LASSIE

BASIL POLEDOURIS

Rating:

Original Review: The story of Lassie has become something of a cinematic cliché since the first movie based on the loveable collie's exploits, Lassie Come Home, graced the silver screen back in 1943. You could be forgiven for thinking that, in the cynical 1990s, a new film based on Eric Knight's old stories would be somewhat outdated, appealing to only the smallest of children and the most sentimental of adults. That description is almost right: the movie, directed by Daniel Petrie and starring Helen "Supergirl" Slater and Jon Tenney, hardly set the box office alight, and ended up sitting on the 'family movie' video shelves rather too quickly. But Basil Poledouris' accompanying score is actually quite special.

Poledouris' theme for Lassie himself overflows with heroism, nobility and the spirit of adventure. The broad, epic sweep of the music is a perfect depiction of the glorious countryside in which the film is set, and the lush orchestrations and impressively performed cues are all hugely enjoyable. The music is performed by the full London Metropolitan Orchestra, with its noticeably excellent brass section, and there are a few lovely pieces written with oboes and pianos in mind. The Lassie theme is presented fully in the opening track, 'Lassie - Main Title', and features prominently in many cues thereafter. But where some composers might solely rely on the main theme to provide the score's sole emotional outlet - not Poledouris.

In each of the album's ten cues, he continually works new and interesting motifs, action elements and sub-themes into his music, making the score as a whole thematically diverse, and never in the slightest bit boring. Highlights include the rather unsettling, atonal interlude at the beginning of 'Accident'; the bold, driving music heard during 'The Wolf Attack'; the playful build-up to the majestic rendition of the Lassie theme in 'New Beginnings'; the exciting, percussion-heavy 'Lassie Protects The Herd', and the epic finale 'Lassie Saves Matt'. If I was to make a slight criticism of the album, it would be to say that the sound level on the CD is far too low - you really have to crank up the power to get any kind of decent volume. This, of course, is of no detriment to Basil Poledouris himself, whose music and abundant talent I appreciate more and more, seemingly by the day.

Track Listing: Running Time: 38 minutes 00 seconds

Sony Wonder LK-66414 (1994)

Music composed by Basil Poledouris. Conducted by Allan Wilson. Performed by The London Metropolitan Orchestra. Solo piano performed by Sally Heath. Recorded and mixed by Tim Boyle. Edited by Curtis Roush. Mastered by Ric Wilson. Album produced by Basil Poledouris.


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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.