The previous entries in this series can be found below:
Part 1: https://www.filmtracks.com/scoreboard/forum.cgi?read=139461
Part 2: https://www.filmtracks.com/scoreboard/forum.cgi?read=139645
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Farewell to the King (1989)


Somehow there’s a bit of poetry in the fact that the team-up of writer/director John Milius and Poledouris opened the decade (kinda) with their collaboration of Conan the Barbarian and then would close the decade with this film. This would also be their fourth film together with only one more coming a few years later.


So, Farewell to the King is yet another film that is semi-forgotten now (though I’m sure one of y’all will pipe up with a “no it’s not!!” As you so often do…  ) that tells the tale of an American deserter (Nick Nolte) in World War II that escapes execution by the Japanese and flees into the forests of Borneo where he is taken in by a local tribe and becomes their god & king. Loosely based on the 1969 novel of the same name by French filmmaker Pierre Schoendoerffer and co-starring Nigel Havers, James Fox, Marilyn Tokuda and Frank McRae, Farewell… suffered the fate of so many of Milius’ films of being hacked up by the studio (this time Orion Pictures) and released in a form the director did not originally intended (Red Dawn and his last theatrical film Flight of the Intruder had the same fates). The film was released in early 1989 to mixed reviews and ultimately bombed at the box office, sadly intoning the beginning of the end to Milius’ theatrical filmmaking career.


On a far more positive note is the score by Poledouris that mixes his own stylistic sensibilities from Blue Lagoon and Flesh + Blood with John Barry romanticism and a smattering of ethnic instrumentation into an intoxicating final product. There’s about three or four themes that run throughout this, as far as I can gleam, with three being “absolute bangers” as some say. The trio I refer to are the primary theme (“Main Titles”), a secondary theme that’s essentially Poledouris ripping off John Barry… but I love it so ('Nigel’s Trip”) and finally a battle theme or “King theme” that seems plucked straight from Flesh + Blood (“Battle Montage”). There’s also a general ethnic theme or collection of motifs that appear throughout typically noted by the sudden appearance of gamelan percussion, shakuhachi flute (Robert’s favorite!) and panpipes which actually opens the score (“Prologue- The Trek”, first 30 seconds of “Main Titles”). Like the best of Poledouris, the composer both remains incredibly faithful to these ideas as well as intermingles them in fun ways. The end result is just glorious.


It’s scores like this (and one other in this trio) that I love doing these journeys for. Discovering a work that I’d been sleeping on for so long that’s actually a masterpiece. So yeah, everyone should drop what they’re doing and go listen to Farewell to the King. It’s brilliant and you won’t regret it, I promise.


SCORE:

5/5


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Lonesome Dove (1989)


While Farewell to the King was the masterpiece of ’89, it’s this epic Western miniseries that got all the recognition and praise. Based on the 1985 novel of the same name by Larry McMurtry, Lonesome Dove was a prestige miniseries from CBS that follows a group of cowboys as they attempt to herd cattle from the podunk town of Lonesome Dove to Montana with various issues and hardships along the way. Starring Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones along with a supporting cast of assorted character actors and rising stars (including a young Diane Lane), the series was a massive success and secured seven Emmy Awards in 1989. This is actually one of the rare times where I’ve watched the show/movie I’m covering on this journey and outside of a sluggish first episode, Lonesome Dove is indeed a very good Western, probably a solid 4/5 in my books.


As for Poledouris’ score, that’s a slightly tricky matter. The music as heard within the show is typically spot-on the it comes to backing the emotions onscreen with the rousing primary theme (“Theme from Lonesome Dove”) well used. That said, as a standalone listen Dove doesn’t soar like some of Poledouris’ best work. The album presentation is a sloppy mix of underscore and source tunes with several of the album “tracks” being various cues stitched together in a not-so-clean manner, the “theme from Lonesome Dove” track is a good example with the transition from the noble horn theme to the primary theme being quite janky. Also the limits of the ensemble used are far more evident on album than they are within the series itself, apparently a nagging issue with most of the composers work for TV in the decade (outside of Amerika). 


Thematically Dove is a solid enough work though don’t be surprised that it’s the two primary themes from the opening suite that will be all that sticks with you afterwards. Despite the critical and commercial acclaim this received (and still gets), Lonesome Dove is a frustrating effort from Poledouris that is best heard within the context of the show. That said, there’s a handful of tracks from the album that are worth adding to any Poledouris playlist namely the opening suite, “Night Mares” (hey, did Giacchino name these tracks?), “On the Trail” and the duo of “Captain Call’s Journey” & “Farewell Ladies/Finale”.


SCORE:


As heard in the series: 4/5

As heard on album: 3/5


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Quigley Down Under (1990)


Aka “that Tom Selleck Western with the funny name”.


A film that probably most people know simply by the title but have never seen, this is one of those “Aussie Westerns” where the tropes of the American genre are repurposed with a heavy dose of national trauma layered on top for added subtext. The plot follows Quigley (Selleck) who finds himself at odds with a land baron (a woefully underused, scene chewing Alan Rickman) who hired the gunslinger to help kill off the local aborigines. Co-starring the utterly gorgeous Laura San Giacomo (Sex, Lies and Videotape) as a slightly unhinged woman with a tragic past, the film was largely panned by critics upon release with hardly anyone apparently going to see it. That said, it’s a perfectly fine flick that’s chock full of Western tropes and is constantly on the verge of imploding thanks to conflicting tones… but somehow manages to come out alright.


Now Poledouris’ score, on the other hand, is an unequivocal success. Perfectly balancing the quirky tone with more intense dramatics, Poledouris walks that tightrope with expert skill delivering three fantastic Western tinged themes along the way. The primary theme deftly switches from playful to sweepingly majestic depending on orchestration (“Main Titles”) with a heavy influence form Elmer Bernstein and Aaron Copeland while the romance theme is both bittersweet and resilient (“Cora’s Story”) and the adventure/action theme is just a rollicking good time (0:50 in “Marsten’s Murderers”, opening of “Freedom”). In an interesting creative choice Poledouris only uses electronics to signify Rickman and his goons, which is a nice way to subtly detach the villains from the “organic” world they are so actively trying to kill and conquer. There’s also some ethereal material associated with the indigenous people that Quigley ends up becoming indebted to which only appears a few times but makes an impact when it turns up.


Overall Quigley Down Under is another very pleasant surprise on this journey. Wasn’t expecting too much from the film and it turned out to be rather fun while Poledouris’ score is another brilliant work by the man. Working both as a great Western score as well as a quirky action/adventure romp, Quigley is well worth checking out if one hasn’t already. Likewise I’d actually recommend getting the Intrada album that just released as this is one of those cases where the old, shorter album contains most of the highlights yet this is a score where the whole thing is a highlight and worth having the full presentation (my same feelings about Horner’s Legends of the Fall or Poledouris’ Conan the Barbarian). That said, whichever way you experience this score (in-film, shorter album, complete album) Quigley is well worth exploring by all.


SCORE:

4 1/2 out of 5
(Message edited on Thursday, March 6, 2025, at 9:00 p.m.)
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