
continuation of the effort by Goldsmith to pay tribute to the victims of
September 11th, 2001. He accomplished this in his score for The Last
Castle, though it wouldn't be surprising if Goldsmith took an active role in
the production of the title song for the film as an extension of that tribute.
As a whole, The Sum of All Fears is a much more varied and experimental
effort than anything else that Goldsmith has produced recently, and the infusion
of a fresh sound has helped revive a career just in time for fans to behold yet
another Star Trek score from the master later this year. The album for
The Sum of All Fears, which includes remarkable sound quality for the
orchestral cues, is also generous in its inclusion of all the material that was
featured prominently in the film. The insertion of an extra copy of the same
song at the start of the album was completely unnecessary. Goldsmith, as he did
in The River Wild, mixed the orchestra right into the beginning and end
of the songs which he produced. That flow is superb at the end of the album in
particular, and makes the inclusion of the same song at the start of the album
superfluous. Without the songs, there is only roughly 35 minutes of score
material presented on this album, but for Goldsmith fans, it will be well worth
the price-- if not only for the music in its own context, then for the
opportunity to hear the composer return to his strengths. Goldsmith's health has
not been in perfect order over these past few years of dimished activity, but
the level of composition in The Sum of All Fears shows us that Goldsmith
doesn't intend to allow his career to quietly fade away. An overall pleasure to
hear on screen and album. ****
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Viewer Ratings and Comments:
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• 1. If We Could Remember - Yolanda Adams (3:33)
• 2. The Mission - Shana Blake Hill (6:00)
• 3. The Bomb (2:59)
• 4. That Went Well (2:48)
• 5. Clear the Stadium (1:36)
• 6. If We Get Through This - Tabitha Fair (3:40)
• 7. The Deal (2:38)
• 8. Changes (2:30)
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• 9. Snap Count (2:16)
• 10. His Name is Olson (1:55)
• 11. Nessun Dorma from Turandot - Bruce Sledge (3:02)
• 12. Deserted Lab (1:55)
• 13. Real Time (2:54)
• 14. How Close? (6:09)
• 15. The Same Air (2:01)
• 16. If We Could Remember (Reprise) - Yolanda Adams (3:34)
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Insert notes contain extensive credits,
but no extra information about the film or the making of the score.
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