: (Jerry Goldsmith) If you like seeing rich
businessmen and smarmy socialites stranded in the Alaska's wilderness
and chased by nasty wildlife (and each other), then
is a
film far more likely to amuse you than thrill you. Even more impressive
than Anthony Hopkins and Alec Baldwin battling the elements and their
distrust of each other is the combination of the Alaska landscape
(actually shot in Alberta, Canada) and the always intriguing acting work
of Bart the Bear, this time in one of his final performances. The
billionaire and the photographer for his model wife crash in a small
plane while searching for locations to do a shoot, and along the road to
possible rescue, unnecessary characters are slaughtered and the bear
stalks the survivors with the same unyielding, cold attitude as the
outdoors itself. It is this natural element that guided Jerry
Goldsmith's score for the film, one of the veteran's more memorable
efforts of his later years and an arguably superior listening experience
to his concurrent, more highly praised
. For
long time collectors of the composer,
has always been a
second-tier favorite, but the score is more importantly an unusual work
for Goldsmith in that era of his career. While the composition may, on
the whole, resemble most of his other action scores from the 1990's, it
has a few distinct characteristics that set it apart. First, despite the
film's highly concentrated character development, none of the main
principals receives any kind of theme (or even any motif, really). Some
may argue that the title theme alternately belongs to Hopkins'
character, but its application is more closely tied to the general
concept of sophistication versus nature. Second, Goldsmith treats his
title theme quite differently in
, with much more
significant airtime provided for the broad, graceful theme than in his
usual writing. To this end, horn lovers should rejoice, because this
score uses more massively harmonic, unimpeded performances by the
instrument than in nearly any other Goldsmith score. Third, director Lee
Tamahori instructed Goldsmith not employ his usual array of synthesizers
and, as a result, Goldsmith would largely orchestrate the score himself
(a task he had not accomplished in many decades). Finally, with a little
extra recording time left at the end of the sessions, Goldsmith and
Tamahori decided it would be fun to manipulate the grand title theme
into an intimate jazz rendition. The result of all of these little
quirky aspects of
is a score that is just as intriguing
to study (for a collector of the composer) as it is to sit back and
enjoy.
The downside of
The Edge, conversely, is that
the action and suspense material in the score is not up to Goldsmith's
usual high standards, leaving several non-thematic cues as filler music
that will do little more than remind you in a general sense of other
Goldsmith efforts. An ominous, prickly rhythm for plucked elements,
anchored by the repetition of a three-note phrase, is frequently
employed as a generic backdrop for the scenes of movement through the
forest. The most cohesive and lengthy expression of this idea, aided by
its usual descending woodwind lines in counterpoint, can be heard in
"Bitter Coffee." Despite this mundane stance in regards to the element
of suspense, it should be noted, however, that this is one Goldsmith
score that works brilliantly in its film. Most of that credit, however,
needs to go to the primary horn theme. Molded from Trevor Jones'
sparsely grand
Last of the Mohicans brass title identity (once
again a Tamahori request), Goldsmith's main theme for the horns is a
noble and spectacular accompaniment for the aerial shots of the
wilderness. More interesting is Goldsmith's extreme loyalty to that
theme throughout the score; it can be heard in full in no less than half
the cues in the score, and its presence in the film is unmistakable.
Part of that credit goes to the very simple and thus memorable movements
of the abnormally long, fluid theme (a carryover from the Jones theme,
to some degree), and part goes to the bold statements of that idea
without much interference from counterpoint or other orchestral
activity. Even in its more subtle statements, as in "The Discovery" and
the latter half of "The River," the theme's full brass harmony is
exceptional. The string bridge sequence in the theme is employed much
like the equivalent interlude in
The Shadow, utilized as a
victorious and romantic standalone idea, most notably with bravado at
about the one minute mark into "Rescued." The only other thematic
identity in
The Edge represents the grizzly bear, with a brute
brass slur (falling one note) appearing in "The Ravine" and "Stalking."
It's not as creative as the faintly related use in
The Shadow,
nor is it as effective in its sense of foreboding as in equivalent
purposes in
The Ghost in the Darkness, but it gets the job done.
The rather bland underscore in associated chase sequences sounds like
leftovers from Goldsmith's (and his son's) suspense cues in
Star
Trek: First Contact, with occasional references back to the
tumultuous string movements of
Poltergeist and a few
foreshadowings of woodwind usage that you would later hear in
The
Haunting. A singular similarity to
Star Trek: First Contact
also exists in the mutation of the title theme at 3:45 into
"Rescued."
The most delicious area of study in
The Edge,
interestingly, relates to the lack of synthesizers. Ironically, in the
electronics' requested absence, Goldsmith orchestrates several key cues
in ways that imitate his normal bed of synthetic ostinatos. For avid
collectors of the composer's works who are accustomed to his standard,
tingling accompaniment for themes in practically any genre at the time,
you can easily tell where Goldsmith had his usual synthetic
rhythm-setters originally in mind. In a strikingly effective, though
almost awkward move, he uses a piano, trumpet, and high woodwinds to
attempt to recreate them organically, following the same descending,
minor-key ostinato format as you would normally encounter. Accompanying
the plane ride in "Lost in the Wild," Goldsmith forces the dexterous
piano and trumpets into these precise, quick emulations, eventually
emphasizing the woodwinds a bit more in the mix in "Mighty Hunter." It's
a curious, but delightful enforcement of Goldsmith's personal style into
a handicapped situation, and the trumpets and piano would play a very
small role in the rest of the score. It also makes you appreciate, in
retrospect, just how important an element the synthesizers were to
Goldsmith, and one wishes that he had mixed them into one of these cues
as an alternate piece for hardcore enthusiasts. The other notable aspect
of
The Edge is the forcing of the title theme into the realm of
jazz for the final return to civilization in the story. The performance
of this theme by piano, bass, and percussion resulted when the three
musicians stuck around to perform spontaneously at the end of the
recording sessions. The effect of having this cue attached to the
project is as odd as the similarly sudden jazz appeal at the end of
Goldsmith's
The Vanishing a few years earlier, and, quite
frankly, even the biggest fans of the style from
The Russia House
will find this cue a little tough to chew on after a completely
unrelated score. Overall,
The Edge is a solid score because of
it's thematic integrity, though don't expect Goldsmith to impress you
with extended, vibrant action sequences. The vast simplicity of the
title theme's construct, as well as its straight forward performances,
could leave you wanting more development. The original 1997 BMG/RCA
album's mix is strangely heavy on the treble regions, with noticeable
hiss in the trio's jazz performance at the end. That mix does, though,
aid the cause of those intriguing attempts by Goldsmith to recreate the
synthesizers with orchestral players. After that product went badly out
of print, La-La Land Records issued a limited pressing of the complete
score in 2010, adding even more unified title theme performances and a
few alternate takes, as well as a correction of the mix. Ultimately, the
unashamed, bold harmony for the horns makes this score an easy
recommendation on any album.
**** @Amazon.com: CD or
Download
| Bias Check: |
For Jerry Goldsmith reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.26
(in 125 reviews)
and the average viewer rating is 3.29
(in 153,510 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
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