| On the Beach |
| Composed by Christopher Gordon |
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Orchestrated and Conducted by Christopher Gordon Produced by Christopher Gordon and Robert Townson Release Date: 1999 |
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I've had this soundtrack for quite a while and despite hearing good things about it from different sources it is only now that I've really sat down to listen to it. On the Beach is the tale of the last human survivors on Earth after a devastating nuclear war. It is more of a human drama story than a war movie and the 2000 TV film is a remake of an earlier 1959 film which starred Gregory Peck and Anthony Perkins. The original film was interesting in some places, but overall I found it to be quite talky and certain scenes were stretched out a little too long. The score was also not very impressive, with some rather loud mixes that threatened to drown out dialog and some cues that were just cut mid-stride. I have looked everywhere for the remake, but having not come across it yet, I can't comment on how well it compares, but Christopher Gordon's score does seem to work a lot better than Ernest Gold's score to the original film. The CD opens with The World at War, a track that begins ominously and then builds into an impressive military-type fanfare. Both themes are repeated throughout the score though not very often. I enjoyed the fanfare the most and Gordon gets some interesting uses out of it. The tone of the score shifts back and forth between darkly depressing undertones and more romantic pieces as demanded by the nature of the film. This really makes things interesting, especially when Gordon blends the two together. This is also helpful in making the score an enjoyable listening experience since it is not firmly on the side of the distressing plotline, nor is it full of gaiety and happiness. It is a pleasing blend that few scores of this nature seem to capture. For all of its strengths, the score seems to lose some of its steam in the second half, and it would have really benefited from more interesting themes, especially since the best two don't appear frequently. Still, this is a great release from Varese with over 73 minutes of music on the CD. The linear notes are a little lacking since a track-by-track analysis would have been really nice for this score, but overall it is a fine release. This is an excellent score and I am looking forward to hearing more from Christopher Gordon in the future. Those expecting a "war" score will be disappointed, but taken for the dramatic score that it is, it is quite an enjoyable experience. Highly recommended. ***** |
| Track Listing - Total Running Time: 73:35 | |
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