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Review of The River (John Williams)
FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:
Buy it... if you have grown weary of John Williams' space operas
and high adventure style of the 1980's and seek a change of pace with
one of the composer's most heartfelt and organic works of pure
Americana.
Avoid it... if you have absolutely no tolerance for the moderate use of contemporary rhythms and percussion in parts of the score, as The River is somewhat dated in these regards.
FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:
The River: (John Williams) Due to the politics and
economics of the era, there was a flurry of films in the early 1980's
that dealt with dramatic representations of the hardship of the American
farmer. Largely because The River arrived last in this series in
1984, audiences weren't particularly sympathetic to it. The quality of
the film, despite poor critical response, is quite decent, setting aside
the awkwardness of Sissy Spacek and Mel Gibson as the leading couple
fighting to save their farm from both a regularly flooding river and a
hydroelectric developer played brilliantly by Scott Glenn. Director Mark
Rydell once again turns his attention on the mundane but important
aspects of rural America in The River, tackling the subject of
farming from both the perspectives of money and natural disaster.
Gibson, while not known widely at the time, has always remained the weak
link in an otherwise precise depiction of contemporary Tennessee
lifestyles, his Appalachian accent never convincing. Helping counter his
miscasting is composer John Williams, who was once again inspired by
Rydell to convey a convincing sense of Americana that few modern
composers could accomplish. Williams' work for Rydell had included
several portraits of America prior to the composer's space opera
revolution, including The Reivers and The Cowboys, and
while The River obviously exists in a different generation and
addresses more realistic, everyday subject matter for many audiences,
Williams does not miss the chance to emphasize the farmland along with
the people. The success of The River as a score is owed to
Williams' ability to capture the pastoral elements of the landscape and
a simple lifestyle in both the broader scope of expansive melodrama that
listeners have come to expect from him and, more importantly, in the
more confined atmosphere of personal, heartfelt struggles. Throughout
the picture, Williams' score offsets the film's muted colors and ominous
storm clouds with a surprisingly upbeat spirit of perseverance and
respect for the land. It is as organic in texture as the composer has
perhaps ever been, and the maestro supplies an abundance of themes to
express this emotional range.
The music for The River does occasionally reach for the sense of majesty that was common in the composer's scores of the early 1980's, but for listeners weary of Williams' fantasy and adventure sound of this period, The River has always been an anomaly worthy of repeat appreciation. The Academy agreed, nominating this score along with Williams' other, totally disparate work of the year, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. In many ways, The River has more of a unique impact on its film than its better-known companion from that year. One of the small wonders regarding The River is the fact that Williams created four distinct themes for the picture and managed to develop each one with remarkable precision throughout his relatively short score. Listeners often get sidetracked by Williams memorable instrumentation for the recording, including notable contributions by trumpet, flute, contemporary percussion, and, most importantly, acoustic guitar. But the underlying themes in The River allow the remarkable solo performances to appeal to the heart of the listener better than the ensemble could have done with otherwise mechanical structures. The album arrangement of "The River" conveniently conveys all four of these ideas in direct succession. The first theme is one of jubilation and hope, opening the first twenty seconds of that opening cue and occupying greater time in the first minute of "From Farm to Factory." This idea is very reminiscent in spirit and performance of the perky adventure theme from Jaws. Most prominent in the score is the next theme heard in "The River," Williams' primary representation of wholesome living and determination to make it work in tough circumstances. It is this undeniably charming theme, usually performed with piano and guitar underneath the ensemble, that extends to "The Pony Ride" (where it receives some noteworthy embellishment in the form of a complimentary country-inspired motif), "Back From Town," and "A Family Meeting." Third in the cue "The River," at 2:15 is the score's love theme, tenderly representing the primary couple's moments of bonding in the story. Solo trumpet in low ranges gives this theme a comfortable throwback personality, expanded considerably by Williams in "Love Theme From the River" and reprised with trepidation in "From Farm to Factory," briefly in "A Family Meeting," and in fragments in "Young Friends Farewell." Most elusive in the score for The River is the theme for the land, usually performed by solo flute and appearing first at 3:30 into "The River." Soaring to great heights in "The Ancestral Home," a cue reminiscent of The Towering Inferno and closest to the composer's dramatic writing of the decade, this theme is frequently heard thereafter, including "Rain Clouds Gather," "Back From Town," and "A Family Meeting." Secondary motifs for the children of the lead couple are consolidated into the album's "Growing Up." Together, these elements create an extremely effective work, "A Family Meeting" rotating through all of the themes so effortlessly that Williams achieves remarkable cohesion. While the drum kit-style of percussion and electric keyboarding in a minority of The River will date the score too badly for some listeners, the three notable acoustic soloists will save the score for others. The extended guitar work in "Growing Up" and "The Pony Ride" is extremely easy on the ears, seemingly informing James Horner's style of incorporating the instrument into a whimsical but warm environment for The Spitfire Grill a decade later. There is at least five minutes of Williams' many different dramatic styles each to be heard in the various parts of The River, giving any collector of his music guaranteed highlights. Only the harrowing scene of "The Tractor" receives minimalistic, troubled material of suspenseful dissonance to break up the album's presentation. Williams' distinct LP arrangement was released on CD by Varèse Sarabande in 1991, fell out of print, and became extremely difficult to find, demanding surprisingly unrealistic prices over $100. It took until 2020 before Intrada Records finally pressed the film version of the score, which actually runs shorter than Williams' separate album recordings as a presentation. There was extensive mingling of material for the album, and while it's great to hear the full extent of recorded music for The River, it's not an essential improvement in longer form, especially with only marginally improved sound quality. The highlights of the Intrada album may be the three alternate tracks, including the fascinatingly contemporary take on "Leaving Home" that made the film. Despite being recorded separately, the differences between film and album arrangements are mostly minimal. In the end, The River remains a lovely and highly effective soft spot in Williams' career, and either album presentation will offer the best music from the score. ****
TRACK LISTINGS:
1991 Varèse Album:
Total Time: 37:05
2020 Intrada Album: Total Time: 79:14
* previously unreleased
NOTES & QUOTES:
The insert of the 1991 Varèse album includes a short note about the
score and film. That of the 2020 Intrada product contains extensive details about
both.
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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 River are Copyright © 1991, 2020, Varèse Sarabande, Intrada Records and cannot be redistributed without the label's expressed written consent. Page created 8/13/09 and last updated 4/13/21. |
