| CLOSE WINDOW |
|
FILMTRACKS.COM
PRINTER-FRIENDLY VIEW 
Review of The Mighty (Trevor Jones)
FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:
Buy it... if you could accept a score that merges traditional
orchestral action, bluegrass rhythms, and Celtic instrumentation into an
extremely inspirational and successful whole.
Avoid it... if you prefer your Trevor Jones material to have the straight orchestral might of his other 1998 scores and don't need a harmonica and Irish jigs to spoil the performances of the London Symphony Orchestra.
FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:
The Mighty: (Trevor Jones) Who would have thought
that anybody could combine concepts from Simon Birch and Mad
Max: Beyond Thunderdome into a successful and inspirational
children's film? The idea of pairing two misfits of opposite types as a
working whole is not new, but author Rodman Philbrick seemingly took a
page from the character Master-Blaster in Mad Max: Beyond
Thunderdome and created "Freak, the Mighty," a story about two kids,
one lumbering gentle giant and one physically disabled genius, and
literally paired the brain on top of the brawns to survive the
environment of modern day Cincinnati. The film is a highly praised and
extremely well-acted depiction of what any outcast can accomplish given
the right friends, a stirring imagination, and a mind closed to
prejudices. The imagination in The Mighty comes in the form of
the book of Arthurian legend that brings the two boys together, causing
them to conquer bullies and other social problems with the confidence of
a knight saving a maiden from a dragon. The film performed reasonably
well due to its extraordinary positive reputation and decent reviews,
and Trevor Jones' music for the production earned and maintained the
respect of many film score collectors in the following decade. Jones was
arguably achieving the height of his mainstream success in 1998,
receiving several high profile scoring assignments through 2001 that
continued to impress listeners. The year of 1998 in particular saw
immense creativity on a large scale for Jones, and while Dark
City and the television production of Merlin receive most of
the attention, The Mighty is easily the most diverse and creative
effort of the year for the composer. His ability to weave multiple
genres of music into one cohesive score is extremely impressive, and
The Mighty is all over the map when it comes to eclectic,
genre-bending style. He takes inspiration from traditional orchestral
action, bluegrass rhythms, and Celtic instrumentation, among others, and
somehow manages to form them into solid and prideful personality that
translates into a very rewarding listening experience.
Jones opens the score with a bubbly title theme in "Past Times" that eventually receives significant treatment as the duo at the heart of the film achieve their personal victories. This theme immediately establishes the bluegrass elements of the score, setting a rolling rhythm for acoustic guitar, the flute-like EWI, and varied pop percussion and keyboarding. The theme is carried by a relaxed, but crisp harmonica, a remarkably gorgeous role for an otherwise stereotyped instrument. A jig-like interlude for the EWI and slapping percussion immediately provides the Celtic influence that foreshadows the Arthurian aspect of the story. Jones also conjures a motif of danger for The Mighty that he introduces in this opening cue as well. Fans of James Horner will recognize the two-note motif at 2:10 into "Past Times" as a cousin to one heard in Braveheart and Titanic. This track rolls on for a generous four minutes of Jones' easy-going presentation of themes, but the following three cues are easily skipped. Synthetic meandering with barely any notable development inhabits these character-building cues. Jones' prowess with orchestral action takes flight in "Danger by the Lake," in which the two boys' encounter with the local bullies leads to the imaginative partnership. Jones pulls turbulent rhythms from Dark City and the dragon sequences from Merlin for this cue, though its suspenseful restraint for most of its length is a better match for the later Thirteen Days. The two-note danger motif (actually repeated to make a 4-note statement every time) makes a bold appearance at 2:45 into this cue. After the hip, urban styling of "City Walkers," a definite confidence-building cue, the lengthy "The Mighty Quest" cue offers only some magical choral moments in its last two minutes. The score really takes flight in its last three tracks on album, forming fifteen minutes of remarkable power and charm all in one. Between the last minute of "The Mighty Quest" and "Free to Fly" is the power of the London Symphony Orchestra at its most ambitious form, combined with a few compelling solo and ensemble vocals. Parts of these vocals will remind of Jones' little-known Hideaway. The "My Noble Knight" cue is a beautiful and lengthy exploration of the title theme, with new age and orchestral elements replacing the bluegrass ones. Boy soprano Chris Baron performs a lovely duet with electric violin; the style of the synthetic backing to this cue lends credibility to the dreamy imaginative state that prevails in the boys' imagination. The choral performances in Latin extend at the 4:50 mark to include a small ensemble led by Miriam Stockley's distinct voice. Her performances here mirror those heard in her "Adiemus" albums rather than those in Patrick Doyle's Great Expectations earlier in 1998. The track reverses order at its conclusion, reprising the roles of the electric violin and boy soprano. In "Free to Fly," Jones merges all of his elements, coalescing the ensemble from "Past Times" and this time combining it with the victorious performances of the LSO. As the harmonica hands the theme over to the strings, Jones utilizes bold and bombastic brass counterpoint. It's not often that you hear the LSO perform material like this over a bed of acoustic guitar and bluegrass percussion, and the results are mesmerizing. The last minute of the cue is a time warp back to the days of Excalibur and Dark Crystal as the Arthurian aspect of the plot receives its own orchestral climax. The final score cue, "Future Times" is even heavier on the synthetic elements, providing the title theme over a heavier Irish jig rhythm for electric guitar. The EWI and harmonica continue their roles as the score concludes with striking confidence. Overall, the ten score cues in The Mighty take a while to get rolling after the opening summary of themes, but the cool, leisurely pace of the score and its remarkable instrumental and choral tones make it an easy recommendation for listeners in search of something they haven't heard before. The score is flanked on the out-of-print Pangaea Records album by the mellow Sting song for the film that earned a Golden Globe nomination. The song uses insufferable layering of the vocals, but does give co-compositional credit to Jones for some of his jig material in the underlying rhythm. The other songs at the end of the album are decent, but not related in style to the rest of the product. A promo pressed by Miramax at the time contains an extra 15 minutes of Jones music in the middle of the score. Fans of the composer should not hesitate to investigate either album release. ****
TRACK LISTINGS:
Commercial Album:
Total Time: 65:52
Miramax Promo: Total Time: 66:47
NOTES & QUOTES:
The commercial album's insert contains extensive credits, but no extra
information about the score or film. The promo's insert is sparse.
Copyright ©
1999-2024, 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 The Mighty are Copyright © 1998, Pangaea Records, Miramax Promo and cannot be redistributed without the label's expressed written consent. Page created 1/17/99 and last updated 3/26/08. |
