Search - Leigh Harline, Lionel Newman :: Broken Lance (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Not Bad...Worth a Listen

J. A. Retzer | Phoenix, AZ | 09/10/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I've never seen the film, but I had heard the main theme somehwere and bought the CD out of curiosity -mostly to hear what a non-Disney score by Leigh Harline would sound like.



The score itself is typical western Americana, and should please music fans on that level. It has several warm and quiet passages, a few more rousing parts punctuated by the main theme on brass. The standout passage, strangely enough, is the 55 second "Portrait" theme (which itself is actually comprised of two shorter cues); a very gentle, quiet theme decorated with wonderful string effects and an economy of theme.



Also, potential buyers should note that this is an unusually brief score, running barely a breath over 38 minutes. Most FSM releases generally pair short scores with related supplementary material or pair it up with another short score [their release of The Thing, for example, was somewhat weirdly commingled with Take The High Ground, while On The Beach was paired with Secret of Santa Vittoria].



Broken Lance is presented by itself, however. No bonus tracks, no extended, alternate or deleted cues. The booklet presents the story of the film, genre, composer and score but strangely omits their usual technical background on the recording itself. I'm one of those people who enjoys learning that a soundtrack was assembled from acetate recordings salvaged from the basement of a bombed out bus shelter or that the original recording of some cue was made in Sam Goldwyn's restroom.



No such anecdotes here. Just the booklet and the facts and the music itself...



HOWEVER the music is presented in very fine stereophonic sound and should please most listeners with its comfortable balance and better than average sense of "presence" -especially during the frequent passages for solo instruments."