The Last Castle [Soundtrack]

the last castle [soundtrack]

On this CD:

The Last Castle, film score
Composed by Jerry Goldsmith
Performed by Sandy De Crescent
with Malcolm McNab
Conducted by Jerry Goldsmith

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Veteran film composer Jerry Goldsmith is renowned for his sci-fi writing, a reputation that stretches all the way back to the original TV Twilight Zone. But his work for military-themed historical epics is arguably every bit as compelling and includes such highlights as The Blue Max, Patton, MacArthur, Tora! Tora! Tora! and The Wind and the Lion. This restrained, quietly dignified score to director Rod Lurie's tale of a wrongly imprisoned general (Robert Redford) and the uprising he inspires against his abusive jailer (James Gandolfini) should join that canon. Carried by a mournful solo trumpet, its elegiac, minor-key main theme ("The Castle") somehow echoes Goldsmith's heroic writing for Patton, even as it underscores wholly different dramatic concerns. That haunting theme--one that affirms an often-lonely honor in the face of oppression--wafts through the mounting martial rhythms of Goldsmith's restrained, suspenseful orchestral score like a ghostly conscience. The pair of non-score selections here (John Hammond's swampy take on Tom Waits's "Get Behind the Mule" and the equally gritty blues of Dean Hall's "Chiseled in Stone") offer aesthetic changeups that help give both the film and its score an earthy, human dimension. --Jerry McCulley

The Last Castle,Jerry Goldsmith,Jerry Goldsmith,Malcolm McNab,Decca U.S.,Film,Film Music,Original Score,Pop,Soundtrack,Soundtracks & Film Scores

The Last Castle [Soundtrack]

Average customer rating:

Not the last of Goldsmith
Goldsmith's Only Entry In 2001
Goldsmith is back! Partly at least....

The Last Castle

Manufacturer: Decca U.S.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00005QK56
Release Date: 2001-10-16

Tracks:

The Castle
Irwin Arrives
The Rock Pile
Get Behind The Mule - John Hammond
Let's Go Ladies
Full Alert
Military Justice
The Count Down
Hold Them
Taking Command
The Flag
Theme From The Last Castle: September 11, 2001
Chiseled In Stone - Dean Hall

Amazon.com

Veteran film composer Jerry Goldsmith is renowned for his sci-fi writing, a reputation that stretches all the way back to the original TV Twilight Zone. But his work for military-themed historical epics is arguably every bit as compelling and includes such highlights as The Blue Max, Patton, MacArthur, Tora! Tora! Tora! and The Wind and the Lion. This restrained, quietly dignified score to director Rod Lurie's tale of a wrongly imprisoned general (Robert Redford) and the uprising he inspires against his abusive jailer (James Gandolfini) should join that canon. Carried by a mournful solo trumpet, its elegiac, minor-key main theme ("The Castle") somehow echoes Goldsmith's heroic writing for Patton, even as it underscores wholly different dramatic concerns. That haunting theme--one that affirms an often-lonely honor in the face of oppression--wafts through the mounting martial rhythms of Goldsmith's restrained, suspenseful orchestral score like a ghostly conscience. The pair of non-score selections here (John Hammond's swampy take on Tom Waits's "Get Behind the Mule" and the equally gritty blues of Dean Hall's "Chiseled in Stone") offer aesthetic changeups that help give both the film and its score an earthy, human dimension. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews:

Not the last of Goldsmith.......2003-01-20

Jerry Goldsmith is still one of the best composers around and his continuation in scoring even at his old age is quite impressive. The score to The Last Castle is equally impressive and a standard Goldsmith score. As director Rod Lurie said in the liner notes: "There was always just one choice. Just one: Jerry Goldsmith". As always with Goldsmith, there is a main theme and this one is a 24 note theme for the general in the film, played by veteran Malcolm McNab on trumpet. As Lurie says in the liner notes: "24 notes. All in C minor. 24 notes that have haunted me ever since. 24 notes that left me in tears. 24 notes that are a gift to soldiers; to sailors; to Americans. 24 notes that, I think, will help to cement Jerry Goldsmith as the maestro of our time." The action music is good as always with Goldsmith. "Hold Them" is full of tension, while "Taking Command" is an all out percussion filled action cue, with pulsating horns and trumpets. Goldsmith's trademark synth sounds are present throughout the score that were in Along Came A Spider, U.S. Marshals, and some of his Star Trek scores. Other solid action cues are "The Countdown", "Hold Them", and "Full Alert". "Irwin Arrives" and "The Rock Pile" contain relatively pleasant music with the trumpet theme, as well as in "The Flag", which really lets the music soar. Goldsmith also pays tribute to 9/11 with "September 11, 2001 - Theme from the Last Castle", which is provides the best rendition of the main theme with boldly played brass. 2 songs are also present, one which is good and the other can be skipped. "Get Behind the Mule" is a catchy blues tune by John Hammond that represents the prison life and "Chiseled In Stone" by Dean Hall is a decent track, but can pretty much be skipped. The score itself runs about 33 minutes and plays well throughout. This is not the last of Goldsmith and I hope he continues to keep scoring films. An all out good soundtrack.

Goldsmith's Only Entry In 2001.......2002-05-24

"The Last Castle" was the only entry from Jerry Goldsmith in 2001. 'The Castle' is a noble militaristic theme played on the trumpet by the gifted Malcolm McNab; it sounds a little bit like "Patton", but its noble feeling makes it catchy. The theme is fully developed on 'September 11, 2001', a elegiac cue which Goldsmith dedicated to those tragic events that occured on that infamous date. The action tracks are interesting, but somehow they don't quite reach the level of those from something like "Total Recall". However, the elegiac music is worth the price of this CD

The two songs are the only real lowdown of this CD, especially John Hammond's 'Get Behind The Mule'. So repetitive and boring. Personally I think this album would have worked better without the songs.

Goldsmith is back! Partly at least...........2001-10-24

When I was first introduced to soundtrack music some years ago, it was the Goldsmith score for Rudy, and I loved it. It is still one of my all time faves. I quickly found other music I liked, and other favorite composers, but Jerry Goldsmith was always right up there at the top with Horner and Williams. I eagerly awaited the release of every new score of his, and checked them out.

Then, all of a sudden, about two years ago, Goldsmith announced that due to health reasons he would be cutting back on the number of scores he composed each year. I was of course disapointed at this news, but that made looking forward to his next score all that much more exciting. However, little did I know that not only would he be cutting down on the quantity of the scores, but he would also be cutting down on the quality. Since he released his rousing "The 13th Warrior" score at the end of 1999, his few scores he has come out with have all been very disapointing, bland, unimaginative, and led me to believe he was really winding down a long and illustrious career.

So, with the news that Goldsmith was scoring the soundtrack to "The Last Castle", I approached it both with anticipation, as well as aprehension. I was really hoping that it would be a break out score, bringing back rememberances of the "Old Goldsmith" we all knew and loved. At the same time, I was bracing myself for another disapointment like the last few.

Having now heard the soundtrack, I am glad to say that Goldsmith is back, at least to a greater extent than he has has been since 1999. While "The Last Castle" is nothing altogether new, borrowing highly from his scores like "Executive Decision", "Air Force One", and "First Knight", it is nonetheless an enjoyable and at times rousing experience. It is more melancholy than those other scores in tone, given the setting of the film, but Goldsmith once again pulls off a good military/patriotic score, following in those others' footsteps. As the director of the film Rod Lurie says in the liner notes, Goldsmith is excellent at pulling off these kind of scores. So on this level, I am happy with this score, and glad that Goldsmith has again come through with a winner.

The reason for only three stars though, is that while this score is good, it is by no means great. It's better Goldsmith than we've had for a couple of years, but it's not's among his best works. It does not have much variance, the theme is repeated over and over (being a rather lackluster theme at that), and the cd and tracks are very short. What's worse, is the period songs inserted into the cd at awkward times, and disrupting the flow of the score. I'm not a fan of songtracks in general, and when they interfere with the score it is especially bad.

Another bummer is the September 11, 2001 memorial track included on the cd. When I heard that Goldsmith had played a piece in honor of the attack on America at the Hollywood Bowl, I was very excited, and imagined how great it must be, and hoped it would be included on a cd. Since it was taken from the Main Theme for "The Last Castle", which he had just finished working on, it was included on this cd, and I was very excited when I saw this. However, upon listening to the track I was very disapointed with it, and thought it a lost opportunity to score something really wonderful. It is virtually identical to the Main Theme, and is short, and not very dramatic. I suppose in a way it serves it's purpose as a memorial, but I can think of many other pieces of score music that would be a lot better. One piece of music that I can't help but think of when I go over the images of the attacks, the heroism of the rescuers, and the resolve of the US in response, is Hans Zimmer's Journey to the Line track from "The Thin Red Line". Listening to that while conjuring up the images I mentioned before is sure to bring tears to your eyes.

So in closing, I say that all Goldsmith fans should get this cd, as it is a refreshing return to some of his old greatness for Goldsmith. But don't be expecting something totally new, different, or great, because it's none of those things. It's a good score for the film, and a good listen as well, but not anything new. As far as the September 11 track, it's adequate for the situation, but could have been so much more.

Napola: Elite Fur Den Fuhrer
Average customer rating:

The magic of Herr Corbeil...

Napola: Elite Fur Den Fuhrer

Manufacturer: Zyx Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0007D09I8
Release Date: 2005-01-31

Tracks:

Gro Hoffnung (Dialog)
Opening Theme
Eine Ganz Besondere Sache (Dialog)
Living Home
Inside the Locker
Kein Mitleid (Dialog)
Castle
Training
Heldentog (Dialog)
Albrecht
Too Weak
Ein Gros Abenteuer (Dialog)
Two Brothers
No Pity
ReiDich Zusammen (Dialog)
Death Forest
Flight
Die Winterliche Landschaft (Dialog)
Back to the Castle
I Am Afraid
Privilegiert (Dialog)
Task
Confrontation
Ich Konntw Nicht Anders (Dialog)
Lake Scene
Death of Albrecht
Last Match
Last Scene

Customer Reviews:

The magic of Herr Corbeil..........2005-10-15

Yet, again... another great masterpiece by Mr.Normand Corbeil (Hitler:The Rise of Evil,The Statement,Pentagon Papers). He's a talented composer!I was introduced to him through the mini-series of Hitler: The Rise of Evil by CBS which, by the way,have captivating scores especially 'Geli's Theme','Helena's Theme' and another one which i cant remember. Too bad it does not come in CDs.
I have not heard of the other composers, but from the result that they achieved for the scores of NAPOLA, I can say it is a work of art! The scores are so beautiful that you will immediately escape into another world! The Opening theme is wonderful!
I have not heard of other tracks besides the one that they play at the official website, but seeing Mr.Corbeil's name as the composer and heard two to three songs from the album, it is justified enough that this is one album that is truly captivating!

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