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Review of The Comancheros (Elmer Bernstein)
FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:
Buy it... if you seek a predictably vibrant and bold Elmer
Bernstein Western score, complete with the usual brassy themes and
optimistic string interludes.
Avoid it... if the cheery atmosphere of many of Bernstein's themes for the genre detracts from the sincerity of the arguably more interesting accompanying underscore.
FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:
The Comancheros: (Elmer Bernstein) Remembered
mostly as yet another decent entry in John Wayne's career during the
height of the Western genre, The Comancheros is perhaps more
important to note as the final film of Casablanca director
Michael Curtiz's long career. In and of itself, there are few attributes
of 1961's The Comancheros that blazed new territory. The script
was a character study common to the genre, Wayne's performance was
predictable, and the Utah locations had been seen in countless Westerns
to date. But the film accomplished its goals well, proving to be above
average in nearly every aspect. The debut in a long collaboration with
the films of John Wayne, The Comancheros also represented the
first major Western score for Elmer Bernstein after the highly popular
and industry-defining The Magnificent Seven in 1960. Bernstein's
continuing journey in the West features the very much of the same
enthusiasm and raw sense of Americana that can be heard in The
Magnificent Seven, among other Westerns in his career. Even beyond
that previous effort, though, The Comancheros includes a wider
range of moods and sub-themes, as well as a further exploration of folk
music inherited from Bernstein's root interest in music. The composer is
quick to acknowledge Aaron Copland once again as a primary source of
inspiration, and while he continues to meet expectations with his
expansive and frenetic interpretations of that sound, Bernstein also
allows more folk rhythms to intrude on his writing here, foreshadowing
the kind of Western sounds that Basil Poledouris would make a career out
of several decades later. None of this should serve to discount the
energetic and rolling title theme to The Comancheros, however,
which was heroic in the same innocent and fantastic super-hero sort of
way that defined the Westerns of this and the previous decade. Although
some strict fans of more recent film scores might find the theme to be
silly, if not ridiculous, it's important to recognize that these themes,
in their joyful and yet powerful tendencies, played an enormous role in
the glorification of heroes such as John Wayne. They were expected, and
Bernstein delivered.
To Bernstein's credit, The Comancheros excels beyond simply the main theme, however, because of its array of interesting and well-developed sub-themes. The title theme itself is adapted well to represent the contemplative emotions of Wayne's lead, with several yearning, yet pleasant string variations on that typically bold, brassy theme. Two more brutal rhythmic themes would erupt for both the Comanche warriors in "Attack" and the gang of smugglers and thieves themselves in "Comancheros." The Hispanic elements of The Magnificent Seven are replaced in The Comancheros by more stereotypical Native American elements. Upon a quick listen, the Indian music might seem to represent everything that we would expect from it... beating, rhythmic drums pounding. And yet Bernstein's incorporation of more ambitious percussion and other instruments into those cues adds a refreshing new twist to the old, well-beaten stereotype. Even more impressive are the cues that don't really fall into either of the heroic or stereotyped categories. Bernstein's cues for contemplation, memories, and even suspense round out the score very well; the lighter harmonic representation for conversational scenes ensures the listenability of The Comancheros, occupying significant time in the first half of the score with mellow woodwinds. Of course, if you're into the thrill of the big themes with the Duke on horseback, the score has plenty of fully symphonic bursts to keep you adequately pumped about the genre. The stereo-mixed album, the ninth installment in Film Score Monthly's series of Silver Age Classics CDs, is presented in superior form. Unlike a few of the previous albums in the series that had issues of arrangement, especially with unused cues or source music, the album for The Comancheros begins with twenty solid score tracks, followed by two unused songs and a mono mix of the main title theme. The songs are an interesting listen; aside from the obviously racist implications of the Indian calls in the unused title song, the film was released at a time when idea of using a title song for Westerns, albeit essential in the 1950's, was beginning to fade out. Selections of the music conducted by Bernstein were previously available on a Varèse Sarabande album from years past, but you can't fully appreciate The Comancheros without hearing the secondary motifs in full development. For Bernstein fans, if you enjoy his Western scores of the early and mid-60's, and especially The Sons of Katie Elder, then don't let this one pass you by. ****
TRACK LISTINGS:
Total Time: 47:43
NOTES & QUOTES:
The album contains the usual excellent quality of pictorial and textual information
established in other albums of FSM's series, with extremely detailed notes about the films
and scores.
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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 The Comancheros are Copyright © 1999, Film Score Monthly and cannot be redistributed without the label's expressed written consent. Page created 10/7/99 and last updated 10/16/07. |
