LIONHEART

JERRY GOLDSMITH

Rating:

Original Review: When you think about successful director-composer collaborations over the years, some classics instantly spring to mind: Alfred Hitchcock and Bernard Herrmann, Steven Spielberg and John Williams, Tim Burton and Danny Elfman, Kenneth Branagh and Patrick Doyle. You would not automatically think of Franklin J. Schaffner and Jerry Goldsmith but, actually, this was probably one of the most fruitful collaborations of them all. Through films like Planet of the Apes, Patton, Papillon, Islands in the Stream and The Boys from Brazil, Schaffner and Goldsmith contributed some of the most entertaining and unique films and scores ever to grace a cinema screen, and Lionheart was their last collaboration before Schaffner's death in 1989.

Lionheart has a chequered history, both in terms of the movie itself and its subsequent soundtrack release: the film never had a cinema release in either the States or in Great Britain, and was a critical and commercial flop on both sides of the Atlantic. The soundtrack, which is becoming increasingly rare, was released three times in 1987 alone: firstly in a two-volume set which had the full score spread over two separate albums, and in a third single CD containing the score's highlights. It is the third album which is being reviewed here. In essence, Lionheart could be described as Goldsmith's trial run for First Knight, his other medieval action score. Both works are of a similar style and have similar orchestrations, with graceful string melodies and brass fanfares playing a major part, but it is debatable as to which is the better score.

Lionheart is certainly an impressive composition in its own right, marrying an epic-sounding orchestra with Goldsmith's usual subtle electronics, and is built around Robert's Theme: a grand three-note motif first introduced in the opening track, 'The Ceremony', which works its way around every section of the orchestra and is interpolated into virtually every other cue as the score progresses. Goldsmith has also written a number of memorable minor themes, especially 'Failed Knight', 'The Banner' and 'Final Fight', a trio of fast-paced action cues with punchy horns similar to those in his recent score for Air Force One; the lush, string-based love theme in 'Robert and Blanche'; the strangely comedic muted brass march in 'Children in Bondage'; the bouncy synthesised travelling theme in 'The Road from Paris'; and 'Matilda' a flighty motif for with a prominent xylophone á la Leviathan.

It's a shame that Schaffner and Goldsmith were unable to work together more than they did because the two men obviously brought out the creative best in each other. While certainly not the best work Jerry Goldsmith has ever done, Lionheart is nevertheless a hugely enjoyable album which is well worth taking a little extra time and effort to seek out.

Track Listing: Running Time: 63 minutes 05 seconds

Varèse Sarabande VSD-5484 (1987)

Music composed and conducted by Jerry Goldsmith. Performed by The Hungarian State Opera Orchestra. Orchestrations by Arthur Morton and Alexander Courage. Recorded and mixed by Mike Ross. Edited by Bruce Botnick. Album produced by Jerry Goldsmith.


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