Filmtracks Traffic Rank: #494
Written 4/10/03, Revised 3/20/09
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Buy it... if you're in the habit of purchasing collectible soundtracks for
the purpose of appreciating or studying their fascinating constructs rather than
readily enjoying them.
Avoid it... if the limited album isn't worth what amounts to a remarkably
disjointed and depressing listening experience.
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| Schifrin |
THX 1138: (Lalo Schifrin) Known only for the fact that it
was director George Lucas' first large scale film, the 1971 science fiction
thriller THX 1138 is a reasonably interesting proposition about future
oppression in 25th Century human culture. Because of Lucas' employment of stark
dialogue and sets, as well as the juxtaposed elements of emotional and mechanical
operation, it is a production once hailed as being from the future rather than
about the future. The film was received with mixed greetings by viewers and
critics (perhaps due in part to an anti-drug message that flew in the face of
popular norms at the time), but was elevated to cult status immediately upon the
popularity of Lucas' Star Wars in 1977. As genre fans will be quick to
point out, there are several aspects of THX 1138, ranging from costumes
and sound effects to the humanization of machines, that would be addressed to a
much greater extent in the Star Wars franchise, though the director often
referred to those popular films as his personal antidote to menacing visions of
the future like THX 1138. Ultimately, the film has become an object to
study rather than enjoy, and the same could be said of Lalo Schifrin's music for
the project, too. Schifrin had been known mostly at the time (and still is) for
his well received jazz scores, but the late 1960's and early 1970's had become a
time of musical experimentation for the composer. In fact, in the early 1970's
movement of Silver Age avant garde tendencies in soundtracks, he had been labeled
as one of those "weird" composers who could provide any kind of bizarre music
that a film may require. Lucas was looking for exactly that "weird" variety of
score, combining a distinctive collection of sound effects with an organic and
electronic underscore of minimalistic and alienating personality. Schifrin also
had the capability to write material that was affectionately known as "be happy"
music, which would be necessary to accentuate the confusing difference between
reality and government-sponsored, religious mind control. In the end, Schifrin
produced a highly effective futuristic sound for the film.
Utilizing in parts an orchestral string section, a few
woodwinds, harp, vibraphone, and several percussive elements, Schifrin produced
the bulk of the score's horrific atmosphere with primitive synthesizers.
Occasional vocal integration addresses the religious aspect of the oppression.
The concept of alienation is well served by the droning, themeless performances
of the ensemble in off-kilter, slightly dissonant constructs. The fascist
government is scored with liturgical, baroque music, sometimes breaking out into
Gregorian chants when big brother is striking fear into the titular THX drone. A
love theme, very lightly performed by three instruments (highlighted by alto
flute), laments the doomed love between THX and LUH and is largely lost in the
equation. Finally, the avant garde elements of the score provide the true,
worldly fascinating music for the timeless environment, incorporating rhythms and
percussion instruments from Africa and East Asia into strangely uncomfortable
situations. The unpleasant result is highly effective, but yields an
understandably emotionally disturbing score both in and out of context.
Schifrin's work was finally pressed onto album by Film Score Monthly in the sixth
year of their Silver Age Classics series. The presentation contains absolutely
everything you would and wouldn't hear in the film, pulled from strong master
tapes and including several source cues and other material that did not make
Lucas' final cut. The "Be Happy Again" jingle (definitely a piece to use for
kicks and giggles at your workplace) offers a frightening contrast to the
terrifying sound effects of the prison torture sequence, which also serves in
contrast to the use of J.S. Bach's harmonic "St. Matthew Passion" over the end
titles.
THX 1138 is a score deserving of study by film music historians
and enthusiasts, but it's hardly palatable for casual listeners. On album, the
variety of elements in Schifrin's work are too diverse and troubling to provide
for a good listening experience, and to that end, perhaps the film itself would
be a better recommendation for most score fans. Hardcore collectors, however,
will likely find
THX 1138 to be a very enticing entry for appreciation in
the Silver Age Classics series from FSM, though the album did not sell out within
the first five years of its existence.
** @Amazon.com: CD or
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