Filmtracks Traffic Rank: #1,430
Written 7/20/09, Revised 8/16/14
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Buy it... if you seek a redemptive combination of Jerry Goldsmith's
swirling fantasy atmosphere, brutal military themes, and complicated
layers of orchestral lines in a very engaging and dynamic package.
Avoid it... if you expect an abundance of any of the three major
themes from Night Crossing, two of which very strong in their
addressing of the hopes and fears of those making the daring escape on
screen.
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| Goldsmith |
Night Crossing: (Jerry Goldsmith) Based on the
dramatic true story of two families' attempts to escape the oppression
of the Iron Curtain in 1979, Night Crossing is wholesome
entertainment from Disney. With Germany divided by a three-mile wide
killing zone with tall walls and gun towers, a small group of average
East German folks decide to build a hot air balloon as their method of
smuggling themselves to the other side. The daring night attempt
initially fails due to burner problems, sending one family's members
into hiding while they construct a second balloon with the help of
another family. The second escape attempt, this time with the military
aware of their plans, is equally perilous, but despite crashing once
again, the balloon manages to carry both groups just far enough.
Starring John Hurt, Night Crossing was a decent film, though John
McGreevey's screenplay is choked with ridiculous dialogue and shallow
connections between the primary characters. Countering with a very
strong effort is composer Jerry Goldsmith, who approached the project
with an interesting combination of exuberant spirit (inspired likely by
the determination of the families and the essence of flight) and
militaristic bombast (meant to represent the Communist control of the
region). There is even a slightly stereotypical European sensibility
exhibited by the composer in an accordion waltz used as one of the
film's primary themes. The overall personality of the music for Night
Crossing is adventurous, with a deadly serious tone occasionally
soothed by sensitivity that would be expanded upon in The Secret of
N.I.M.H. and melodramatic, sweeping drama that in some places offers
the same resonance that Lionheart would exhibit in abundance.
Trusting his composition to his usual performing group in London, the
National Philharmonic Orchestra, Goldsmith writes an unusually
complicated score for a film that really didn't deserve such complexity
in its music. The composer often created highly layered works for
cinematic failures, though unlike the pervasively optimistic and
therefore one-dimensional personality of a hyperactive score like
Supergirl, Night Crossing actually benefits greatly from
the constant flourishes of multi-layered activity. Goldsmith uses
fluttering or wildly spinning violin, woodwind, or piano lines around
his thematic material to not only accentuate the tension and excitement
of the journey, but the concept of uncertain flight.
Along with this constantly engaging level of fluid
motion in the score's atmosphere, Goldsmith provides three major themes
and two related motifs. The most striking of the themes is the one for
the oppressive Communist forces and the subsequently tense culture of
East Germany at the time. The propulsive, percussion and brass-dominated
idea is a direct descendent of the title theme for
Capricorn One,
using the same driving bass lines of pounding percussion, octave-hopping
rhythmic figures, and harsh brass tones. It's a relentlessly brutal
theme, among Goldsmith's most powerfully forbidding. The second theme
has the least impact in
Night Crossing; this delightfully pretty
accordion waltz represents the dream of freedom for the families, heard
most prominently in "The Picnic," "First Flight," and "End Credits." The
third theme is the heart of the score, born during the construction of
the balloons and rising with their flight to levels of redemptive
fantasy that serve as the inspiration for the similar applications in
Explorers. Finally developed into its rewarding stature in
"Success," this theme also informs "First Flight" and "Final Flight"
with extended renditions of majestic proportions. The two smaller motifs
include one built upon the first four notes of the primary flight theme
and used to foreshadow the balloons' success ("All in Vain") and another
that is essentially a restrained version of the percussion underneath
the Communist theme ("Prologue"). All of these ideas merge in the
stunning cue "First Flight," a ten-minute delight that includes the most
appealing performances of the flight theme. The accordion waltz is the
weak link here, and its anchoring of "End Titles" is a bit disappointing
despite serving its purpose. More importantly, Goldsmith doesn't allow
any portion of
Night Crossing to shake the interest of listeners,
with effective tension and the complicated layers of activity extending
to even the score's less overtly thematic cues. It's a strong hour-long
listening experience on album, one that will please those who seek the
composer's more intelligently conceived works. Intrada Records has
released
Night Crossing three times on CD, first pressing 47
minutes in 1987 (matching their LP record) and then following with a
limited product of 59 minutes in 1994 and a definitive expansion in
2014. Before becaming a rare collectible, the benefit of the 1994 CD was
its improved sound quality from a better source, and that point of
attraction is joined by interesting alternate takes for two major cues
on the 2014 product. A learned Goldsmith collector should not hesitate
to enjoy the most recent product and its superbly dynamic presentation
of a solid adventure score.
**** @Amazon.com: CD or
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Bias Check:
For Jerry Goldsmith reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.23
(in 140 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.25
(in 154,785 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
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