Goldsmith’s score for Malice (1993) the thriller starring Nicole Kidman and Alec Baldwin is lyrically exhilarating and fuels the suspense. The choral is alluringly evocative and powerfully performed. The film and the score are still exemplary works. This is one that you must listen to on the soundtrack CD. A masterful composition of exceptional beauty.
For Star Trek: First Contact (1996) Goldsmith was back to dazzle with the old and the new as he expanded the magnificence of the opening theme, and delivered a wonderfully symphonic score that takes you worlds away in the best possible sense.
For L.A. Confidential (1997) he wrote a distinctive score that moves with the story and pulls you into the twisting intrigue. He merged the style of the time with his own and as with Chinatown the result echoes classic noir. Trumpets, pianos, strings, and percussion and back to the lone trumpet in a haunting refrain, Goldsmith gives us one of his most elegant scores.
In 1998, Goldsmith was back on another Star Trek. Star Trek: Insurrection was gracefully gilded by his sure hand and from the opening notes we know that we are in for another wonder. The softness that the opening segues into from the usual bravura of the franchise’s main theme tells us that things have changed and we are again truly going where no one has gone before.
In 1999 his work on The Mummy would help in bringing back one of the Classic Universal Monsters. His music is as important as the stunning sets and locations in evoking the feel and mood of the film.
The cast and the music bring Egypt to life with sound and movement as we re-live the adventure of The Mummy. So much of the film is based on the original and is so well done that I don’t understand why Universal chose to begin its re-boot of the Universal Monsters with The Mummy! They already have two excellent Mummy films that are recent enough to be included in the current series. And, the first one has an amazing Jerry Goldsmith score!
Also in 1999 came The Haunting a remake of the 1963 classic Robert Wise film that starred Claire Bloom, Julie Harris, Richard Johnson, and Russ Tamblyn. Still thought to be the most successful of all haunted house movies. Of course the remake has a lot to offer in the way of special effects in addition to Goldsmith’s marvelous score.
Goldsmith composed his last score for the Star Trek franchise, Star Trek Nemesis which was released in 2002. It was not the best of his Star Trek scores, possibly because it is bleak and darkly colored in many places. Goldsmith managed to pull it up in the end and delivers a rewarding entry that contributes to his astonishingly successful association with the series.
