A review by JAMES SOUTHALL

Martha Coolidge's outstanding film about a wayward young woman taken in by a family in 1930s America and given the chance to change her ways didn't really attract much attention upon its release in 1991, despite a moving performance from Laura Dern and an excellent turn by Robert Duvall as the family's father.  Excelling at this sort of thing since time immemorial, Elmer Bernstein was the most qualified composer for the job, with a whole string of scores for this type of touching drama under his belt over the previous decades.  

"Hello - I'm Rose", which opens the album, collates together the film's main themes, a lovely summary of Bernstein's ideas for the film, from the moving main theme to the more sprightly music for the film's more lighthearted moments.  These lighthearted moments provide arguably the pick of the setpiece cues, but it is Bernstein's ability to effortlessly reflect changing moods that shines through, particularly in the outstanding "Revelation", which moves from a somewhat upbeat opening to become a sombre and grim portrayal of human anguish.  The theme continues in "Love", in which beauty and sadness compete for attention in classic Bernstein tradition.  "That Scruffy Looking Man" is a wonderful piece of darkly comedic music, reflecting the movie's place and time perfectly.  "Safe Home" is a true gem of a track, only a minute long - but what a minute!  A cheerful, celebratory little piece, it's simply a delight.

Rambling Rose is a score of rare charm, a delightful companion to Bernstein's other, celebrated scores for adult dramas.  It's very difficult to resist his graceful style of composition for this type of movie, taking in the range of emotions so well.  It also contains some of his richest and most moving pieces of music - the last minute or so of "Compassion" is as beautiful as anything you'll hear, leading perfectly into the three cues which make up the score's incredibly moving finale ("Rose and Buddy", "Goodbyes" and "So Long Rose").  Music as impassioned and dignified as this is very rare in the modern age of filmmaking by committee where everything has to be as loud and inane as possible, which makes this score even more refreshing and joyous.  Recommended without reservation.

Tracks

1. Hello - I'm Rose (5:23)
2. The Family Meets Rose (2:18)
3. Father's Reverse Insomnia (:55)
4. Orphans (1:41)
5. Revelation (3:14)
6. Love (1:59)
7. Dixie (Rose on the Town) Louis Armstrong (:42)
8. That Scruffy Looking Man (3:06)
9. Let the Crazy Creature Out (2:26)
10. Fever (1:36)
11. Safe Home (1:01)
12. Hired, Mired and Fired (1:26)
13. Compassion (2:46)
14. Rose and Buddy (4:25)
15. Goodbyes (2:46)
16. So Long Rose (2:57)
17. Dixie Louis Armstrong (3:44)
18. If I Could Be With You Tonight Ruth Etting (2:56)