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Ah, good old Dirk. I wondered what he had been up to. He's championed THE RUSSIA HOUSE here on the FSM Board more than once (I think it's part of his saxy repertoire). I don't agree with everything he says - I find the film itself extremely tedious, and the idea that the Goldsmith/ Schepisi collaborations should be valued as much as the Goldsmith/ Schaffner ones certainly raised an eyebrow - but it would be strange indeed if anyone agreed about absolutely everything.
My own view on the score is simply this - it's Jerry Goldsmith's last truly great piece of work. If I'm the only person on the planet who thinks that, well so be it.
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This movie was released at a time when 70mm blowup showings were common. For all I know, this movie was shot in 70mm, that's how good the blowup looked.
The first shot of the movie with the slow tilt down from the grey sky to Red Square, Goldsmith really took that over with the music. You knew you were in for something slinky and stylish, and Jerry delivered.
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I finally watched the film for the first time on Netflix a few months ago. I thought the main thing it had going for it was the location shooting, otherwise it was a bloated, slow story. I enjoy the score. It's one of my earliest Goldsmith buys.
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The film is one of my favorites. The fact that it was shot on location in the Soviet Union adds so much, I'm amazed every time I watch it that the Soviet censors allowed them to shoot there, even though it was shot in 1989 as Glasnost was in the air.
I don't find it slow at all, I find it incredibly tense and engaging. I love Tom Stoppard's construction of the script, which is very faithful to the events in the novel but does a brilliant job of condensing them.
And Goldsmith's score is the soul of the movie, working magnificently to convey the depth of Connery and Pfeiffer's growing love.
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I love Jerry Goldsmith`s Russia House as a listening experience outside of the film. It`s just wonderful music. But within the film, especially with the very prominent saxophone at least to me it always was way to obtrusive and it really got on my nerves in the film. But that could have to do with the film which is one of the most confusing and boring films I`ve ever seen (next to Matrix btw.). But apart from the film, Goldsmith`s score is beautiful, haunting, moody and touching. I listen to it very often.
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In honor of Dirk, I present the definitive analysis and justification of the "loud sax" in this score.
Protagonist Barley Blair plays a clarinet, right? You can't really put a clarinet in front of a studio orchestra for the effect Goldsmith wanted to pull off.
So Jerry substitutes a sax, with the intention of letting a jazz soloist (Branford Marsalis) give us a "sonic characterization" of Barley. Its Barley's movie and, by god, that sax will be prominent and loud.
Sometimes Jerry plays the sax with the orchestra, sometimes in a "jazz combo" mode where the sax does counterpoint with the bass. This tends to come in moments where Barley is displaying idealism or has just been buffeted by a narrative blow of some kind.
So, the "loud sax" represents Barley's perseverence in the struggle to "publish" Dante, win the girl, and give the finger to the CIA and associated malefactors. Also its simply a warm, human riposte to all the Cold War machinations Barley hates.
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More informed personnel have informed me that Barley Blair plays a soprano sax, not a clarinet.
I stand corrected, and I think the affirmation that Barley plays a sax just deepens the validity of my score analysis.
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