Search - Original Soundtrack, James Horner :: Pelican Brief (Horner, James)

Average album with 3 stellar cues

T. Elder | Oregon, USA | 04/14/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"3 reasons why you should get Pelican Brief by James Horner: 1. The Main Title ****
2. Darby's Theme *****
3. Airport Goodbye *****These cues are excellent and some of Horner's best. Darby's theme which is reprised in Airport Goodbye is majestic and beautiful. The Main title is subdued but has a hauntingly noble quality about it. Airport Goodbye is a suite the portrays the happy ending of the movie.Why 3 stars overall? The action/suspense music on the album is not my favorite and is not, in my opinion, very listenable (unless you need some music to crush pop cans to). The album is worth getting, however, for the three cues mentioned above."

Why Horner is a music genius

T. Elder | 03/13/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I had the toughest time watching the movie THE PELICAN BRIEF. And it had nothing to do with the acting, the cinematography, or any of that. I just kept getting so caught up in James Horner's stunning score, that I'd miss whole scenes of dialogue. I finally rented the DVD and still had to go back and rewatch scenes to catch it all. It's not the film's pacing, as Alan J. Pakula does a terrific job as usual in direction, and Tom Rolf's editing is spot on. It's just the score, which again and again overcame me. Jerry Goldsmith used to say that a score shouldn't be distracting because it's there to support the visual presentation. If that's true, then perhaps Mr. Horner failed in some ironic way by creating what I'd consider one of his best works. Regardless, the mood of the overall film is captured perfectly. It's just that it's almost too good to be used as underscore. I'm saddened that the CD is out of print, and perhaps his popularity will bring it back."