This is the first score by Maurice Jarre that
I've ever been exposed to, and while I don't know how it fits in with his
previous work, I personally think it's quite a nice score. While the music remains fairly conventional in
form, Jarre makes terrific use of
ethnic African sounds throughout. Sometimes this makes for some disturbing
sections, of which that may be the intent, but for the most part they really add
a lot of flavor to the score.
The main theme is really the backbone to the
score and it gets a lot of playing with a lot of interesting twists
throughout. There is also an abundance of secondary themes and they are used
quite extensively as well, though they are not as prevalent as the
main theme. As mentioned before, the inclusion of the African elements,
which consists of some ethnic chorus and certain instruments whose whining
sound I can't even begin to describe, really adds a nice touch to the score. It gives the
music a totally distinct geographic setting. While the overall tone of the
score is generally lighthearted, there are some tracks where the African
"jungle sounds" used to convey the sense of dread and danger. These tracks are aptly titled Storm
and Death and Misery. I'm not sure if the tracks are in chronological
order or not (or even the music within the tracks since they are all pretty
much grouped in suites the same way most Media Ventures scores are
released), but the CD is nicely balanced between the lighter tracks and the
more darker cues. Jarre's score is broken up with different African-styled
songs which may or may not be in the film itself (but I gather they are from
the info on the CD).
I was really impressed with my first venture
into the world of Maurice Jarre and I look forward to
hearing more of his works in the future. Whether or not you're a fan, I'd say
if you like more romantic type scores with an exotic sound to them, you definitely
should check this one out. ****
