: (John Williams) A figurative and
literal vehicle for actor Steve McQueen, the 1969 drama
is partly a silly comedy about colorful characters but at
its core is a coming-of-age tale for a boy growing up in rural Tennessee
circa 1905. The boy, Lucius, is friends with a couple of likable thieves
who serve as surrogate fathers for him. When those men steal Lucius'
grandfather's brand-new Winton Flyer car, the boy joins them on a
journey to Memphis. Along the way, Lucius learns how to drive, meets and
develops a crush on a well-meaning hooker associated with McQueen's lead
thief, rides a horse in a high stakes race, and ultimately has to
confront his grandfather about his adventures. The film's dramatic
portions for the boy, the hooker, and other more serious topics are
always at odds with the spirited, care-free journeying and chase scenes
involving the flashy yellow car. It's an imperfect film, especially with
McQueen being awkwardly miscast in the lead role, but it managed to earn
respect for its other performances and, surprisingly, its equally
diverse music. Director Mark Rydell originally received Lalo Schifrin as
the film's composer, but after his music was ultimately rejected, John
Williams stepped in and earned an Oscar nomination for his last-minute
replacement work. Rydell and Williams enjoyed a fruitful collaboration
that really establish the composer as a master of orchestral Americana
early in his career. Williams had been known for his smaller ensemble
jazz scores of the 1960's, and the tandem of
caught the attention of others in the industry,
contributing to the maestro's shift in the 1970's to massive orchestral
music for feature films. There is certainly a dose of Aaron Copland in
Williams' approach to
, but what really impressed
audiences and colleagues was the layered mastery of the underlying
composition. While the folksiness of the music may be written off by
some listeners as rooted in the composer's common, early 1970's,
harmonica-driven folk influences, there is writing in the score that
clearly exposes his intelligently deep lines of action and knack for
emotional depth.
In general, the score for
The Reivers may be best
recalled for its wild banjo, acoustic guitar, harmonica, upright bass,
and fiddle character, its Appalachian spirit genuinely affectionate and
appropriate for the era of the setting. Williams leans into these
specialty performances, especially in conjunction with inventive
percussion. The bluesy jazz for the Memphis portions of the work offers
notable brass solos as well. But he also counters these styles with a
bevy of dramatic and whimsical string and woodwind-led thematic passages
that are the heartfelt representation of Lucius' growing up and the
(mostly) good hearts of those around him. Brass is supplied with the
ensemble to provide additional muscle to the major expressions of the
positive themes. Great harp work is littered throughout the score. Of
particular interest is a singular cue of impressively light wonderment
that foreshadows the softer portions of
Jurassic Park; in "The
Picture," the composer perfectly captures Lucius' admiration of a
painting of a nude woman in the brothel in which he and his fellow
thieves are staying. In the end,
The Reivers is a more orchestral
version of
The Missouri Breaks and contains significantly more
appeal in both its halves. Don't be quick to discount the outright zany,
comedic hillbilly cues that Williams devises for the chase scenes, his
chaos motif outrageously fun in its rowdiness. After all, how often did
Williams instruct someone to enthusiastically bang on a cowbell? This
motif is among several themes in the score, and it serves carnival
atmosphere led by tonk piano and the folk players at 2:02 into "The Bad
News" before exploding with ripping banjo and the banging metal accents
in "The People Protest." It's an extension of the Winton Flyer car theme
that opens with a light little fanfare at 2:49 into "The Winton Flyer"
before fully debuting in frantic chase mode at 3:11 for the opening
scene of thievery. This theme returns at 1:00 into "Lucius' First
Drive," interrupts the main theme at 0:54 into "The Road to Memphis,"
diminishes to baseline enthusiasm only at 1:02 into "The Sheriff
Departs," and dances around the tune early in "Finale," though that
track wholesale reprises the "Main Title" fanfare and car motif at 1:50.
These themes for the car and the chaos of the whores may drive some
listeners nuts, but they are immensely charming.
The main theme of
The Reivers accesses the same
folk elements as the wilder comedy themes but applies them with
wholesome orchestral backing. Descending with Western spirit in its
mannerisms, this theme is primarily for the location of the tale. Some
listeners may hear a vague whiff of Jerry Goldsmith's melodic tendencies
for this kind of setting, but the two composers were largely paralleling
each other in developing such ideas. The structure of the phrasing makes
good use of the call and answer formation in the ebb and flow of the
hopes of everyone involved in the story. It is extensively developed at
0:18, 1:09, and 1:48 into "Main Title" on strings, building to full
ensemble renditions, and casual listeners will find these performances
to be the best summary of the whole score. It follows tentatively at
0:30 into "Family Funeral," sprinkles amongst the vibrant car material
at 1:34 into "Lucius' First Drive," and breaks through the folksy
rambles at 0:37 into "The Road to Memphis," where it adopts the cue's
ambitious instrumental flavor at 1:13. The main theme then tries to
emerge a few times near the awkward splice at the end of "Ned's Secret"
and turns the mood more upbeat at 1:52 into "Prayers at Bedtime." It
offers comfort in pretty tones at 2:10 into "Back Home" on harmonica,
guitar, and piano and then transforms into a rousing string resolution
to close out the cue. In the moments of "Finale" prior to the tracking
of the opening cue, this theme is flowing on strings at 0:18 and large
from the ensemble at 0:47. Often intertwined with this theme is the more
contemplative, sensitive, and intimate identity for Lucius, an ascending
lullaby of wholesome drama. Heard at 0:26 into "First Instruction" on
harmonica and then at 2:18 on tonk piano and woodwinds, the boy's theme
is a bit wayward but hopeful in the woodwind performance during
"Reflections." The idea's preview of
Jurassic Park starts at 0:29
into "Carrie's Entrance" (prior to "The Picture"), and its phrasing is
expressed with thoughtful whimsy in light shades during "Prayers at
Bedtime." It shifts to strained, high agony from violins in "Lucius Runs
to Carrie" before countering with a soothing moment on piano and guitar.
After the boy's acceptance by his grandfather for his misdeeds, his
theme is far more chipper and accelerated at 0:31 into "Finale," moving
to piano, woodwind, and harmonica enthusiasm at 1:19.
On top of the themes for the boy and movie as a whole,
Williams also conjured something of a redemption theme, a grandiose and
dramatic idea with underlying waltz sophistication akin to 1968's
Heidi. It's the single theme in
The Reivers that most
hints at the composer's future majesty. This theme blossoms into a
triumphant string melody at 3:30 into "First Instruction," the
composer's optimism at its best, and a slightly altered version appears
early in "Carrie's Entrance," consuming the Lucius theme at 0:49 and
closing out the cue with warmth on strings. It supports the Lucius
material in "Prayers at Bedtime" and reprises the "Main Title" rendition
at 2:30 into "Finale," a disappointingly direct retracking of the same
performance. The last theme Williams wrote for
The Reivers is one
for trouble generally but also a representation of Memphis by
association. Lending immediate flavor on lazy, bluesy jazz early in "The
Road to Memphis," this music continues on stylish trombone early in "The
Sheriff Departs" and is developed in a different direction for the
straight hipness of "Memphis," his latter incarnation extending to
lesser tones of flair in "Ned's Trade." Sadly, despite its strengths and
historical significance for Williams,
The Reivers has never
received a comprehensive album release. Roughly half an hour is
available, though the final track repeats the suite arrangement from
"Main Title" but with a tacky ending thrown on the conclusion. The cue
for the somewhat awkward slow-motion horse race is not on any album, but
there's not much unreleased music. A 1990 album conveys better sound
quality, but a 1995 follow-up features one additional cue
("Reflections"). Williams has re-recorded a variety of suites from the
score over the years, most notably in 1994, when he arranged a 19-minute
suite for a concert and the "Music for Stage and Screen" compilation
album from Sony Classical. Interestingly, the highlights of this suite
are two entirely new sequences he wrote for the car's travels and horse
race sequences, and these are a great addition to the work. Although
it's wonderful that Burgess Meredith was still alive at the time and
could reprise his narration from the original film, the constant
presence of these spoken lines makes this suite a challenge for Williams
purists. Still, at least there exist options for the Williams score; the
rejected Schifrin alternative has never been released at all. Seek
either of the Williams' score's original albums to appreciate a charming
transition in his career.
**** @Amazon.com: CD or
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