Filmtracks Traffic Rank: #1,706
Written 11/2/07
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Buy it... if you might enjoy measured variants of Trevor Jones'
rhythmic styles from Dark City and Last of the Mohicans
underlying the composer's typically respectful themes of broad scope.
Avoid it... if you maintain only a limited collection of Jones'
scores, for most of the ideas in Fields of Freedom have been
explored with more ambitious results in other efforts.
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| Jones |
Fields of Freedom: (Trevor Jones) The Greystone
Films company has produced a variety of historical documentary dramas
over the past twenty years, including short films for both television
and special venues. Their efforts of 2006 were centered around Fields
of Freedom and We Fight to Be Free, both of which featuring
the music of veteran composer Trevor Jones. Fields of Freedom, a
half-hour large-screen format film, was produced for the Gateway Center
in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, debuting on a newly constructed, nearly
IMAX sized screen for visitors to the historic Gettysburg National
Military Park in March of 2006. While a film of several hours would be
necessary to cover the many excruciating days of the entire battle, the
thirty minutes of Fields of Freedom would concentrate on the
experiences of two specific soldiers involved on each side of Pickett's
Charge, arguably the most disastrous climax of the battle. The technical
aspects of the production are its most highly advertised, with a
suitable location in Maryland serving as the battlefield and
considerable attention given to the visual and aural effects for the
explosive battle scenes. No expense was spared when the score was
involved, either. With no recognizable actors seen and few notable names
on the crew (other than George H. W. Bush, who narrates the Gettysburg
Address), Trevor Jones is the star of the occasion. As usual, he records
with the always-capable London Symphony Orchestra, which also receives
its due mention atop the credits. Jones would combine the power of the
famed ensemble with some synthetic aides to produce a score that is
likely to be among the highlights of the production's showings. He would
infuse traditional tunes from the era in much the same way that previous
Civil War scores have done, though outside of these occasional
references, Jones' original material is easily identifiable as holding
true to his established styles of composition and arrangement. Jones'
score runs wall to wall in the film and opens with a respectful title
theme one minute into the first cue. Performed by high strings and
trumpet, this theme isn't quite as expansive in scope as some of Jones'
more famous entries of similar nobility.
The title theme is very faithfully integrated into all
of the score's contexts, with an increased tempo in a cue like "Lines of
Engagement" and painted with broader strokes on the strings in
"Peacemakers for Posterity." Both the progressions of the theme and the
use of brass counterpoint under string performances place the theme
squarely in Jones' typical style of dramatic statement. A secondary
theme for the action sequences debuts in "The Test of Leadership" and
continues throughout the score. The string motif that churns underneath
the bars preceding this theme will remind listeners of the famous rhythm
of the "Elk Hunt" cue from
Last of the Mohicans, but without the
obvious synthetic bass tones. The resonating brass of this theme,
especially when accompanied by rhythms even more frenetic ("The Great
Bombardment" and "In God We Trust," for instance), approach the
impressively chaotic action of
Dark City, though never does
Fields of Freedom really let loose with the same frightening
level of bombast. Later in the score, especially in "They Also Served,"
an electric bass effect is provided by synthesizer (this cue's middle
minute would also share a progression of shifts very similar to John
Barry's flying-scene rhythms in
High Road to China), reminding of
Randy Edelman's treatment of the subject in
Gettysburg. Perhaps
the most impressive element in
Fields of Freedom is Jones' usual
fury of percussion, which goes beyond the stereotypical snare rips for
this kind of film and is mixed with a wet ambience to a great effect in
some cues (especially at the outset of "The Test of Leadership").
Overall, there isn't much in
Fields of Freedom that Jones
collectors won't have heard from the composer before, and one could
argue that each aspect of the score has been provided in more impressive
packages in his other works. But it's a functional score that will
maintain your interest for its short running time. The album is a
limited entry from Jones' Contemporary Media Recordings label that has
served to distribute television scores like
Cleopatra and
Dinotopia in the past ten years. Jones collectors will enjoy the
reasonable pricing of the album from the composer's own web site, and
should be delighted by the prospect of subsequent pseudo-promotional
releases from Jones in the near future.
*** @Amazon.com: CD or
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Bias Check:
For Trevor Jones reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.78
(in 18 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.44
(in 26,105 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
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