A Tale of Two Scores: Part I

by Jason Foster

Whenever we hear of a rejected score, we all wonder about what might have been. Sometimes, usually depending on the composer, we for some reason assume that the rejected score was probably a masterpiece and the powers that be rejected it simply out of sheer ignorance. But as I hope to point out with this three-part series, even our favorite composers can sometimes be a little off the mark and despite the quality of the actual music, it may not be what the particular film really needed. But on the other hand, there are rare instances when rejecting a particular score might deserve a second thought. Here we go...

CRAIG SAFAN was originally on board to provide the music for this 1981 horror film. The score he composed sounds, on its own, like music that's perfect for a horror film. It is full of jerky rhythms and is overall fiercely atonal, giving off a very cold and heartless feel. However, his approach may have been a little too 20th century for the producers' tastes. There are many odd orchestrations and sounds, not totally unlike what Goldsmith went for in Planet of the Apes, only more in your face. It's actually somewhat reminiscent in texture of Corigliano's Altered States.

The score is mostly atmospheric dissonance, which one might think would lend itself well to a film about city-dwelling werewolves. But here the somewhat unconventional approach may have made the film appear too dark or even too intense (if that's even possible for a film called Wolfen). On top of that, there's no theme or motif to tie the score together, which is something the higher-ups at the studio probably wanted.

Just last year, Safan decided to press this score as a promo CD (MED 3004). Though it didn't work for this film, it's admittedly gripping and shows some of Safan's versatility.

After Safan's score was jettisoned, a young JAMES HORNER was brought in to give the film a more traditional orchestral sound. The score he came up with is more traditional, in a sense, but still retains the musical tension the film called for. Like Safan, Horner incorporates lots of atmospheric dissonance and, like Safan, he uses different sounds and effects to give the score an extra element (e.g. using the echoplex). However, Horner is more restrained in the use of such things. His score isn't nearly as frenzied or hard-edged and, at times, even seems a bit calming. In additon to this, Horner makes use of medody (sort of) in the form of a couple of recurring motifs. Listening to the score, you will recognize these as the now famous "Hornerisms" that make up his Star Trek scores and Aliens. No matter how many times we hear them from now on, we can remember that they first showed their face in this score.

As a whole, Horner's score does work better with the film than Safan's. But musically speaking, they are pretty close in terms of quality. To date, there has been no official release of Horner's score.

In an interview with Film Score Monthly in December 1994 (published in the May, 1995 issue), the late MILES GOODMAN expressed his enthusiasm and excitement for his upcoming score to the children's film Indian in the Cupboard. "I'm really excited about it--It'll be a big symphonic score with motifs from Native American music," said Goodman. He continued to express his excitement, mentioning the "little Indian flute" he planned to write the main theme on. Goodman's finished score was pretty much how he described it. His music reflected the playful relationship between the boy and the toy Indian, but never became generic or overly sentimental and/or emotional. He incorporated some nice piano work mixed with low strings and various percussion instruments to score the playful aspects of the film and used the "little Indian flute" for a good deal of thematic material. It seemed much more thought out than many cut-and-paste scores for children's films. However, according to some people, this is why the score was removed.

Sadly, the producers apparently thought Goodman's score was too "grown up." In other words, it wasn't sweet enough for a kid's movie. There was no sweeping, heart-tugging theme to make people cry at the end. But, unfortunately, that is what they wanted. Director Frank Oz, who had collaborated with Goodman on other occasions, reportedly fought to keep the score in the film. But it was to no avail. Reports are that only around 20 minutes of the score were actually recorded. I watched the film once after hearing what Goodman wrote, and you know what? It would've worked just fine. This is one of those very rare instances where both the unused score and the replacement score work equally well in the film. Goodman's score was no masterpiece, but it was a darn fine composition. It's a shame that it goes unheard because it was somewhat of a departure for him, as he was so used to scoring zany comedies like Dunston Checks In. Perhaps a CD of Goodman's score to What About Bob coupled with a suite from this score should be in order.

At the tale end of post-production, RANDY EDELMAN was hired to rescore Indian in the Cupboard. His assignment was pretty simple: give the film the emotional edge that the producers thought Miles Goodman's score lacked. Edelman was able to pull this off, despite the limited time schedule. While his score isn't bad, it does come across as more or less generic in terms of texture and overall feel, but while maintaining the overall Edelman sound. It goes from big and emotional (the main title theme) to adventurous (the "cowboy" music) to quiet and delicate music for the more intimate scenes. All this is unlike Goodman's score, which stayed more or less on an even keel.

In the end, Edelman accomplished the mission he was given. And with the limited time he had, it actually turned out pretty decent. He created emotional music, which is what they wanted. To quote Lukas Kendall in his review of the Edelman score, "it could've been much worse."

When RANDY NEWMAN was hired to write the score for the Harrison Ford action film Air Force One, there was a wind of curiosity and excitement that swept around amongst those who would care about such a thing. Newman had never attempted an action score and many were anxious to hear what he'd come up with. Well, as we all now know, his score was rejected.

Newman's approach to the film seemed to be this: restate the excitement we see on the screen with music that's just as exciting. This is pretty much what happened. Rather than complementing the action, Newman's score acts as a separate action entity-always loud and busy, sometimes to the point of being unintentionally comical. With many cues in the score, things would start out promising--that is, "working" with the picture. But as the scenes would progress, the cues would become busier and louder and often took things right over the top. Some even called parts of the score "mickey mousey." Though many of the busy scenes require active music, Newman's score sometimes works even harder than the action. In many cases, less would have been more. In Newman's defense, this was his first stab at the action genre and he does seem to have somewhat of a grasp as to how to score an action film. Admittedly, some of his cues are interesting and do work. But despite several good moments, in the end, it just didn't work with this film.

One of the major weaknesses of the Newman score is the main theme. Whereas the theme Jerry Goldsmith wrote was powerful, patriotic, and soaring, Newman's would have been more at home in a film like In the Army Now. It's somewhat generic in its attempt at patriotism and, ironically, sounds more like a British march than an American one (think "Police Academy Goes to London"). However, when Newman quotes the theme during the action cues (usually in a minor mode), it sounds much more fitting for the film. Despite the negative aspects of this score, Newman should by no means give up on the action genre, as he does show some promise. While many rejected scores may be flat out bad musically, this one is not. It was just a little off the mark for this film. I can even think of a few action scores from the past couple of years that I like this better than. In fact, director Wolfgang Peterson apparently liked the score for the most part, but was pressured to replace it. I hope Newman gets another chance at an action film because I think a lot of people will be surprised.

We all know the story by now-JERRY GOLDSMITH only had around three to four weeks to complete this score, which is why JOEL MCNEELY was brought in to help out. While this is by no means one of Goldsmith's greatest scores, it does serve its purpose and then some. It once again reminds us that Goldsmith is great at giving a film what it needs-and this film needed patriotism. Goldsmith delivers right from the start with a soaring theme that captures the tone of the film perfectly, though cheesy as the tone may seem. The music tells you how you're supposed to feel, which for a film like this, is pretty much necessary. His theme seems designed to unite us, and make us think, "Hey, this is OUR president! God bless America!" Newman's main theme probably wouldn't have created this sense of genuine American pride that we're supposed to feel. It would have likely been patriotic in more of a Chuck Norris 1980s way.

Then there's Goldsmith's action music. While Newman went for the "keep it exciting" approach, Goldsmith seemed to go for "less is more." Rather than catching every action on screen (i.e.-every punch, every gunshot, etc.), he uses more of an understated "complementary" approach. Even though several cues get big and exciting, they don't go over the top, or at least not as much as Newman's. The music lets what is already happening on screen speak for itself and serves more as a companion. For example, take the scene in the film where the Gary Oldman character is threatening to shoot one of the president's aides unless the "mystery" man hiding below in the baggage deck shows himself.

Oldman gives the man ten seconds to show himself or the woman dies. As he begins his count, Goldsmith begins a slight building in the strings. Even up to right before the moment of truth, there is nothing in the music to tell us what's about to happen. The tension in the scene is already great, so Goldsmith didn't need to do too much. Newman's approach to this scene, however, was the polar opposite of Goldsmith's. He scores the countdown with an intense buildup that incorporates nearly the entire orchestra--blaring brass, tension-filled strings, etc. With each number of the count, another blare from the orchestra sounds. Before he even gets to the number two, we already know the outcome, as the music leaves little doubt. The Goldsmith/McNeely combination produced a more subdued score. Even if you think their effort is itself over the top (as some have said), compared to Newman's, it's not. It served the purpose and probably even made the film seem better. In this case, the decision to dismiss the first score was the right one.

Next time: Alien Nation and Something Wicked This Way Comes.

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