The combination score was nominated for a BAFTA and Golden
Globe, but its multi-composer status precluded a likely Oscar nomination
(had Jones' name appeared alone in the credits). When you look back
through Jones' career, you have to respect
Last of the Mohicans
for its significant impact in launching the composer to many fruitful
(even if less popular) projects. But while its theme has been licensed
for use in everything from American politics to professional sports
venues, it's far from the composer's best work. He would become known
for writing precisely the type of theme heard extensively in
Last of
the Mohicans, the sweeping and epic brass fanfare of melodramatic
scope and pacing that many subsequent directors have likely asked of
him. Among these themes, which include the primary ideas for
Cliffhanger and the 1999 television production of
Cleopatra,
Last of the Mohicans is only average. The
success of the theme is more likely due to the obvious placement of it
in the film (as well as the fact that it's repeated almost endlessly)
than its inherent quality. While the two lofty performances in "Main
Title" and "Top of the World" are indeed memorable, the theme exists in
nearly every other Jones cue, usually in similarly noble tones. Given
its representation of Hawkeye/Nathaniel (Lewis) and his heroic deeds,
this is understandable, though the listening experience on album is
somewhat diminished due to the repetition. Also driving home this theme
is the fact that Jones only twists its progression slightly for the love
theme of the film, heard in "The Kiss," "Promentory," and "Stockade." In
fact, many listeners may not even notice the slight differences in the
progressions. By far the most effective performance of the theme exists
in the opening "Elk Hunt" scene, in which the three men at the heart of
the story chase their prey through the woods; the deep and rapid
electronic pulsation (similar in style to Basil Poledouris' library of
sound effects) and heightened tension in the high string counterpoint to
this performance make it the undeniable highlight of the score (and
another frequently imitated piece). It is a cue that most likely
represented exactly what Mann was originally wanting to hear in the
film, and the approach works wonders over the continuation of the
opening credits.
Jones' battle music for
Last of the Mohicans is
effective, if not slightly derivative and sparse in rendering. The
singular action motif heard in "Fort Battle" is rooted firmly in his
comfort zone of predictable progressions, and unfortunately suffers from
a lack of depth in the somewhat annoying percussive accompaniment to the
cue. A heroic interlude for the title theme in this cue, however, helps
save the day. The "Massacre" cue is a tired rehashing of Carl Orff's "O
Fortuna!" from "Carmina Burana," only barely masked by Jones here.
Luckily, in "Canoes," the pursuit is given a fuller sound that helps
divert attention from Orff. One aspect of the score that has gained in
popularity since
Last of the Mohicans is the rhythmic phrase used
primarily in "The Kiss" and "Promentory" (the piece was used extensively
in 2007 football-related advertisements in America). Jones actually
can't take credit for this invention; instead, the fiddle rhythm comes
from Scottish musician Dougie MacLean's "The Gael" and is only adapted
by Jones into
Last of the Mohicans. The contributions of Randy
Edelman are more subdued, following the usual tones of the composer's
synthetic and acoustic guitar sound. He conjures two notable themes for
the score, the first being a rather light-hearted piece for the hopeful
"The Courier" scene, and the second being a theme for Major Duncan that
is heard at both his arrival and in his early conversational scene with
Cora (Madeleine Stowe). These lighter character scenes are given a shade
of flighty fancy that almost mirrors Mark Knopfler's
The Princess
Bride at the start of "River Walk and Discovery." The "Cora" cue
could just as comfortably fit in one of the softer and noble scenes in
Gettysburg,
Dragonheart, or even
Kindergarten Cop.
His music really is, on the whole, a poor fit for
Last of the
Mohicans, though with the cues "Parlay" and "Pieces of a Story"
being so incredibly dull, at least they don't have a significantly
detrimental impact. The director also used the abstract new age Clannad
song "I Will Find You" over a scene of Nathaniel's movement, though it
definitely stuck out like a sore thumb in the film and Mann eventually
removed the song from his 2000 DVD version. None of the source music
written by three other composers has ever been recognized on a
commercial album. The whole score was originally 77 minutes in
length.
The 1992 Morgan Creek Music album has remained a top
seller worldwide for many years, with a very strong following by younger
generations. Listeners apparently weren't discouraged by the
incompatibility of the two parts of the album or the fact that the
Jones/Edelman split on the product is roughly 31/21 (minutes), a ratio
that emphasizes Edelman's work far too heavily. Also of issue is the
fact that a few of the Jones tracks are merged combinations of two
separate cues with artificial silence offered in between. While
splitting these cues up would have bloated Jones' apparent contribution
in the track listings, this presentation would only have been fair. Most
casual listeners will only need "Main Title," "Elk Hunt," and
"Promentory," however, even though they amount to under ten minutes in
sum. It is not surprising that Varèse Sarabande and its executive
producer, Robert Townson, decided to tackle a re-recording of
Last of
the Mohicans in 2000, especially with the continuously high sale
numbers long after Mann's endlessly re-edited film had faded from
memory. Given that the score suffered from an identity crisis (with the
two distinct halves), it was easy to be skeptical about what conductor
Joel McNeely and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra could do with it.
In favor of the 2000 album is the simple fact that one performing group
was used to bring life to both Jones' and (to a lesser extent) Edelman's
halves of the score. There is a much tighter cohesiveness because of
this fact, and the full orchestra does wonders with Edelman's
compositions. Even though Edelman's music is vastly improved, the Jones
themes are no improvement over the original. Some might even argue that
the sweeping majesty of the original performance is lost. The "Elk Hunt"
track has a softer and less stimulating electronic beat, though the
resounding drum performances during "Fort Battle" are an impressive
improvement over the original. In the end, there are some highlights and
some disappointments, and overall it comes out in a wash. Because the
film was relatively recent, an improvement in sound quality wasn't a
factor. Only 45 minutes of score is performed, less than what was on the
original, and most of the omitted material came from the Edelman side
(though on the other hand, there is some new material appearing for the
first time). Perhaps someday an appropriate presentation of the original
recording will do a little more justice to the score, despite the
strength of both the 1992 and 2000 albums.
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