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| Horner |
Legends of the Fall: (James Horner) The 1994 film
Legends of the Fall is for the big screen what romance novels are
for old ladies. It is limitless, brute romanticism against the painted
skies of Montana, primordial in its appeal and doomed by those who are
not swayed by tear-jerking character dramas. If anyone doubted that
director Ed Zwick was trying to yank at the emotional chains of
audiences with his 1989 stunner
Glory, then
Legends of the
Fall is proof that you can succeed at it not just once, but twice.
Heroic and tragic, honorable and sorrowful,
Legends of the Fall
combines the most potent elements of a British period production with
the vast expanses of Big Sky Country circa World War I. Its cast is
remarkably strong, led by a headstrong and painfully humorous
performance by Anthony Hopkins as the father of three adult sons split
by ideals, ambitions, and one woman. Deep respect for Native American
culture and a distrust for government highlight the undercurrents of the
plot, Zwick not afraid to fill the family cemetery by the end of the
film as well. As he had accomplished for
Glory, composer James
Horner matched Zwick's engrossing melodrama with an unashamed powerhouse
of a score, and while the music for
Legends of the Fall doesn't
quite equal the ethereal qualities of
Glory, it excels at
supplying an greater excess of more consistent emotional weight. The
early 1990's were a time of few hits and numerous misses for the highly
productive Horner, who found himself scrounging around in the trash bin
of video-quality animated films and failed light dramas more often than
any of his listeners had hoped. With
Legends of the Fall came a
sudden and overwhelming resurgence to popularity that launched the
composer into a year of incredible success in 1995, led by
Apollo
13 and
Braveheart. These three scores together yielded two
Golden Globe nominations and two Academy Awards nominations, and yet
none would win either award. Still, these three scores together, along
with the more-than-decent
Casper and
Balto in the middle
of that timeline, represent one of the greatest periods of production
that any Hollywood composer has ever enjoyed.
As the first in line during this remarkable period for
Horner,
Legends of the Fall caught listeners by surprise with its
sheer weight of performance and rich variety of themes. Horner reveled
in his fair share of dramatically melodic scores, but never before or
after
Legends of the Fall did he accomplish the same level of
immense gravity, not even with
Titanic or
Avatar. The
symphonic palette is familiar to Horner's largest scores, his orchestral
tones joined by familiar percussive flair, puffing shakuhachi flute, and
subtle electronics. That ensemble is brought to life by several major
themes for the film, all given significant development and repeated
statements and each resounding with the majesty of the landscape. It's a
score that may have Richard Wagner and Aaron Copland in a distant corner
of the conscience, but rather than relying on the plethora of classical
influences that plague many of his other scores, the most direct
connection this score draws from, surprisingly for Horner but
unsurprisingly for the genre, is John Barry's
Dances With Wolves.
The highly popular, straight forward, simplistic romanticism of Barry's
trademark sound for major dramas in the 1980's and 1990's seems to be a
guide by which Horner built
Legends of the Fall. The pacing is
slower, the counterpoint is held to a minimum, and the players of the
orchestra burst forth with magnificent string performances aided, as
with Barry's work, by supplemental horns. And it's the strength of the
themes in
Legends of the Fall that leads to its success. The
meaning behind Horner's several ideas for the film overlap in conceptual
use on screen, the composer content to constantly intermingle phrases
from his ideas in such a way as to move fluidly through a sequence
without actually stating the totality of any one theme in its formal
presentation. The main theme, introduced immediately on trumpet and in
full during the latter half of "Legends of the Fall," is the broad
representation of the story's overarching mores and location. It
accompanies the beauty of the land and serves the soul of the score. One
could argue that this main theme is actually a representation of
Hopkins' Colonel Ludlow himself, as that character is the bedrock of the
Montana homestead, and the trumpet in the opening cue may recognize his
military service. Perhaps not coincidentally, the theme recedes after
the character's debilitating stroke.
The main theme for
Legends of the Fall is the
anchor that draws attention to the expanses of Montana at the outset of
"Susannah," the middle of both "The Ludlows" and "Off to War," and early
in "Coming Home," diminishing as the situation at the homestead slowly
deteriorates over the course of the plot before returning in full for a
lovely and extremely deliberate performance in the finale portion of
"Alfred, Tristan, the Colonel, the Legend" as the Colonel surprisingly
blows away the family's enemies despite his physical ailments. Equally
positive in the major key and representing the family as a unit is the
Ludlow theme, slipping into a slight waltz movement and applied
occasionally by Horner as the story reminds the viewer of the early bond
that culminates in bitter vengeance and sweet victory at its conclusion.
This theme receives the same string-dominated weight as the primary
theme for the landscape, and the two swap phrases in a few places, most
notably in "The Ludlows" and "Off to War." The application in "The
Ludlows" is particularly vital in the film, as the family assimilates
the newly arrived Susannah to their way of life, the music front and
center during the family's wholesome and humorous interactions. These
passages are as happy and proud as the family will ever be, so it's not
surprising that later performances of the Ludlow identity are only a
shadow of what you hear in these two remarkable cues. Horner carefully
restrains the full weight of the idea in "Descent Into Madness" and "The
Wedding," the latter properly denoting that the bond suffers significant
familial strain, only allowing one final nostalgic performance in full
at 1:38. This cue is also highlighted by the pleasant, melancholy
identity for Susannah over its first 100 seconds, partially transposed
to Isabel here. The theme is initially heard at the outset of
"Susannah's Arrival" and flourishes best in "Alfred Moves to Montana,"
where it eventually succumbs to the Ludlow theme. Because the character
is so grief stricken for much of the film, questioning and eventually
killing herself, Horner intentionally understates the presence of theme
for her, failing to even allow it a performance in "Susannah Stays On."
In later conversational scenes with the brother most alluring to her,
Tristan, her theme is completely superseded by his. It is no coincidence
that her husband, Alfred, is the only main character to never receive
any thematic presence of significance, his role comparatively boring by
design in the story and Susannah not truly loving him. Horner thus does
not elicit a romantic response for the character.
Horner's theme for the doomed youngest son of the Ludlow
family, Samuel, is a presence that mostly haunts the score after his
death at war, but it does debut in song form during the film during the
cue "Twilight and Mist," the character performing over piano for the
family. As Hopkins' narration completes the scene, the piano continues
without the singing at the beginning of "The Ludlows." Thereafter, the
theme is most frequently performed by a pair of fiddles, as at the end
of that cue and in the gravesite moment during "Tristan and Susannah."
The theme is fleshed out with better depth in "Recollections of Samuel"
before returning to the fiddles in "A Moment Alone" and opening and
closing the end titles in "Alfred, Tristan, the Colonel, the Legend."
Despite all the attention garnered by the romantically-inclined
major-key themes of
Legends of the Fall, the most influential
identity on the narrative as a whole is the one for Tristan, the Brad
Pitt character that largely weaves the story together and, most
ironically, outlives the rest of the cast. Horner applies this
impressively malleable theme throughout the score as its lone minor-key
representation of savagery, lust, and mystery, foreshadowing
The New
World at its most buoyant. The character's wild emotional ride
places this theme in many realms, but most vital is its use as a
connection to the Native American element via the shakuhachi. This
idea's two main phrases are touched upon early in "Legends of the Fall"
and again at the start of "Off to War." The theme becomes an anthem for
war by 0:50 into "To the Boys," its percussive accompaniment
foreshadowing
Avatar. The theme likewise informs "Samuel's Death"
with a combination of fear and heroism over clicking effects destined
for
Apollo 13. The strident performance of the theme in the
latter half of the cue combines militaristic percussion with the
shakuhachi to represent Tristan's two influences, yielding to a rare
choral moment of devastation near the cue's end. The final minute of
"Tristan and Susannah" exposes the truly mystical side of Tristan's
theme, a gorgeous rendition for traditional woodwinds and the shakuhachi
that represents the romantic element in the character's allure, and this
demeanor continues over pulses of
Glory's snare in "The Calf and
the Bear." Horner returns the theme to agony several times in
"Farewell/Descent Into Madness," allowing the shakuhachi to trail off
the melody in one of this most memorable instrumental techniques. The
idea interrupts the Ludlow theme with abrasive
Willow-like
percussion blasts (and, yes, the famed 4-note danger motif) late in
"Descent Into Madness."
The versatility of the fantastic theme for Tristan in
Legends of the Fall is confirmed in "Wild Horses/Tristan's
Return," the most optimistically heroic, hopeful, and spectacular moment
of relief in the story, dominating the scene in its placement. The "Wild
Horses" cue offers a bed of percussion as robust as Trevor Jones'
Last of the Mohicans and shakuhachi blasts to later inform
The
Mask of Zorro. The "Goodbyes" cue takes the flute of Tristan's theme
and layers it over Susannah's theme as confirmation of her passion for
him. A tender rendition of Tristan's melody at 2:21 is a subtle
highlight of the score, the romantic and savage aspects of the
character's music in subdued conflict. This material extends into
"Tristan's Quiet Heart," carried by oboe before beautifully reprising
the haunting shakuhachi version of the theme from "Tristan and
Susannah." Darkness awaits for the melody, "Isabel's Murder" ushering in
its tortured wartime mode on agonizing strings for the senseless killing
of Tristan's wife. Somber shades occupy the entirety of "Tristan Goes to
Jail/Last Visit," his theme mingling with minor-mode interpolations of
the Ludlows theme. The hints of the theme in the rhythms of "Revenge"
mature into the choral applications to open "Alfred, Tristan, The
Colonel, The Legend..." as a standoff commences with Tristan's enemies.
One final full rendition of the Tristan theme closes out the score in
his death scene. Other motifs meander throughout
Legends of the
Fall, many of them quite effective. The main and Ludlow themes have
playful interlude sequences that denote the softer side of the extended
family, including the Native American characters that help tend to the
Ludlow ranch. The first of these interludes comes at 3:02 into "Legends
of the Fall," though a far more expansive and wholesome interlude debuts
at 1:45 into "Susannah." The brightest and most yearning of this
supplemental phrasing in
Legends of the Fall comes at 2:31 into
"Susannah," and this idea returns at 3:33 into "The Ludlows" and several
times thereafter in the score. It becomes something of a theme itself by
"The Letter," which explores this innocent representation in its
entirety. The motif faintly informs "Susannah Stays On" but returns on
woodwinds in a variant in the middle of "Coming Home" and at the end of
"Tristan's Return," by this time becoming something of a de facto love
theme for Tristan and Susannah. These ideas intriguingly fail to recur
during the scenes in which the two characters encounter each other in
the Helena setting, the spotting of the music seemingly content to allow
the awkwardness of the situations to exist without further motific
development.
Other secondary motifs in
Legends of the Fall
deserve recognition, as they are stunningly effective more often than
not. The most noticeable in the score is the achievement motif, heard
twice as the Ludlows accomplish success for the sake of good. It's
Horner's "John Barry moment" in which the
Dances With Wolves temp
track truly bleeds through but is so effective that it can be forgiven.
The first rendition comes at 1:27 into "Off to War," the timpani and
chord progressions true to Barry at his best during this era.
Fascinatingly, Horner returns to this motif at 4:45 into "Alfred,
Tristan, the Colonel, the Legend," suggesting that the remaining three
family members have finally triumphed in conquering their enemies
despite the terrible cost. Far truer to Horner's typical form is his
death motif, a fluttering effect of spiritualism for piano and woodwind
that punctuates ensemble crescendos for a character's passing. (This is,
except for Tristan's wife, who does not experience a proper death as
anyone in the story would expect.) You'll hear Horner project this
connection to Native American mysticism at 5:21 into "Samuel's Death,"
1:16 into "Farewell/Descent Into Madness," 7:00 into "Alfred, Tristan,
The Colonel, The Legend...," and late in "Legends of the Fall (Extended
Version)." Less melodic and more rhythmic is Horner's application of
puffing shakuhachi for moments of suspense, revenge, and killing. He had
used the Japanese wood flute with interesting success in
Thunderheart a couple of years prior, and he extends the same
spirit to
Legends of the Fall. The score opens with a few bursts
of the ethnically propulsive, throaty rhythm that anyone might confuse
with
Thunderheart, and for two of the score's most prominent and
lengthy cues, this rhythm incorporates more of the streamlined pacing
and auxiliary instrumentation of
Patriot Games, a work that also
relied heavily on these sounds. At the end of "Revenge" and especially
in the pivotal start of "Alfred, Tristan, The Colonel, The Legend...,"
Horner adds synthesizer and solo female vocal effects that stand well
apart from the rest of the score. Given the consistently heavy ensemble
performances of themes in
Legends of the Fall, these rhythmic
cues are a welcome diversion. Still, one of the overall strengths of
Legends of the Fall is the fact that every moment of thematic
development is conveyed with the same sincere and often heavy heart. The
orchestration work of Thomas Pasatieri and Don Davis presents the London
Symphony Orchestra in a smooth form that eclipses the Americana spirit
of even the better-known
Dances With Wolves.
When you step back and admire the awe and magnificence
that Horner brought to
Legends of the Fall, you realize that the
score not only unfolds in convenient concert-like cues on album but is a
nearly perfect match for the film. The composer's common technique for
the final confrontation scene works wonders; while the story on screen
shifts between multiple positions with elegance, Horner's strong
progression doesn't attempt to jump along with it. The continuity that
his music provides the film, not only in this remarkable scene of
suspense but also in the broader, flowing melodies, is one of its best
assets. Another important point to consider with
Legends of the
Fall is that despite the connections to the shakuhachi rhythms in
Thunderheart and the brief reprises of overflowing lyricism in
subsequent dramas, this work remains relatively unique in Horner's
career. There are interludes for tinkling percussion and piano that
foreshadowed
The Spitfire Grill, the snare rips carry over from
Glory, and the opening of "Samuel's Death" mirrors the frantic
action of the "Master Alarm" cue in
Apollo 13. A later, more
harmonious line of action in the same cue resembles the finale of
Balto. But these similarities are not as obnoxious as they tend
to be in many of Horner's other large-scale scores, and the composer
never again reached this depth of resounding, simplistic grandeur. The
75-minute commercial album for
Legends of the Fall continued its
strangely "cult" status many years after its release, branching out well
beyond the normal Horner collector base in its appeal. An isolated DVD
score track added more material to the bootleg market. In 2020, though,
Intrada Records pressed a limited, 2-CD set that afforded the score the
treatment it deserves, adding several vital and lengthy cues to the
presentation. Among the highlights are several additional romantic
variants of Tristan's theme and fuller treatment of Susannah's identity.
The "Susannah" and "Coming Home/Tristan and Susannah" tracks are worth
the album alone, though the other newly provided cues flesh out score's
secondary themes as well. The bonus tracks aren't spectacular but do
offer a pair of intriguing alternates. The sound quality of the score is
phenomenal on Intrada's release. It's an essential album for any Horner
collector, amplifying much of the score's best material and thus easily
supporting the additional running time. The original commercial album is
highly recommended, too, for the highlights of
Legends of the
Fall are of such magnificence that even the shorter product can be
whole-heartedly recommended. This music competes favorably among
Horner's absolute career best.
***** @Amazon.com: CD or
Download
| Bias Check: |
For James Horner reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.16
(in 107 reviews)
and the average viewer rating is 3.23
(in 197,460 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
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