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Review of Class Action (James Horner)
FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:
Buy it... only if you are completely prepared for the mundane
personality of James Horner's minimalistic atmosphere maintained by
quiet piano, sax, and synthesizer.
Avoid it... if your interest in Horner's work only rises when the composer significantly rearranges his own formulas and emphasizes emotional development in his dramatic efforts.
FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:
Class Action: (James Horner) While many of director
Michael Apted's films have a longevity of popularity because of their
usual high quality, Class Action isn't one of them. That's not to
say that the 1991 film isn't without its fair share of merits, earning a
fairly positive critical response despite yielding disappointing
audience support at the box office. A father and daughter tandem of
lawyers, played by Gene Hackman and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, finds
themselves on opposite sides of the bar and arguing a large,
contemporary class action case against each other. The father is more of
the radical, sleazy type of attorney who jumps at the opportunity to
serve a case against an automaker whose 1985 station wagons have a nasty
tendency to explode. His daughter represents the big business interests
in defense, and the case allows the entire family to interact in such
ways as to expose and deal with each character's flaws. Apted seems to
enjoy making films about people immersed in their journeys towards
self-discovery, and in the case of Class Action, it is
Mastrantonio's portrayal of the growing up and coming to terms with
Hackman's (and her own) flaws that highlights the movie. In these
regards, screenwriters Carolyn Shelby, Christopher Ames, and Samantha
Shad nicely avoided the pitfalls of cliche in a project that otherwise
had cliche written all over it. As for the score for the film, Class
Action marked the second of three notable collaborations between
composer James Horner and Apted, ranging from Gorky Park way back
in 1983 to Thunderheart in 1992, the latter respected as one of
the better scores to ever exist in an Apted film. The director would
then jump around between composers before settling upon David Arnold as
his usual collaborator multiple times in the late 1990's. On Horner's
part, Class Action is as basic of a contribution to a film that a
score can be. With so much attention placed on the dialogue and acting
in the film, the music serves only the minimal purpose of filling dead
air in the film. With an obvious minimalistic approach in mind, you
can't really blame Horner for the lack of enthusiasm inherent in this
kind of safe conversational drama music. At the very least, it makes for
an extremely consistent listening experience outside of context.
From the opening to closing notes of Class Action, there does not exist even one inspiring moment of meaningful emotional depth. Horner's cost-efficient performing ensemble consists mostly of himself, with a piano and synthesizer array joined occasionally by a saxophone for a touch of contemporary flavor. With his own piano performances carrying much of the load for the score, as well as a rather low gain mix on the album as a whole, it's easy to forget that any music is playing at all. Only one primary theme exists in Class Action, and its introduction in the first bars of the "Main Title" cue leads to insufferably countless repetition of that idea thereafter. The opening and closing performances of that theme are the most developed instrumentally, backed by light, meandering keyboarding, a synthetic high-tone choir, a few magical swishes of metal, an electric bass sound, and the sax over the top. A lazy, slightly jazzy swing defines the theme's attitude, although the contemporary instrumentation of the piece is betrayed by the lack of power necessary to establish a realistic presence for this "big court case" topic. The theme is essentially based on ideas also developed for Unlawful Entry and Sneakers, but with all the life sucked out of the latter's performance emphasis. Straight piano solos for subsequent cues in the score simply reshuffle and repeat this theme countless times, with little genuine emotion or any emphasis in performance that would give listeners any reason to maintain interest in it. A secondary motif involving descending keyboarded figures accompanies the main theme at times but also serves as the de facto suspense identity in the score's mid-section. The lifeless tone of the music continues during the entire length of the score and is interrupted only by a high-class piano piece not from Horner and the cues "Stolen Files" and "The Trial" as the film nears its climax. A slightly heightened rhythm in "Stolen Files" is joined by a familiar, light tapping of percussion that would hint at some of the suspense in The Pelican Brief. For "The Trial," Horner employed a lengthy series of dissonant keyboard chords to maintain an unpleasant atmosphere of tension. But aside from these slight variations, Class Action contains little deviations from its steady course. Without the several very casually appealing sax performances of the main theme, this score would sink down to Unlawful Entry levels of total disinterest. Fortunately, it has remained relatively easy to obtain over decades for those desiring a complete James Horner collection. **
TRACK LISTINGS:
Total Time: 32:20
* composed by Harry Warren and Mac Gordon.
NOTES & QUOTES:
The insert includes no extra information about the score or film.
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The reviews and other textual content contained on the filmtracks.com site may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of Christian Clemmensen at Filmtracks Publications. All artwork and sound clips from Class Action are Copyright © 1991, Varèse Sarabande and cannot be redistributed without the label's expressed written consent. Page created 6/15/98 and last updated 11/8/11. |
