A review by JAMES SOUTHALL

Director J. Lee Thompson's varied career led him to working with numerous film composers, including John Barry and Bernard Herrmann, but his most longstanding relationship was with Jerry Goldsmith - predictably, on various films that didn't do particularly well, The Chairman, The Reincarnation of Peter Proud, King Solomon's Mines and, in the middle of that bunch, Caboblanco, a thinly-veiled retelling of Casablanca set in a Peruvian fishing village in the late 1940s.  Starring Charles Bronson and Jason Robards, the movie is now remembered mainly by Bronson's most die-hard fans only.

Needless to say, Goldsmith's music rises stratospherically above the level of the film.  The opening theme is absolute dynamite, with a wonderful hispanic theme for trumpets, pizzicato strings and tambourine evoking the location, adding drama and mystery, and sounding gorgeous.  Anyone watching the opening titles of the movie must have thought they were in for a real treat.  The film may have gone downhill from then onwards, but the score doesn't.  "The Diving Bell" is a piece of incredible tension and excitement, culminating in a blast of action.  Curiously, Goldsmith chose the old standard "The Very Thought of You" by Roy Noble as the love theme, and it's heard on the album in three different versions, two of which feature that familiar Goldsmith touch.

"Beckdorf's House" continues the exotic flair of the opening titles, adding a lovely guitar into the mix, and evokes fond memories of other wonderful Goldsmith scores from the Central and South American areas like Under Fire and The Last Run.  "The Drowning" sees a welcome reprise of the main theme, a delightful concoction, but this time it evolves into a piece of dynamic and almost cacophonous action music.  Then comes the song "Heaven Knows", penned by Goldsmith and sung by his wife Carol.  It's a beautiful song, certainly in keeping with "The Very Thought of You", which makes another brief appearance in the following "Love Scene".

Two lengthy action tracks are up next, covering almost a quarter of an hour between them.  "Boat Attack / Jungle Run" is magical, conjuring up memories of Goldsmith's busy, strident style of the late 1970s in scores like Capricorn One and Twilight's Last Gleaming, though this is probably more colourful than either, with the movie's locale giving the composer an ideal excuse for building in lovely little flourishes and exotic moments.  "Hide and Seek" is a little less colourful, but no less exciting.  "The Final Act Begins" is an almost martial piece for brass and percussion which is both rousing and thrilling.  "The End of Beckdorf" is a harsh, somewhat dissonant piece, before the romantic "Finale".

Caboblanco is probably the rarest CD of Goldsmith's music, making it the holy grail of Goldsmith fans.  Is it worth the expense?  For Goldsmith fans, undoubtedly; it shows off some of the composer's best attributes.

Tracks

1. Main Title (2:34)
2. The Diving Bell (2:43)
3. The Very Thought of You (3:53)
4. Beckdorf's House (1:45)
5. The Drowning (1:58)
6. Heaven Knows Carol Heather (3:29)
7. Love Scene (1:10)
8. Boat Attack / Jungle Run (6:17)
9. Hide and Seek (6:26)
10. The Final Act Begins (1:54)
11. The End of Beckdorf (1:54)
12. Finale (4:41)