STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE

JERRY GOLDSMITH

Rating:

Original Review: Reviewers, when they write, often discuss "classic" scores and films. Classic is a word that is used so often in everyday vocabulary that sometimes its true meaning is lost among a host of superlatives. But, make no mistake, Jerry Goldsmith's score for Star Trek: The Motion Picture is a true, bonafide classic in every sense of the word. In 1979, when the movie was released, the Star Trek franchise was not enjoying the same good health it does in 1999.

The TV series had been cancelled by NBC almost a decade earlier, much to the despair of the fans who had adored the adventures of Captain Kirk, Spock, McCoy and the Starship Enterprise. An extremely short-lived animated spin-off series had aired during the mid-70s, and the film itself had been dogged by script re-writes, in-fighting between producers, and a vastly bloated budget which almost crippled Paramount, the film's distributor. The story was a rather obvious adaptation of the episode "The Changeling" from the original series, and had the crew of the Starship Enterprise doing battle with a mysterious cloud-like entity known only as Vejur which had appeared in the outer reaches of the galaxy, threatening to destroy the Earth in an attempt for it to become one with its "maker". In reality, Vejur was a machine that had, over time, evolved an intellect and become self-aware, and needed some kind of reassurance about its own identity and purpose in life - something which could only be achieved if it merged with a human form.

Despite these lofty ruminations on the purpose of life, the film was something of a flop: more cerebral, more careful, and certainly slower in pacing and action than the series itself, and it would not be until 1982 and the release of Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan that the franchise would pick up speed and become the blockbuster we know and love today. However, the two elements of the film which caught the public's imagination were the amazing special effects which, for their day, were incredible; and Jerry Goldsmith's superlative score, which contained at least three memorable themes, several moments of extreme musical innovation, and earned him an Oscar nomination. The original release of the score was lacking somewhat in terms of completeness, and has long been out of print. This new expanded re-release from Sony Legacy is in answer to many score fans' prayers, and is just about as comprehensive as it could be, encompassing every element of the music, featuring almost half an hour of unreleased music and excellent packaging and presentation.

The CD opens with a beautiful concert arrangement of the gentle, romanticised theme for Ilia, the Enterprise's Deltan navigator, before launching into the first rendition of Goldsmith's famous heraldic main theme. It is presented in its fullest during 'Main Title', 'Floating Office' and 'End Title', and has rightly gone on to be indelibly connected with the Star Trek world as the bold and striking opening theme for the Star Trek: The Next Generation TV series and subsequent movies. In my opinion, though, it gets its most memorable performance in 'The Enterprise', a 6-minute orchestral tour-de-force in which the main title is performed with the emotional content turned up to maximum, and then some. It underscores the scene in which the crew of the Enterprise make their way to the ship on a tiny shuttle craft, and the swelling, sweeping music perfectly represents the feelings of pride, grandeur and slight nostalgia inherent in the scene.

The final theme - the harsh, menacing horn-based Klingon march - makes its first appearance during 'Klingon Battle', as does the now-legendary "blaster beam" sound created especially for the film by electronics expert Craig Huxley. For those who don't know, the blaster beam is a fifteen-foot long instrument consisting of long, smooth metal tubes and motorised magnets which move up and down the length of the tubes to create the unique, other-worldly booming sounds. The blaster beam is used as a leitmotif for Vejur throughout the score, and is heard most noticeably in the second half of the score in cues such as the majestic 'The Cloud', 'Vejur Flyover' and 'The Force Field'. In fact, the whole second half of the album is like one long voyage of musical discovery on Goldsmith's part. He merges conventionally organic orchestral harmonics with highly experimental electronic sounds that depict both the awesome power and unstable nature of the unknowable Vejur, and the Enterprise crew's feelings of awe, wonder and fear in the face of their gigantic foe.

As the music builds towards its climax, through 'Spock Walk', 'Inner Workings' and 'Vejur Speaks', Goldsmith adds layer upon layer of ambient synthesised effects over the orchestra to add to the sense of reverence until, in 'The Meld', it emerges into an operatic, almost religious musical experience of incredible power. In the grand scheme of things, and considering the stellar career Jerry Goldsmith has enjoyed to date, Star Trek: The Motion Picture is undoubtedly one of his greatest musical achievements. It is when you listen to scores like this that you realise why this man is held in such high esteem by directors, fellow musicians and film score fans alike. Words like innovation, experimentation, passion and beauty spring to mind. It's a score which, quite simply, demands to be heard.

Track Listing: Running Time: 65 minutes 06 seconds

Columbia/Sony Legacy C2K 66234 (1979/1998)

Music composed by Jerry Goldsmith. Conducted by Jerry Goldsmith and Lionel Newman. Orchestrations by Arthur Morton, Alexander Courage and Fred Steiner. Recorded and mixed by John Neal. Edited by Ken Hall and Bruce Botnick. Mastered by Wally Traugott and Darcy M. Prosper. Album produced by Jerry Goldsmith. Album re-issue produced by Didier C. Deutsch, Darcy M. Proper and Ford A. Thaxton.

NOTE: This 2-CD set also contains a CD "Inside Star Trek with Gene Roddenberry", which takes a behind-the-scenes look at the Star Trek phenomenon, and features interviews with actors and filmmakers including Nichelle Nichols, William Shatner, Mark Lenard, DeForest Kelley and Leonard Nimoy.


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