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THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY
Delightful caper music from Goldsmith's richest year
 A review by JAMES SOUTHALL

Music composed by
JERRY GOLDSMITH

Rating
* * * *



Performed by
THE NATIONAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
conducted by
JERRY GOLDSMITH

Orchestration
ARTHUR MORTON

Engineered by
ERIC TOMLINSON
Music Editor
MICHAEL CLIFFORD
Produced by
ROBERT TOWNSON

Album running time
36:27

Released by
VARESE SARABANDE
Catalog number
302 066 500 2

Album cover copyright (c) 1979 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc.; review copyright (c) 2007 James Southall

Michael Crichton's most atypical novel and film, The Great Train Robbery sees the man usually associated with high-tech thrillers tell a high-fictionalised account of the 19th century robbery of a trainload of gold.  Full of wit and charm, and with Sean Connery and Donald Sutherland perfectly cast as a pair of Victorian rogues, the film is a highly-entertaining caper, making one wish Crichton tackled this kind of lighthearted fare a little more frequently.  (It's also a reminder of what a fine director he is, and makes it all the more of a pity that he hasn't directed anything for so long.)

It was his second collaboration with the man who went on to score most of his films as director, Jerry Goldsmith.  Goldsmith's output in 1979 was truly incredible - along with this came Star Trek: The Motion Picture and Alien (and Players, one of the best Goldsmith scores yet to be released) and The Great Train Robbery is certainly not embarrassed to keep such company.  While clearly not as complex or demanding as those scores, it is an absolute delight, one of the most charming of Goldsmith's long career.  Unusually for the composer, it is distinctly monothematic, with every cue being based around the main theme - and what a theme!

A brilliant scherzo, the main theme is rambunctious and witty - and extremely catchy.  It bounds along with endless energy and great pace, and is one of Goldsmith's very finest themes.  The pace is slowed for a while after this as the heist itself is planned, but the light sense of Victorian bounders remains, and every cue is derived from some element of that main theme.  Sometimes it's all from a little fragment, and there is easily enough variety to stop the music outstaying its welcome.  Additionally, there is plenty of other material Goldsmith weaves around the theme to keep things fresh and interesting.

This is a very fine little score, which propels itself along at such a pace that the 36 minutes seem to go by in no time (but represent virtually the whole score).  This CD was released in 2004 by Varese Sarabande, featuring a small amount of music not on the original (very rare) CD release on Memoir Records, and absolutely stunning sound - it's easily the best-sounding film score from the period I've heard.  It's even a hybrid SACD, so if you're one of the three people worldwide who invested in SACD technology then you're in for an even bigger treat.  Great stuff!

Tracks

  1. Main Title (2:33)
  2. Breakfast in Bed (1:48)
  3. No Respectable Gentleman (2:22)
  4. Clues (3:53)
  5. Rotten Row (2:40)
  6. The First Key / Bordello Raid (:51)
  7. Kiddie Kaper (2:02)
  8. Street Attack / Casing the Station (3:08)
  9. Over the Wall (1:57)
  10. Night Entry (2:27)
  11. Double Wax Job (2:55)
  12. The Tombstone (1:11)
  13. Departure (:41)
  14. The Gold Arrioves (2:35)
  15. Torn Coat (1:50)
  16. End Title (2:57)
    17.