Search - Benjamin Bartlett :: Walking With Dinosaurs (1999 TV Mini Series)

When did documentary soundtracks become so good?

C. Moon | Valley Village, CA | 05/02/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Although the WWD soundtrack is by no means the best soundtrack I've ever heard it is certainly the best soundtrack produced for a documentary. While Walking with Dinosaurs was meant to be a primarily visual feast, Benjamin Bartlett had done an excellent job at giving these ancient giants memorable scores that at times are no less majestic than the creatures themeselves (take track 6 and 7 for instance). There is a fantastic blend of powerful, sweeping pieces, some light hearted and beautiful moments as well as the occasionally tragic track that leaves us to reflect upon what has been lost (The Cruel Sea track for instance). While I can't imagine there are a lot of people who need soundtracks to documentaries, this is a genuinely outstanding one that will stand up to dozens of listens. Highly recommended."

Sublime Contemporary Soundtrack

Neduddgi | Hungary | 10/10/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you enjoyed the series this CD is a must. Bartlett's score remained unobtrusive whilst the viewer concentrated on the stunning visual effects and the literate narrative and can only be fully appreciated separately as a result. A far cry from the modernist minimalism of a Nyman, it effortlessly transports the listener from the lush, green landscapes of the distant past to the oceanic depths, conveying the strangeness yet familiarity of a world of predators and prey, of brutality and the struggle for survival. This magnificent score is by turns tinged with melancholy and lightened by humour, reminding us of the precariousness of our own custodianship of this planet by mourning what is forever lost. Redolent of Holst and Mahler, it manages to achieve a transcendental quality in places, such as in Cruel Sea and pathos in others, such as in the Giant of the Skies with the death of the Ornithocheirus leaving not a dry eye in the house (you might as well admit it!). The order in which the tracks appear does not necessarily follow the sequence in which they were used in the series itself, but this does not jar: ultimately I prefer to hear the flight of the Ornithocheirus after the tragedy of his death because it allows me to appreciate the consistency of the music, whereby the themes repeat. The relentless drive forward is echoed as the exhausted, enfeebled deposed monarch breathes his last on the merciless shores. Inverting the order reminds the listener of the ultimate futility of the incredible effort he made, the inability of all mortal beings to escape their final destiny. In short, I unreservedly recommend this soundtrack as quite simply the best I have hitherto heard. It perfectly accomplishes the task required of it whilst at the same time becoming a classic in its own right."

GREAT SOUNDTRACK BENJAMIN BARTLETT

Jabari Walker | CHICAGO,ILLINOIS | 06/10/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The soundtrack is the best soundtrack I have ever heard. I loved the mini series and if you liked it get this cd! Personaly the first song is the best. so if u liked the movie then you should get the soundtrack. ENJOY"