Jerry Goldsmith (1929-2004) Part Two
Alien (1979) was also a science fiction film and the score was eerily manipulative in the vein of Bernard Herrmann’s score for The Day the Earth Stood Still as it pulled you into the nightmare faced by Sigourney Weaver. Although it did not get an Academy nomination, it did score a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score – Motion Picture.
Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983) is another favorite of mine. Parts of it remind me of his score for Star Trek: The Motion Picture, but it also has the atmosphere of Bernard Herrmann’s original opening and closing for the original television series.
The Gremlins’ (1984) score, both scary and playful also has a sublime beauty that is elegantly well blended. This is another score for which I recommend the sound track CD. Not because it’s not an enjoyable movie, but because the music stands so well on its own.
The score for Supergirl (1984) begins with a nod to John Williams but then takes off in its own direction. It is too bad that the film does not live up to the music. The music is astonishing and Helen Slater was perfect for the part, but the script just couldn’t fly.
In 1989, Goldsmith scored Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. He successfully brings majesty to the weakest movie in the series. This is another good candidate for the soundtrack CD.
1990’s Total Recall based on a Philip K. Dick story (We Can Remember It for You Wholesale), was another science fiction film that fit right in with Goldsmith’s style. An exceptionally brilliant score that suits the action and suspense and segues into scene setting beauty. The score for the 2012 remake of Total Recall suffers by comparison to this glorious work. One of the many reasons that some re-makes are ill advised.
The score for Basic Instinct (1992) brings another Oscar nomination, but no trophy. It is a fluid and haunting score that hints at suspense in sensual cadences that lure the senses. The Oscar went to Aladdin’s score by Alan Menken.
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