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| Broughton |
Silverado: (Bruce Broughton) By the early 1980's,
the Western genre was all but left for dead, the kind of thing meant to
be lampooned by Mel Brooks. The Lawrence Kasdan production of
Silverado in 1985 marked the sudden return of the serious Western
to the Hollywood landscape, spawning a wide range of entries in the
following ten years that included some of the industry's most applauded
movies. Despite a budget of only $26 million, Kasdan was able to
assemble a fantastic ensemble cast by banking on leads whose best years
were still mostly ahead of them. The group of Kevin Kline, Scott Glenn,
Kevin Costner, Danny Glover, Brian Dennehy, and John Cleese anchoring
Silverado has made the film a frequent entry for late night
television lineups. The plot addresses nearly all of the stereotypical
Western elements, from rancher and sheriff disputes to outlaw
protagonists that band together to save dusty towns from violent
oppression. Everything about
Silverado defied expectations with a
reception that deemed the film a fresh new start to a genre in the era,
and the original score by Bruce Broughton was the most obvious reason
for that reaction. Broughton's music received countless accolades that
led to an Academy Award nomination for the composer and thrust him
quickly into a role as one of Hollywood's leading voices for Western
scores in the years to come. It is too early to definitively say that
Silverado caused Broughton to be a "one hit wonder" from a
mainstream perspective, but there is a sense that all of his endeavors
for topics involving the Old West or other adventuresome realms were
destined to be compared to his 1985 calling card. Foremost among these
subsequent works remains 1993's
Tombstone, which expands upon the
various dramatic elements in
Silverado but does not feature the
earlier score's immensely satisfying title theme. A healthy debate about
Silverado can revolve around the issue of whether or not its fame
is due to just that one theme or its entire package. In some ways, a
score like
Tombstone offers more consistently interesting,
quality material, but at the end of the day, there simply cannot be any
doubt that Broughton's thematic identities for
Silverado are the
legendary crowning achievement of his career.
The suite of two themes from the score has been
performed countless times in concerts worldwide, and the unquestionably
outstanding title theme is as memorable as John Williams' fantastic
themes of that era in Hollywood history. The formula of large symphonic
bombast that Kasdan and Broughton agreed upon for
Silverado was a
180 degree turn from the style of Ennio Morricone minimalism that had
dominated the genre in the 1970's. Parts of
Silverado are as
rowdy as any Western score in history, explosive in their ambitious
brass and percussion employment. Broughton's affinity for intriguing
trombone applications extends to the entire brass section, yielding
layers of wildly maneuvering harmony often accompanied by equally
ambitious violin lines; it's no wonder
Silverado presents so much
difficulty for some performing groups to nail down. The main theme is
divided into two parts, the opening fanfare and the actual melody. Both
are afforded extremely attractive brass treatment that varies
considerably in tone, from the smoothly flowing "On to Silverado" to the
rambunctious, concert-like "We'll Be Back." Despite being able to stand
on their own for brief references, these two motifs are the highlights
of the score when Broughton uses the fanfare's heroic progressions to
serve as counterpoint to the primary theme. Additionally, when Broughton
tones back the theme and hands it to high strings and woodwinds in "On
to Silverado," you hear very clearly just how beautiful the idea truly
is in any incarnation. That cue also contains the score's most cohesive
presentation of the secondary "settler's theme" that is best known as
the middle sequence within the famous concert suite for
Silverado. Acoustic guitar and trumpet solos are another
significant highlight of this memorable cue. Broughton assigns a dark,
rhythmic identity to the evil ranchers in the plot, allowing snare and
growling bass elements to represent them in ways that would be reprised
in
Tombstone for the antagonists there. Tambourines, piano,
triangles, and wood blocks provide some levity to the brighter cues,
assisting in maintaining a soundscape that is remarkably dynamic in the
majority of the score. If a complaint were to be registered in regards
to the thematic aspect of
Silverado, it's that Broughton doesn't
adapt his primary theme enough times, because the highlights of the
score are easily those cues in which he does.
Listeners unfamiliar with the full score may also be
surprised by the amount of playing time occupied by barely audible
suspense or conversational material. There is a fair amount of mundane
music in the midsection, highlighted by a handful of unconventional
techniques for creating disturbed ambience for the genre. Foremost among
these is the use of an eerie, descending bass tone reminiscent of what
Jerry Goldsmith sprinkled throughout the
Poltergeist franchise.
Broughton also uses a cymbal to seemingly emulate the ominous warning of
a rattlesnake to foreshadow the rancher gang's activities, as in "Augie
is Taken." Overall,
Silverado is a strong score from start to
end, but not worthy of designation as a classic until you take the title
theme into consideration. Few themes have endured through the years as
well as this one, and it's catchy enough to engrain itself in your
memory and refuse to budge. The spread of the thematic statements
between various sections of the orchestra is also an aspect of
Silverado that will ultimately impress any listener. Broughton
has always praised the performances of the Los Angeles ensemble utilized
for this score, though the brass section does commit a few distracting
errors during the especially difficult sequences (most notably from the
horns). The score has been the centerpiece of the Intrada Records
label's relationship with Broughton that has remained strong for
decades. An original 46-minute CD pressing in 1992 expanded upon Geffen
Records' 31-minute LP record release, and in 2005 Intrada provided the
complete score on two CDs with significantly improved sound due to
better source and mastering technologies. Technically, there are some
source cues recorded by Broughton on piano that are missing from the
2005 edition of unlimited quantity, but all of the symphonic music
recorded is included on the product (including a few bonus cues at the
end of the second CD). Some of the track titles of the two Intrada CDs
differ due to the varying edits of the album presentations. Most of the
additional 40 minutes of music will be somewhat uninteresting or
redundant to casual listeners, though the improvement in sound quality
will be worth the $30 price tag (more so than Intrada's 2006 expansion
of
Tombstone) for anyone who has always held an affinity for the
score's memorable title theme. That theme is the kind of phenomenon that
carries an entire score regardless of the quality of the medium, and
Silverado therefore enjoys the highest rating possible.
***** @Amazon.com: CD or
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| Bias Check: |
For Bruce Broughton reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.36
(in 11 reviews)
and the average viewer rating is 3.28
(in 4,522 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
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The inserts of both albums include information about the score and
film, though the 2005 set features a more extensive analysis.
