Archive
TOMBSTONE – Bruce Broughton
THROWBACK THIRTY
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
Very few events in the colorful and sometimes fanciful history of the American West capture the imagination like the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. The event did take place, in the boom town of Tombstone, Arizona, on October 26, 1881, and it did see the brothers Virgil, Morgan, and Wyatt Earp, plus their friend Doc Holliday, shooting it out with a loosely organized group of outlaws called the Cowboys, led by Ike Clanton. The real gunfight lasted just seconds, resulted in the deaths of three Cowboys, and was probably no different from many of the other gunfights that were regular occurrences in the old west. However, for some reason, the Gunfight, the story of the Earp family, and the subsequent Earp Vendetta Ride, have become near-mythical events in the romantic history of the period. Tombstone was at least the eighth film to depict these events on the silver screen, after such legendary western movies like 1946’s My Darling Clementine starring Henry Fonda, 1957’s Gunfight at the O.K. Corral starring Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas, and 1967’s Hour of the Gun starring James Garner. Read more…
THE PELICAN BRIEF – James Horner
THROWBACK THIRTY
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
The Pelican Brief is a legal thriller directed by Alan J. Pakula, adapted from the best-selling novel by John Grisham. The film stars Julia Roberts as Darby Shaw, a law student at Tulane University, who becomes romantically involved with her professor, Thomas Callahan (Sam Shepard). After two Supreme Court justices are assassinated, Darby writes a legal brief speculating about the possible motives behind the murders. In this document – which she calls the Pelican Brief – she suggests a theory involving an intricate plot to control the balance of power in the United States Supreme Court; however, after it is published, it quickly becomes apparent that Darby’s speculations are very close to the actual truth, and before long she finds herself targeted by assassins hired by the perpetrators, who are determined to eliminate anyone who may know about their plans. With nowhere else to turn, Darby contacts Gray Grantham (Denzel Washington), an investigative journalist, and together they race against time to uncover the identity of the people behind the murders and bring the conspiracy to light. Read more…
HEAVEN & EARTH – Kitaro
THROWBACK THIRTY
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
Heaven & Earth is the third in director Oliver Stone’s trilogy of films looking at the Vietnam War. 1986’s Platoon followed the exploits of the young soldiers who were shipped off far from home and forced to endure the most horrific conditions. 1989’s Born on the Fourth of July looked at what happened to those same young men when they returned home to America, maimed and traumatized by what they had seen and done. Heaven & Earth looks at the same events from the point of view of the Vietnamese themselves. Stone’s sprawling, sometimes confusing, sometimes compelling movie stars débutante Hiep Thi Le as a simple Vietnamese woman, Le Ly Hayslip, who finds herself caught up in the violent upheaval of the Vietnam war and, inexplicably, falling in love with a kindly American soldier played by Tommy Lee Jones, who eventually takes her home with him to San Diego. Unfortunately, the film was not as well-received as its two predecessors, and today has mostly fallen into obscurity, which is a shame, especially from the point of view of its music. Read more…
WE’RE BACK! A DINOSAUR’S STORY – James Horner
THROWBACK THIRTY
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
One of the sillier animated films that James Horner scored in his career was the 1993 effort We’re Back! A Dinosaur’s Story, which was adapted by Moonstruck screenwriter John Patrick Shanley from a children’s book by Hudson Talbott. The story follows four dinosaurs who are transformed into sentient beings by a time-travelling scientist named Captain Neweyes; the dinosaurs are then brought by him to modern-day New York where, inevitably, they get lost, and have to rely on their new friends (a pair of runaway children) to help them – all while also trying to avoid the clutches of Professor Screweyes, Captain Neweyes’s evil twin brother, who runs a demented circus, and wants the dinosaurs to be his star attraction. The plot doesn’t really matter as the film is largely forgotten today, despite the fact that it has the most bafflingly eccentric voice cast of any animated film I have ever come across – actor John Goodman, British sitcom star Felicity Kendal, legendary newsman Walter Cronkite, chef Julia Child, and chat show host Jay Leno, among others. It was produced by Steven Spielberg – who had a slightly more successful dinosaur movie come out in 1993 – and had four directors, including animation specialist Phil Nibbelink, and his compatriot Simon Wells, who would later go on to direct movies such as Balto and The Prince of Egypt. Read more…
MRS. DOUBTFIRE – Howard Shore
THROWBACK THIRTY
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
Mrs. Doubtfire was one of the most popular and successful comedies of the 1990s, and is the heartwarming tale of a man who takes ‘playing dress-up’ to a whole new level when faced with a messy divorce and the threat of losing custody of his children. An unemployed voice actor, Daniel Hillard drives his more straight-laced wife Miranda to distraction with his antics, to the point where they decide to split. After falling foul of an officious social worker, and seeing that Miranda has advertised for a nanny to help her with their three children, Daniel convinces his makeup artist brother to transform him into ‘Euphegenia Doubtfire,’ an elderly Scottish grandmother. With the help of a series of rubber masks, elaborate costumes, and a ‘muddled’ accent, Daniel successfully applies for the nanny job – but soon finds that maintaining his dual identity and being a part of his children’s lives, while dealing with the complexities of family dynamics and relationships, is no easy task. Read more…
THE THREE MUSKETEERS – Michael Kamen
THROWBACK THIRTY
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
There have been countless adaptations of Alexandre Dumas’ classic novel The Three Musketeers over the years – some good, some bad. Many people consider the 1948 version starring Gene Kelly and Lana Turner to be the gold standard in terms of English-language versions, although I have always had a soft spot for the 1970s British version starring Oliver Reed, Raquel Welch, Richard Chamberlain, and Michael York, which had a terrific score by Michel Legrand. This version from 1993 was directed by Stephen Herek, and was basically a ‘brat pack’ version of the story. Like the others, the action is set in 17th-century France and follows a young and ambitious swordsman named d’Artagnan (Chris O’Donnell). Eager to join the musketeers, King Louis XIII’s elite guard, d’Artagnan travels to Paris where he befriends three charismatic and skilled musketeers: Athos (Kiefer Sutherland), Porthos (Oliver Platt), and Aramis (Charlie Sheen), and together they embark on a series of adventures involving political intrigue, love, and swashbuckling duels, specifically a plot by the villainous Cardinal Richelieu (Tim Curry), who plans to undermine the king and seize power for himself. Read more…
THE REMAINS OF THE DAY – Richard Robbins
THROWBACK THIRTY
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
The Remains of the Day is a British period drama film directed by James Ivory, based on Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel of the same name. The story follows James Stevens (Anthony Hopkins), a repressed English butler who has spent most of his life in service at Darlington Hall, a grand manor house formerly owned by Lord Darlington (James Fox), a man who was once deeply involved in political affairs and international diplomacy. The film is set in 1958 as Stevens, who is now working for an American named Farraday (Christopher Reeve), embarks on a journey across England, and reflects on his life at Darlington Hall – the events that transpired there in the years leading up to World War II, and specifically his relationship with housekeeper Miss Kenton (Emma Thompson), which Stevens never allowed to blossom into romance. The film explores themes of duty, loyalty, and personal sacrifice, particularly as Stevens begins to come to terms with the consequences of his unwavering blind loyalty to Darlington, who held complex political stances in the pre-war years. The film is also a poignant exploration of regret, nostalgia, and the changing social landscape of post-war England, as Stevens comes to the realization that he may have sacrificed his personal happiness for a sense of duty. Read more…
THE PIANO – Michael Nyman
THROWBACK THIRTY
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
One of the most critically acclaimed films of 1993, The Piano is a period romantic drama directed by Jane Campion. The story is set in the mid-19th century and follows a mute Scottish woman named Ada McGrath (Holly Hunter), who has been sold into an arranged marriage to a New Zealand frontiersman, Alisdair Stewart (Sam Neill), and shipped off to the other side of the world. Ada communicates her feelings and emotions mainly by signing and playing her beloved piano, with her young daughter Flora (Anna Paquin) serving as her sign language interpreter. Ada’s new life on the edge of civilization is full of struggles and hardships – not least because her husband treats her cruelly – but things begin to change when she meets and develops a growing attraction for Baines (Harvey Keitel), a local laborer who desires her piano. As Ada becomes increasingly drawn to Baines, a complex and forbidden romantic relationship develops between them, which threatens the lives of all involved. Read more…
THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS – Danny Elfman
THROWBACK THIRTY
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
If any film project perfectly encapsulates the professional relationship between director Tim Burton and composer Danny Elfman, it is their 1993 stop-motion animated fantasy musical The Nightmare Before Christmas. It tells the story of Jack Skellington, the ‘Pumpkin King’ of Halloweentown, the fantasy world charged with organizing the annual Halloween holiday. Despite being enormously successful, Jack has grown disillusioned of the same annual routine and wants something new; while wandering in the woods the next morning, he accidentally finds a door to Christmastown – the parallel land which organizes Christmas – and is enchanted by what he finds. Wanting to bring the Christmas spirit to Halloweentown, and despite the warnings of his unrequited love Sally, Jack decides that he will kidnap ‘Sandy Claws’ and take over Christmastown for himself – with predictably disastrous results. Read more…
RUDY – Jerry Goldsmith
THROWBACK THIRTY
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
Arguably one of the most inspiring and beloved sporting drama films ever made, Rudy tells the story of Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger, a working class kid from Chicago who harbors dreams of playing American football at the University of Notre Dame despite significant obstacles – notably, his lack of good academic grades, his family’s financial struggles, and his diminutive stature. However, Ruettiger’s persistence and positive nature eventually results in him making the team, earning the respect of his college teammates, and even being interviewed for the college newspaper, which makes him a cult figure in South Bend. Eventually Rudy convinces the stubborn head coach to put him on the field for the last ten seconds of the final game of his final year at the college – his first and last appearance – whereupon he sacks the opposition quarterback, and is carried from the field in glory while the stadium chants his name. Much of the story is apocryphal and embellished for dramatic purposes, but it’s a feelgood tale nevertheless. The film is directed by David Anspaugh from a screenplay by Angelo Pizzo, and stars Sean Astin as Rudy, along with Ned Beatty, Jason Miller, Robert Prosky, and Charles S. Dutton in supporting roles, as well as Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn making their acting debuts. Read more…
DEMOLITION MAN – Elliot Goldenthal
THROWBACK THIRTY
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
Mellow greetings. What seems to be your boggle?
One of my favorite action movies of the 1990s is Demolition Man, directed by Marco Brambilla from a screenplay by Peter Lenkov, Daniel Waters, and Robert Reneau (the latter of whom might be better known to readers as ‘Scott Bettencourt,’ a regular contributor to Film Score Monthly magazine). It’s a dystopian, futuristic sci-fi story with a heavy dose of satire and social commentary, interspersed with several outstanding action set pieces. The film stars Sylvester Stallone as John Spartan, a renegade LAPD cop from the 1990s known as the “demolition man” for his unorthodox and sometimes brutal law enforcement tactics, especially when it comes down to catching his arch-nemesis, violent criminal Simon Phoenix (Wesley Snipes). After one such confrontation Phoenix is captured and cryogenically frozen in a ‘cryo-prison’ as punishment – but Spartan is framed for a murder he did not commit, and is frozen alongside him. In 2032, Phoenix somehow breaks out of the prison and emerges into ‘San Angeles,’ a utopian, peaceful, politically correct society run by the benevolent yet controlling Dr. Raymond Cocteau (Nigel Hawthorne). However, when Phoenix resumes his life of crime in a city with a police force that is simply unable to deal with his violence, Spartan is thawed out too, and teams up with Lenina Huxley (Sandra Bullock), a 2030s police officer who idolizes 1990s culture, to stop him. Read more…
THE AGE OF INNOCENCE – Elmer Bernstein
THROWBACK THIRTY
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
Despite it containing almost no physical brutality whatsoever, director Martin Scorsese called his film The Age of Innocence “the most violent film he ever made”. However, unlike the blood-soaked intensity of films like Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and Goodfellas, the violence in The Age of Innocence is powerfully emotional, and it takes a heavy toll on the characters in the story. The film is a period drama adapted from the acclaimed novel by Edith Wharton, and is set in New York in the 1870s. Newland Archer (Daniel Day-Lewis), a wealthy and respected lawyer from a prominent family, becomes engaged to May Welland (Winona Ryder), a young woman from a similarly esteemed background. However, Newland’s life takes a complicated turn when May’s cousin, Countess Ellen Olenska (Michelle Pfeiffer), returns to New York after a failed marriage in Europe. Ellen’s arrival disrupts the rigid social norms and expectations of New York’s upper class, as she is seen as unconventional and a potential scandal; despite this, Newland finds himself drawn to Ellen’s free-spirited and non-conformist nature, leading to a passionate but forbidden love affair. Read more…
M. BUTTERFLY – Howard Shore
THROWBACK THIRTY
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
M. Butterfly is an epic romantic drama film directed by David Cronenberg, based on the Tony Award-winning play of the same name by David Henry Hwang, which was itself inspired by the classic opera Madam Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini. The movie tells the story of Rene Gallimard, a French diplomat stationed in China in the 1960s and 1970s, who becomes romantically involved with Song Liling, a Chinese opera singer. As the years go by, Gallimard’s career flourishes, and he becomes entangled in espionage, sharing sensitive information with Song Liling, whom he believes to be a woman. However, Gallimard remains oblivious (or, perhaps, intentionally overlooks) to the fact that Song Liling is actually a male spy working for the Chinese government; eventually, the revelation of Song’s true identity, and his espionage activities, lead to dramatic and tragic consequences for Gallimard. The film is a fascinating exploration of issues related to gender, sexuality, and East-West cultural clashes, as well as the power dynamics within their unconventional relationship. The film stars Jeremy Irons as Gallimard, and John Lone as Song, with support from Barbara Sukowa and Ian Richardson. Read more…
THE JOY LUCK CLUB – Rachel Portman
THROWBACK THIRTY
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
Anyone who has read this website for any length of time will know that one of my favorite sub-genres of film music is the ‘east/west crossover,’ meaning scores which blend a western symphonic orchestra with specialist solo instruments from China, Japan, Korea, and other East Asian cultures; instruments like the shakuhachi, shamisen, taiko drums, erhu, dizi, pipa, and so many more. There is something wholly evocative about this style to me, the way the two types of instruments complement each other, one enhancing the beauty of the other. My love of this style goes back thirty years, and was originally influenced by this score – The Joy Luck Club by Rachel Portman – which was the first east/west crossover score I consciously heard. Read more…
NEEDFUL THINGS – Patrick Doyle
THROWBACK THIRTY
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
Needful Things is a cautionary drama film with a horror-supernatural twist, directed by Fraser Heston (son of legendary actor Charlton), and based on a 1991 novel by Stephen King. The story revolves around a mysterious shop owner named Leland Gaunt (Max von Sydow), who opens a store called ‘Needful Things’ in the small town of Castle Rock, Maine. Gaunt sells various items to the townspeople, each one seemingly fulfilling their deepest desires and fantasies. However, these apparently innocent transactions come with a sinister price – they require the recipients to perform increasingly malevolent and destructive acts against their fellow townspeople. As the town becomes divided and chaos ensues, local sheriff Alan Pangborn (Ed Harris) starts to investigate the bizarre occurrences and tries to uncover the truth behind Gaunt and his shop. The film co-stars Bonnie Bedelia, J. T. Walsh, and Amanda Plummer, and was a reasonable success at the box office in the late summer of 1993, although it was less popular with critics – Roger Ebert famously compared watching it to enduring ‘Satanic water torture’. Read more…
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