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“GAST WALTZING's
score hits all the right beats for Reeves' quirkily-entertaining
film.”
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This George is No Drag
Review by Christopher Coleman
The tale of the heroic George slaying a villainous dragon goes back
centuries. Although the tale may most often be associated with the period
of the Third Crusades, the essence of the myth reaches back to
pre-Christian history. The Roman soldier who was to become Saint George
had a far different experience to that of the more legendary George.
Around the year 300, the poor fellow was tortured and executed at the
hands of the cruel Roman Emperor Diocletian for maintaining his Christian
faith. George's martyrdom is said to have caused the conversion of other
notable Romans. All pretty serious stuff. Now, Tom Reeves' 2004 film,
GEORGE AND THE DRAGON, contains the three main elements of the widely
adopted legend: a princess, a dragon, and, of course, George. The film;
however, is anything but serious on the surface. GEORGE AND THE DRAGON
contains a rather interesting cast for a movie that very few have ever
seen: Patrick Swayze, Piper Perabo, James Purefoy and Michael Clarke
Duncan and even a cameo by Val Kilmer. The film is actually a quaint
little adventure-comedy that isn't quite as tongue-in-cheek as say THE
PRINCESS BRIDE, but it does have more laugh-out-loud moments than one
might anticipate. It's clear that Tom Reeves and co. were not working with
a huge budget (that or they spent most of it on their cast) as the
production value and CG work leaves quite a bit to be desired. But the
film's true value is in its writing and performances (save Patrick
Swayze's attempt at a being English Nobility...even fairy-tale-nobility)
and its score by GAST WALTZING.
MOVIESCORE MEDIA found this little gem lounging around unreleased and was
wise in picking it up and making it a part of their "Discovery
Collection." GAST WALTZING has delivered a very entertaining score - start
to finish. As with any good knight and dragon movie, the score is ripe
with solid character themes and engaging action cues. And beyond many
scores of this genre, the composer is able to keep the score engaging
throughout, making it one of the best listening experiences of an entire
soundtrack that I've had recently. GAST WALTZING's score hits all
the right beats for Reeves' quirkily-entertaining film. You can journey
emotionally with the characters while still being able to perceive the
director's "winks" to the audience throughout the film through Waltzing's
music.
The score is built on a handful of strong themes. Launching the film, we
have the Dragon's theme - a piece that is dramatic with a
Patrick-Doyle-flare. It's a captivating piece that begins the listening
experience quite well, but essentially disappears until "The Dragon"
(track 21). George's theme is found quite often throughout the score, but
makes its first appearance in "Coming Home" (track 3). It is played
predominantly on strings but on occasion is lead on various woodwind
instruments. George's theme is generally played with life and vigor and is
certainly a highlight of the score. Rather than being a boisterous,
aggressive piece (a la Silvestri's Beowulf), Waltzing gives George a
simple, quiet theme which reflects his desire to leave the life and
adventures of a knight behind and live a peaceful, family life. Another
major theme is that of Princess Loona. First heard in "Search Loona"
(track 7), her theme is a beautiful little aria performed by Carmen Welter
Jander. We hear her theme again at the conclusion of "George and the King"
(track 9) as it follows a full performance of George's theme (hinting at
the destiny of the the characters eventually crossing paths). While both
George's and Loona's theme both have romantic elements to them, it isn't
until we reach track 11, "Meet Princess" that we truly have a full love
theme. We first hear another soulful performance of George's theme, but
instead of giving way to Loona's, we hear her theme layerd on top of his -
the two perfectly complimenting one another as they play. This is perhaps
the best moment of the soundtrack, but there is much more Waltzing's score
has to offer.
GAST WALTZING's action cues are all solid and almost as entertaining as
his themes. We have what amounts to the villains theme in "Village Cabillo"
(5) and "Hunt Cabillo" (13). This is a lively piece that continues the
strong Patrick Doyle vibe established earlier on. Towards the middle of
the film we get a couple of comedic-action pieces, "Battle of the Pics (8)
and "Egg Roll." These are fun cues that are a couple of those "winks" to
the audience. As George and Lord Garth battle a bunch of marauding Pics,
Waltzing's can-can plays delightfully in the background - keeping the tone
light and helping to reinforce the scenes comedic edge. The final third of
the film is dominated by a new action theme. Introduced in "Rescue
Princess" (17), we have a great action cue with a heroic edge. Pulsing
strings and brass drive the piece as male and female choral accents
occasionally come in to add depth. Additionally, the electronic elements
heard early on also begin to creep in and through the piece. In track 18,
"Heroes" we hear an extension of the newly established action theme.
"Heroes" starts to approach a bit of Howard Shore's territory from moments
in The Fellowship of the Ring. Track 19 and 20 "Battle and Birth" and
"Last Battle" develop this action theme further - introducing a second
part which features a more triumphant feel.
The final score track "Love" (24) echoes the journey George takes, even
beyond finding his romantic love in Princess Loona. Instead of the this
piece being a reprisal of the combined love theme, we hear George's theme
plus the dragon's again. Finally, George has come to see and appreciate
the value of life, even if it be a dragon's. Instead of dispatching
the poor winged beast, as most versions of the myth go, he spares the
dragon. No. This version of the story doesn't find George the
hero because he vanquishes the dragon, but because he let's it live -
which, if there are any serious undercurrents for such a film, is one of
the film's main points - tolerance. As you can tell, I believe this
to be a solid listening experience, but there's one last important comment
to make. GEORGE AND THE DRAGON is able to side-step the
ever-widening-marketing trap of including a pop tune as the concluding
track. Oh it contains a pop tune just like BEOWULF and THE GOLDEN COMPASS,
but this time it works. The song "It Will Always Be With You"
is co-written and performed by Maggie Parke (who happens to also be
partner with Waltzing for their own label and music studio based in
Luxemborg). It is a simple contemporary song featuring Parke's smooth and
unforced vocals which may stir up memories of 90's hit performers Swing
Out Sister and Basia. In the end, GEORGE AND THE DRAGON is an
exceptional effort and works, perhaps even better than in-film, as a stand
alone listening experience - and right through the final track.
Rating: 8/10
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Track |
Track Title |
Track Time |
Rating |
|
1 |
Intro |
1:55 |
**** |
|
2 |
Titles |
0:45 |
*** |
|
3 |
Celtic
Monk |
2:21 |
*** |
|
4 |
Coming
Home |
3:14 |
**** |
|
5 |
Village
Cabillo |
2:02 |
**** |
| 6 |
Dragon Horn |
0:47 |
**** |
| 7 |
Search Loona |
1:20 |
**** |
| 8 |
Battle of the Pics |
3:34 |
**** |
| 9 |
George and the King |
1:52 |
**** |
| 10 |
Cave |
2:54 |
*** |
| 11 |
Meet Princess |
3:07 |
***** |
| 12 |
Egg Roll |
1:33 |
**** |
| 13 |
Hunt Cabillo |
2:28 |
**** |
| 14 |
Monastary |
1:21 |
**** |
| 15 |
George Sad |
2:00 |
*** |
| 16 |
Kidnap |
0:54 |
*** |
| 17 |
Rescue Princess |
3:19 |
**** |
| 18 |
Heroes |
1:48 |
**** |
| 19 |
Battle and Birth |
3:45 |
**** |
| 20 |
Last Battle |
4:55 |
***** |
| 21 |
The Dragon |
1:07 |
**** |
| 22 |
George and the Dragon |
3:56 |
**** |
| 23 |
Last Ride |
1:18 |
**** |
| 24 |
Love |
1:37 |
**** |
| 25 |
It Will Always be You |
5:30 |
*** |
| |
Total Running Time (approx) |
59 minutes |
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