THE ROCKETEER
Rating: 
Original Review: Many people think that The Rocketeer contains one of the best themes James Horner has ever written, and I am inclined to agree. The delicate piano theme that begins in the first few bars of the Main Title/Takeoff, and then starts to pick up different sections of the orchestra as it goes on is undeniably beautiful, and sets the mood perfectly: it is purposefully upbeat and heroic at the same time, while still containing a certain innocence and boy's-own charm reflecting the 1930s setting. This main 'flying theme' reoccurs throughout the score, especially in the cues 'Jenny's Rescue', 'The Zeppelin' and 'Rocketeer to the Rescue/End Credits', which is without a doubt the best cue on the album, and there is also a secondary romantic theme written for Jenny, the love interest in the film. Some of the other cues, with the exception of 'The Flying Circus' which is a huge and exciting action piece featuring the main theme as well as a suite of original music, are typical underscore, with lots of meandering strings and occasional flashes of orchestral excitement until the main theme bursts through each time, giving the cue an instant and incredible lift. The two songs, both of which are period pieces sung by Melora Hardin are pretty good, but neither add nor detract from the overall feeling of the album. Overall, this is one of James Horner's better scores, and certainly one that any serious fan of his music will not want to miss.
Track Listing:
- Main Title/Takeoff (4:30)
- The Flying Circus (6:30)
- Jenny (5:10)
- Begin the Beguine (written by Cole Porter, performed by Melora Hardin) (3:36)
- Neville Sinclair's House (7:20)
- Jenny's Rescue (3:20)
- Rendezvous at Griffith Park Observatory (8:10)
- When Your Lover Has Gone (written by E.A. Swan, performed by Melora Hardin) (3:25)
- The Zeppelin (8:00)
- Rocketeer To The Rescue/End Title (6:30)
Running Time: 57 minutes 18 seconds
Hollywood Records HR-61117-2 (1991)
Music composed and conducted by James Horner. Orchestrations by John Neufeld and Elliot Kaplan. Additional orchestrations by Billy May and Conrad Pope. Recorded and mixed by Shawn Murphy. Edited by Jim Henrikson. Mastered by Dave Collins. Album produced by James Horner.
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These web pages were designed and maintained by Jonathan Broxton copyright 1997. 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.