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FILMTRACKS.COM
PRINTER-FRIENDLY VIEW 
Review of We Are Marshall (Christophe Beck)
FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:
Buy it... if you typically enjoy all formulaic, inspirational
sports genre scores, no matter how predictable they may be.
Avoid it... if you require a different angle to the genre and seek rhythmically victorious sports music to rival Jerry Goldsmith's historical standards.
FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:
We Are Marshall: (Christophe Beck) Despite the
deaths of several high profile sports stars in airplane accidents, it's
actually quite rare that an entire sports program is wiped out by a
single accident. This was the case with Marshall's Thundering Herd
varsity football team, whose chartered plane crashed in 1970 and killed
almost all of the players, coaches, athletic director, and major
financial supporters. The program would stir up controversy and
melodrama as it was resurrected the following year with inferior
players. The Thundering Herd would suffer through years of failure
before a combination of a Division I-AA championship over the powerhouse
Montana Grizzlies, as well as encouragement from the team's greatest
soon-to-be pro star, Randy Moss, would drive the program up to the
NCAA's prestigious I-A level in the late 1990's. As a film, We Are
Marshall is very careful to follow the actual events of the real
life tragedy, only adding circumstantial dramatic elements when
necessary. While the film desperately tries to avoid the long line of
cliches that typically riddle such sports films, We Are Marshall
has received a tepid response from critics for falling into that exact
trap. Lengthy pep talks and victorious, defiant displays of pride are
put forth, and only the dramatic controversy over whether or not to
restart the program at all sets it above the normal level of sports
films that litter the theatres each year. Both the two (arguably)
greatest sports scores in history came from the pen of the late Jerry
Goldsmith, whose Hoosiers and Rudy are symbols of
inspiration heard even today in promotional films. As the pinnacles in
the genre, it's difficult not to compare any serious, new sports film's
score to those standards. While remaining extremely active in the
television and feature scoring business the past two years, Christophe
Beck had yet to make an entry in this enduring genre. In fact, his body
of work didn't seem to point to him as an obvious choice to tackle We
Are Marshall, but the composer succeeds in providing all the basic
emotional input necessary to yank some moviegoers' tears. Does he
achieve Goldsmith's standards? No.
In his approach to writing respect into his music, Beck has created an ultimately conservative score for We Are Marshall. It accentuates the highly predictable emotions of each scene without necessarily adding any third dimension of its own. Extreme restrain is the order of the day, and Beck's score often risks becoming too formulaic to really stand out as a unique entry in the genre. In terms of inspirational crescendos, Beck serves out a stark, resilient, and somber title theme (with some dissonance) that uses its broad brass backing of the theme-carrying strings to instill the sense of pride that the film attempts to exude. It accomplishes this goal, with its several toned-back underscore variants providing a feel-good ambience of the comeback victory. In the latter cues, highlighted by "Game Day," Beck attempts to bring a little more sense of hope into his material. The faster rhythms boil to the level of unashamed enthusiasm that you would expect from story in "Second Half." Even in these high brass, cymbal crashing, flute wailing expressions of success, however, these final cues are still occupied in part by the dissonant weight of the loss during the first half of the score, keeping the overall product's feet firmly rooted in melodramatic contemplation. There are only a few cues that can't be predicted outright by a learned film score collector. First, Beck utilizes a marching band-style of percussion performance consistent with a college football setting for scenes on the field; these cues play more like source music than actual score. Perhaps the best cue in We Are Marshall is "Our Boy's Plane," which introduces a solo, mournful female voice over elegant piano and an eventual accompaniment by the full ensemble. The problem with most inspirational sports scores is that they have to try pretty hard to break the mold of their genre to get noticed. Beck, unfortunately, has created a score that follows the mold nearly note for note, and for a film with as many expectations as We Are Marshall, this mundane approach is destined to cause disappointment. Still, Beck's scores have tended to be difficult listening experiences on album over the past two years, and with We Are Marshall, he has provided perhaps his first truly listenable mainstream album. ***
TRACK LISTINGS:
Total Time: 54:29
NOTES & QUOTES:
The insert includes a list of performers, but no extra information about the score or film.
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