THE HORSE WHISPERER

THOMAS NEWMAN

Rating:

Original Review: I must admit, I was expecting great things from The Horse Whisperer. My interest was fuelled firstly by the fact that the movie is an outdoors drama set in the majestic mountains of Montana, a sure sign of a possible epic score. Second, it is composed by Thomas Newman, whose music is appealing to me more and more these days. Third, I have heard it described as a combination of Legends of the Fall and The Shawshank Redemption, both of which are my favourite scores by their respective composers, James Horner and Thomas Newman. So, I guess you could say I was looking forward to this one. The problem with looking really forward to a score is that, when it finally graces the innards of your CD player, it can often be a let down - and that's what happened here. It's not that The Horse Whisperer is a bad score, really. It has plenty of rustic charm and contains all the stereotypical Montana rhythms and textures Robert Redford wanted for his adaptation of Nicholas Evans' best-selling novel. I just feel that so much more could have been made of this score. It's getting to be a kind of cliché when talking about Thomas Newman's work, but many of the cues in The Horse Whisperer are quite unorthodox and defiantly refuse to adhere to any kind of standard orchestral formula. He throws pianos, fiddles, mandolins and acoustic guitars in with synthesised dissonance and bird-noises during the course of the score and, although some of the tunes are quite catchy and fun, if truth be known, it is precisely this unconventional style which is Newman's downfall. If ever a movie really needed an epic, romantic score, The Horse Whisperer did. However, Newman's love for experimental musical touches and low-key Americana, to me, sounded totally inappropriate and completely underwhelmed me. Throughout the score, only about a dozen of the 28 cues really made an impression: 'Double Divide', 'The Voice of God' and 'The Vast Continent' feature a lovely romantic string theme reminiscent of his work on Phenomenon; 'The Rhythm of the Horse' finally provides the first rendition of the movie's main theme, a gorgeous orchestral piece which has its impact increased no end by the introduction of a lilting flute, and which is repeated again during the 'End Title'. 'Iron' and 'Hereford Cross' are much more punchy and full of life, and feature a great fiddle element, booming bass drum effects and electric guitar twangs; 'Simple Truths', 'Awkward Talk' and 'Grace' are all soft, atmospheric piano solos, and 'Your Misfortune' has an unusual but effective fiddle and cello duet. However, 'Montana' is my favourite cue on the album, because this is the one-and-only time where Newman finally lets his orchestra work, and allows the music to build into a huge, dominant, beautiful Americana theme - oh, how I wish the whole score could have been similar to this! It has been well documented that Thomas Newman replaced John Barry on this project after Robert Redford decided he was displeased with the English composer's early work. People should note that the early rushes of the movie were temp-tracked with music from The Shawshank Redemption. It has also been strongly rumoured that Barry's unused theme for The Horse Whisperer worked its way into his new classical work, The Beyondness of Things. Having now heard both albums, I know which one I would have chosen to score the movie.

Track Listing: Running Time: 57 minutes 58 seconds

Hollywood Records HR-62137-2 (1998)

Music composed and conducted by Thomas Newman. Orchestrations by Thomas Pasatieri. Featured musical soloists George Doering, Rick Cox, Sid Page, Michael Fisher, Steve Tavaglione, Steve Kujala, Erika Duke-Kirkpatrick, Dennis Karmazyn, Jon Clarke, George Budd, Chas Smith, Ralph Grierson, Thomas Newman and Gary Rydstrom. Recorded by Dennis Sands. Mixed by Dennis Sands and Thomas Newman. Edited by Bill Bernstein. Mastered by Joe Gastwirt and Ramón Bretón. Album produced by Thomas Newman and Bill Bernstein.


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These web pages were designed and maintained by Jonathan Broxton copyright 1998. 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.