Search - Mychael Danna :: Ride With The Devil (1999 Film)

Folky instruments, orchestral sweep

03/03/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Lots of CDs smack you in the face first time out of the chute. This one grows on you slowly with its delicate folksy instrumentation (banjo, fiddle) against a sweeping orchestral tapestry. The two recreations of 1860s live performances are dead on. By the way, the movie's every bit as superb as this soundtrack; it got only limited distribution and most critics didn't recognize it for what it was _ nothing less than ``Huck Finn Goes to War.'' Mark Twain would have approved. Be sure to check it out on cable or home video."

Ride With The Devil

Shari L. Gomez | Norfolk, VA USA | 08/13/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As a Confederate reenactor, this film is most period and that goes for the soundtrack as well. I received my copy this week and find myself going back to my diskman several times a day to listen to various tracks. Working out in the yard, I will start to sing "Old King Crow" a well known period tune in the reenactor community and the main reason for the purchase of this soundtrack. "Sacking of Lawrence" is a powerful track and one of the most period portions of the film. As the bushwackers hit the town, four Confederate regulars (army) look at the raid with disgust. Although period and romance put together, the music sure makes the film come alive. If you are into this period type music, you can't go wrong and I would recommend the soundtrack of Gettysburg along with this CD."

Good Subtle Music for a Good Subtle Film

Lowell Silverman | Rockville, MD | 08/14/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The music on this Civil War soundtrack CD is nothing as spectacular as say, Glory or Gettysburg, but is excellent in its own subtle way. The music definatly feels like the location of the film; The west, out in Kansas and Missouri during the American Civil War. Thus, the music has a country feel to it, with mostly guitars and other strings (no instrument expert here). I am rather curious that in most cases (excepting some parts of track 3 "Jayhawkers and Bushwhackers" and 16 "Don't think you are a good man"), the music is very cheerful. It matches with the rather light mood of the film's images. It's rather surprising, because the Civil War out west was a brutal, no quarter contest. Federal troops took no Confederate irregulars (bushwhackers) prsioners, and the irregulars treated them in kind. The bushwhackers commited a number of gruesome massacres, including the most famous (which is shown in the film and on this CD), Lawrence, KS. The music of the Sack of Lawrence is totally inappropriate, upbeat and action packed like a battle sequence. Lawrence was perhaps the most appalling thing Americans have ever done to each other, with 200 unarmed men and boys brutally killed, so cheerful music sets quite a conflicting mood.Some excellent segments of music, appropriateness of their use in the film aside, are the "Finale" (track 20), the engaging beat of "Clark Farm Shootout" (track 4), and the brief subtle introductions of Quantrill (track 14) and the cavalry (track 16).Some things I'll praise this CD for are not usually considered. The tracks are short, each named after a significant event in the film, layed out in chronilogical order. Few soundtracks bother with that. Also, no music is left out, as many sountracks do: Even the fireside sing-along "Old King Crow", which wasn't really background music, is here. The design of the jewelcase is impressive. Behind a series of still shots from the film on the cover is a firey background with a dramaticly posed figure on the cover. The back of the case has a sweeping panorama not captured fully in the film of the Federal Cavalry in battle formation. Behind where the CD rests is a dramatic image showing the clash after Lawrence between the Federal cavalry shown on the back cover and the bushwhackers. I'd also like to correct some misconceptions published on this page. The Editorial Review is a bit in error-The Lawrence raid was planned long before the deaths of the Confederate women. The collapse of the jail they were held in, while angering the bushwhackers, was an accident and not murder. I'd also like to correct the Confederate reenactor who happily proclaims the disgust of the Confederate regulars in Lawrence who are not participating in the massacre. In, the film, however, during the sequence this reenactor mentions, one of the bushwhackers is taunting a civilian dazily watching the carnage ("Old Man! Where's your army!?"), and as the camera switches to the regulars, he is heard to scream at the civilian: "You are cowards all!" Message from director Ang Lee? I think so. The regulars, the men of honor, aren't doing anything to stop the massacre. Also, in my opinion the regulars don't look so much disgusted as helpless. This is because the filmmakers did their homework: The only regulars in Lawrence were Colonel Holt's battalion of recruits, who actually thought (hah!) that they were going to fight a real battle and not just loot and murder civilians! Welcome to the real world, boys! Holt did precious little to stop the massacre, and as was typical out west in the CW, the regulars on both sides turned blind eyes to attrocities commited by their own sides' irregulars.In conclusion, I recommend this CD to those with an interest in the Civil War, or Western history. Maybe Jewel fans too, because she sings a song at the end (played in the movie's credits). While I appricitiate this addition to my collection, as I appriciate the western CW and the original film more than most, casual listeners would probably perfer the sountracks of Glory and Gettysburg."