CD REVIEW - All the King's Men


All the King's Men
Music by James Horner
Varese Sarabande VSD-6756 (EU)
15 Tracks 56:21 mins

This remake of a 1948 Oscar-winner, based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Robert Penn, stars Sean Penn in a barnstorming performance as southern governor Willie Stark, and boasts what most critics seem to believe is something of an overblown score by James Horner. Now, I haven't seen the film, so cannot comment on this, but it's nice to think that the music is dialled up instead of down for once in a movie, especially if it's music worth hearing, which this undoubtedly is. OK, it may be a little two-themed, but at least it's melodic, which can't often be said of Hollywood scores these days.
The album starts off powerfully with the "Main Title," but quickly segues into the memorable main theme, first introduced on piano and then taken up by the orchestra. This is to prove a very versatile theme, at times rising to triumphant heights and at others more downbeat and defeated. The secondary theme, first heard at the end of "Bring Down the Lion and the Rest of the Jungle Will Quake in Fear," is a poignant affair, again first voiced by solo piano. Both themes make up the meat of the score tracks that follow, sometimes separately and sometimes in tandem. There are some pretty dramatic and anguished moments along the way, before the two themes are given their head in the concluding "Time Brings All Things to Light...I Trust it So."
At just under an hour, this is certainly not one of Horner's longer albums and therefore doesn't quite outstay its welcome, despite the lack of variety of themes. Certainly one of the composer's most melodic scores in years.