GETTYSBURG

RANDY EDELMAN

Rating:

Original Review: Many people often cite Gettysburg as the finest work of Randy Edelman's career to date. I would be inclined to agree. Written for an epic mini-series produced by media mogul Ted Turner (shown in cinemas in the UK), Gettysburg attempted to condense almost the entire American Civil War into a single feature - a bold but ultimately unsuccessful venture that wasn't helped by the fact that the convoluted history is extremely confusing to the uninitiated. Nevertheless, Ronald F. Maxwell's impressive rendering of the battle scenes and the performances of the star studded cast (which included Tom Berenger, Jeff Daniels, Martin Sheen, Sam Elliott and Stephen Lang) made it a programme worth remembering, as did the awe-inspiring moustaches worn by most of the actors. Edelman's 'Main Title' is a bold, noble theme for synthesisers and strings, with the subtle and appropriate accompaniment from an acoustic guitar to evoke a slightly nostalgic, slightly melancholy tone. It is first performed, on a massive scale, over a montage showing cameo-like photos of the main players - the real ones and the actors - and sounds wonderful when heard in this setting. The final performance of the theme, in 'Reunion and Finale' is equally magnificent. The majority of the score is based upon variations of the theme, but rather than becoming monotonous, the constant recapitulations give the music a sense of itself and its place in the order of things. Additionally, rather than composing separate themes for both the two sides, Edelman depicts the bravery of the men of both the opposing armies by using just the one theme - a decision which does not make judgements about the individual people involved in the bloody conflict, but which instead captures the sense of needless tragedy and loss that surrounded the entire campaign. Many of the battle sequences, such as 'Battle of Little Round Top', 'The First Battle', 'Over The Fence', 'Battle at Devil's Den' and the immense 'March to Mortality' have a real sense of urgency, with rhythmic drumpads and surging strings adding a forceful drive to the cues, which sound as though they were played through gritted teeth. These moments of grandiosity are tempered by slightly more wistful and restrained performances with a distinctly traditional feel, such 'Fife and Gun', 'General Lee at Twilight', 'General Lee's Solitude' and the lovely 'Killer Angel', which takes its name from the title of the Michael Shaara novel that inspired the movie. In addition, synthesised refrains of the Civil war songs 'Dixie' and 'Kathleen Mavourneen' add a fresh spin onto two old tunes. Surprisingly, Edelman's constant use of synthesisers rather than traditional acoustic instruments is actually very effective, and not as anachronistic as one might imagine. They lend the score a slightly more intimate and contemporary sound and give a realistic and relevant grounding to the historic events which took place over 100 years ago. Since it was first heard in 1993, Gettysburg, along with Dragonheart, has become the archetypal Edelman score, and gives the most moving and dramatic example of why he is hired to score movies so regularly.

Track Listing: Running Time: 57 minutes 26 seconds

Milan 73138-35654-2 (1993)

Music composed and conducted by Randy Edelman. Orchestrations by Ralph Ferraro. Recorded and mixed by Dennis Sands and Elton Ahi. Edited by Joanie Diener. Mastered by Joe Gastwirt. Album produced by Randy Edelman and David Franco.


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These web pages were designed and maintained by Jonathan Broxton copyright 1999. All opinions and views expressed on these pages are my own and are in no way intended to reflect those of my employer, the Trent Institute for Health Services Research, or those of the University of Sheffield.