Search - John Barry :: Enigma (Score)

John Barry at his lush, heartbreaking best

James Luckard | Los Angeles, CA | 10/09/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As others have said, it's a pity we don't get to hear more scores from the man who, along with John Williams, is probably most responsible for turning people on to the art of film scoring. How many millions of people have walked out of a Bond film, Dances With Wolves, Somwehere In Time, Zulu, or any of countless other films, having been swept away by the music and rushed out to get the album?Barry is among the most important, influential and, most of all, accessible film composers of all time. His combination of achingly romantic tunes, orchestrated with a crisp, sweeping sound that is unmistakable, is always a joy to listen to, even when the scores are to movies that don't deserve them.In a world where each new blockbuster score sounds exactly like the last one, and the majority of Hans Zimmer-sound-alike composers manage to make a full orchestra sound like a mere synthesizer, this is a glorious old fashioned movie score. There are a couple of lovely themes, especially the main one, for Claire, the character played by Saffron Burrows. When it merges with the theme for Hester, Kate Winslet's character, in the next to last track, London 1946, it's film scoring at its best."

One of the Best Scores ever Composed by John Barry

gobirds2 | New England | 05/13/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"ENIGMA is one of the best scores ever composed by John Barry. It is methodically repetitive, yet simple in its construction and execution. It brilliantly taps into the emotional subconscious mind of the viewer of this intelligently crafted film. What may seem like a very static score is in effect very dynamic. I purchased this CD before I saw the film. Initially I was just pleased that John Barry had scored another film and the soundtrack had been issued. It did not seem extraordinary at the time but after seeing and hearing the score in the film I can only say and feel that it is an exceptional piece of work. It reaches back to what film scoring is all about. It evokes a feeling, a response to the images and the story unfolding on the screen. Once I saw the film I could not get this music out of my head. This is John Barry's most mature score and one of this best. It will grow on you."

Classic Barry in "Enigma"

G M. Stathis | cedar city, utah USA | 07/10/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The appearance of a new John Barry film score has sadly become something of a rare event these days.There was a time when, at the very least, one could expect (and relish)a James Bond soundtrack every two years. These days Barry emerges only every now and again, but thankfully this is one of those times. His score for Michael Apted's film "Enigma" is classic Barry, and it just happens to be something of a spy thriller, this time set in World War II Great Britain. But ulike most of his music for the 007 films, this score depends on subtle tones which bring to mind Barry's scores for "The Tamarind Seed" or "Somewhere In Time," especially because there is a definite romantic angle here as well. The subtlety and complexity of this score is perfectly matched to the story of the breaking of the Nazi Enigma code machine. Of course there are also the tense and menacing motifs that are characteristic of Barry (note "Trip to Beaumanor," "At Beaumanor" and "The Train," for example), and some of these take us back to the best of Barry's Bond music. Apted's film is well acted, written and directed but gains a noticable boost from a fine Barry score. Unhappily, the film is in limited release, which means that Barry's music will not gain its deserved recognition (his wonderful score for "Cry the Beloved Country" suffered a similar fate). Too bad, from his somber, romantic main theme, on piano and with full ensemble, to a host of motifs that carry many of the critical moments in this film, Barry weaves a masterly score. Well packaged and produced, John Barry's sountrack for "Enigma" is a must for serious students and fans of film music, and a rare treat for Barry fans."