| CLOSE WINDOW |
|
FILMTRACKS.COM
PRINTER-FRIENDLY VIEW 
Review of Fortress (Frederic Talgorn)
FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:
Buy it... only if you relished the suspenseful and brooding
orchestral score in the film itself.
Avoid it... if you've enjoyed some of Frederic Talgorn's more melodic and dynamic scores and are looking for more of the same.
FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:
Fortress: (Frederic Talgorn) In the dense layers of
science fiction films of the digital era, all too many reside next to
Fortress in the "minimally entertaining or barely tolerable"
category. The only really interesting attribute about the 1993 gore-fest
Fortress is the amazing fact that somebody saw it fit for a
sequel in 1999. In both films, our favorite Highlander swordsman
Christopher Lambert portrays an ordinary man chased by the law for
rebelling against an oppressive system of future government. In
Fortress, he and his wife are sent to the "Fortress," a maximum
security prison, for breaking the "one child only" law and attempting a
second child with his wife after the first dies. Eventually, our hero
does manage to kick ass, destroy the machines, and save his family (and
in the second film, he gets to do it in space!), but it's the process of
getting there that turned many viewers off. The plot doesn't explain how
society became so problematic, and given director Stuart Gordon's love
of outrageous gore, Fortress also repulses audiences with graphic
shots of inmates' stomachs exploding (due to the control devise placed
within them upon booking). Worst yet, the film is flat, routine, and
formula, failing to make a reasonable attempt in any of its production
qualities to stand out. The only possible exception is in the
effectively bleak art direction, and it is in this element of the film
in which French composer Frederic Talgorn received his inspiration for
his fully orchestral score for Fortress. Talgorn had written
large-scale orchestral music in similar situations (for Gordon and
others), including an impressive effort for the mock sci-fi trash
otherwise known as Robotjox. Film score collectors might
recognize his name as a conductor on compilations in the late 1990's,
and many within the industry lament the lack of development and
front-line projects for Talgorn in his career.
Like his other works, his music for Fortress is harmonic, robust, and capable in utilizing a full ensemble. Distinguishing Fortress, however, is dark ambient rendering that causes the score to rumble in the lower depths of each instrument's ranges for nearly the entire score. Talgorn remains very loyal to his one six-note theme for Fortress, varying its performances throughout the score. Unlike his other scores, however, in which his themes are typically adapted to more romantic and triumphant renditions, the theme is resolutely chained to the genre of suspense here, often obscured by slightly dissonant layers of strings and a nearly constant bed of deep bass. Talgorn accomplishes the intimidation necessary for the film by unleashing a timpani (mixed very heavily on album, almost to the level of drowning out other elements of the ensemble) and a piano, which meanders in its lowest octave in between occasional hard thuds. Even the more sensitive cues for strings ("Forbidden Dream" and "Karen") are bittersweet in their drab performances and fragmented thematic presentations. Talgorn's instrumentation will reference John Williams and Jerry Goldsmith at times, with string and woodwind use in the opening "Prelude" containing heavy shades of Williams and the positive woodwind finale of "Forbidden Dream" taking a page from Goldsmith's more innocent concepts. Outright action material is brassy and frenetic, though not easily accessible until the finale cue. In "Freedom," Talgorn finally provides the noble thematic explosion he is known for, but this 30-second switch to the major key comes too late to really save the album from its tones of misery. Talgorn accomplishes the suspense and horror well, but doesn't provide any distinguishing characteristics by which to readily identify the score. Unlike some of his other efforts, there is no synthetic presence in Fortress. The score was released by Intrada Records' producers in promotional form in 1998, with clear sound quality but only 35 minutes of music.
TRACK LISTINGS:
Total Time: 35:27
NOTES & QUOTES:
The insert includes no extra information about the score or film.
Copyright ©
1998-2024, Filmtracks Publications. All rights reserved.
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 Fortress are Copyright © 1998, Promotional and cannot be redistributed without the label's expressed written consent. Page created 8/27/98 and last updated 6/23/06. |
