| CLOSE WINDOW |
|
FILMTRACKS.COM
PRINTER-FRIENDLY VIEW 
Review of Frank and Jesse (Mark McKenzie)
FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:
Buy it... if you are an enthusiast of Mark McKenzie's loyalty to
strong and repetitious melodies, serving this Western score with
adequate energy.
Avoid it... if twenty minutes of standard Western sounds for an orchestra cannot sustain your interest through the score's other half (of intimate, specialty instrument contributions).
FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:
Frank and Jesse: (Mark McKenzie) There have been
countless films inspired by the James family of outlaw fame, going all
the way back to 1939. The 1994 movie Frank and Jesse, directed by
Robert Boris, places Bill Paxton and Rob Lowe in the roles of Frank and
Jesse, respectively. Acting isn't the high point of the film, and
further evidence of this is country music star Randy Travis playing a
prominent role in the film (and, inevitably, singing). Everything in the
plot has been enacted in the many films about the James brothers
throughout the years, and this entry examines everything from the Civil
War and their father's killing all the way through the well-known shot
in the back of Jesse James in 1882. The script by Boris doomed Frank
and Jesse, providing lines that the brothers would never say and
forcing curious actions that are never explained or placed in context.
Needless to say, the film never gained any traction and a DVD release
has made no impact on the film's poor legacy. For film score collectors,
Frank and Jesse was notable only because it featured the third
film score composition by master orchestrator Mark McKenzie. As with his
previous efforts, McKenzie was limited by a small budget for Frank
and Jesse. This was not an unusual situation for McKenzie at the
time, and yet, the restrictions seem to have hindered the score for
Frank and Jesse more than his other efforts of the era. Refusing
to produce synthesized scores (which is understandable, especially for
this genre), McKenzie instead chose to utilize the money he had for
about twenty minutes of orchestral score and leave the rest of the
performances to the talents of four soloists. The director requested a
score the would turn out to be something of a challenge: he wanted
accompaniment that would feature non-traditional instrumentation while
also somewhat retaining the Western genre setting of the story. McKenzie
responded by scoring the large action sequences with a small orchestra.
Although his technique of overdubbing multiple layers of certain
portions of the orchestra (and mainly the strings) is usually rewarding,
the overall result here isn't as inspiring as it has been with his other
scores.
Not surprisingly for McKenzie, thematic development is significantly emphasized, and the composer's separate ideas for the family bond and their search for vengeance are occasionally quite gripping. The orchestra, however, sounds stale and unenthusiastic in parts, diminishing some of the wilder moments of the score with a dull attitude. There are moments when the brass section falters, especially during the Civil War montage, causing a bit of a distraction. Compositionally, a few of these exciting chase and battle cues are entertaining, and a treatment by a fuller orchestra, as was the case with McKenzie's previous score, Warlock: The Armageddon, would serve the music a much better sense of justice. Rounding out the score for Frank and Jesse are performances by the small ensemble, with a recorder, harmonica, guitar, jug, and a make-shift percussion instrument called an arched string wire accompanying conversational scenes. Though not particularly outstanding in and of themselves, these players' moments are often more interesting than those with the small orchestra. Unfortunately, McKenzie only occasionally merges the soloists with the orchestral ensemble (as is the case with the final cue), and this is a shame. McKenzie's abilities involving the composition for a recorder are great, as heard in the 1999 score for Durango, and they provide some of the most engaging moments in Frank and Jesse as well. Overall, the score is functional in all its parts, providing themes that may seem slightly cliched in the Western genre. Its orchestral bursts are an improvement in sound over his previous work, but they rarely match the composer's superior material to follow. The obscure Intrada album (of about 39 minutes in length) for this score is a very decent presentation, and McKenzie collectors will find parts to surely enjoy. The opening suite, a standard for McKenzie scores, is a strong survey of the score's strengths. Incidentally and not surprisingly, Travis' performance of the song "Auld Lang Syne" in the film does not appear on the score album. Almost eighteen minutes of this score exists on McKenzie's first promotional compilation, and you can hear many of this score's highlights on that album. ***
TRACK LISTINGS:
Total Time: 38:50
NOTES & QUOTES:
The insert includes short biographical information about McKenzie, a lengthy note
from director Robert Boris about the film and score, and the following note from
McKenzie himself:
Copyright ©
2000-2024, 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 Frank and Jesse are Copyright © 1994, Intrada Records and cannot be redistributed without the label's expressed written consent. Page created 1/28/00 and last updated 1/20/08. |
