The Four Feathers

Review by Thomas Glorieux:

James Horner is scoring yet another war movie and people can ask the same question as me, how can he do it while not sounding like all the others and especially in that department people will have a fun day since Horner is ripping himself all the time. The Four Feathers was therefore another test of time, and how would it both fall in the hands of Horner himself as the fans that listened to it? One of the reasons why the score didn't directly turn into a same old same old war score was because of the ethnic flavor that spiced the movie and story, so Horner could bring more western Arabic mood swings and especially for that he hired the vocal talents of Rahat Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, a name you will remember for the rest of your time I guess. The other part that The Four Feathers doesn't directly listen as a rip off job is because the score isn't loaded with action and the underscore of Horner is either light or accentuated by the vocals of Khan, in that the music needs no first rate check up job since they have to underscore the vocals of Khan instead, 'The Martyrs' being an example of score that sets the underscore for the vocals with just drums and bells. Yet, The Four Feathers is also different from the fact that, just as Windtalkers it isn't all melody per se. The underscore is sometimes so light or dreamy that it doesn't really require themes to make the point. The actual themes of the score aren't also those noticed big shiny moments that flower power a Horner score, making both the actual borrowed material so minimal in quantity. All in all The Four Feathers is once more different, if it wasn't for the incredible insane length that it is presented in.

People simply don't learn and one time it will make them fall flat on their faces. It doesn't mean that a score needs to be presented in full if you just can push the limits to the max on a recorded CD. Sony Classical simply recorded I think any track longer then 1 minute and since Horner likes to write long pieces, I have no doubt 80% of the composed material is released. As for the score, it is neither worse nor strong. It opens rather good with 'The Making of a Fine Soldier', where the vocals of Khan and the score of Horner mix in a rather intriguing form, here the sound is distinctly Mighty Joe Young like. There are other tracks where more powerful music is presented, 'Sniper!' being short but to the point with the vocals of Khan setting disturbing performances at frequent times, 'The Mahdi' adding both the more interesting orchestral play of strings and fanfares while through it Khan again adds distinct vocals, conjuring up these weird feelings of tension and building danger. 'Escape' is for me the one and only action track so to speak off and adds a little more dash to the proceedings with some better action moments (again reminding me the most of the great examples in Mighty Joe Young and the Egyptian fanfare after 5 minutes is great to hear). And finally some high powered performances of the otherwise absent main theme in 'A Coward no Longer' make at least the 14 minute track somewhat of a fine finisher. Yet it isn't Horner doing for instance stuff like heard in Apollo 13, Titanic or even in Mighty Joe Young, because these moments aren't heard in here. Why they remind me of those scores, the sometimes soft horn playing providing noble thoughts ('Harry's Resignation') of Apollo 13, the more dreamy mood also heard in Titanic (and various other scores) and Mighty Joe Young simply because it at times sounds that way due to the action music.

The other part of the soundtrack is relatively calm and subdued, 'The Dance' and 'The Letters' adding some very quiet dreamy piano play, it doesn't really add interesting music but its calm and relaxing and something different. In the second up mentioned track a short sign of the violin is added and just briefly, it does add more color then before while the piano on itself brings the dreamy sounds of Bicentennial Man, The Perfect Storm as To Gillian on her 34th Birthday to life. Perhaps the only track I just seem to dislike more then the others is 'Ghost of Serenity', where Khan's vocals add such a non melodic approach that it just keeps bringing the same uninteresting irritating tone. Yet as said before, the long discussed problem is indeed the length of this score, 80 minutes is simply preposterous. 50 minutes max could have given it a finer listening experience and especially a chance to listen to it sometimes again. For a score I basically hardly remember anything from, 80 minutes is 40 minutes too long. I overall thought 30 minutes of solid music with 10 of underscore was far then enough to give the score the overall impression. Yet Sony thinks they are spoiling us yet they are spilling the last patience of the listener instead since I'm not the only one having different feelings of this problem. The Four Feathers is far from the better Horner score, it doesn't really offer orchestral play you remember much from at the end. Even 3 star scores that received the self rip off label are better because they bring more to remember. Yet as a soothing background score, it surprisingly works fine. The occasional Khan vocal add a disturbing on edge feeling to the music while the underscore as appearing dramatic touches give it difference and oomph. Horner composed so much better, but for a certain matter The Four Feathers works as background score (especially after several listens). That it could have worked as film music score but just doesn't is because they made it so lengthily to start with. For the die hard fans of Horner and only those.

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Tracks

Single Disc

1. The Making Of A Fine Soldier (3.27)

2. The Dance (2.22)

3. Harry's Resignation (10.09)

4. Sniper! (1.27)

5. To Abou Clea (3.08)

6. The Martyrs (2.40)

7. The Mahdi (10.47)

8. The Letters (6.52)

9. Poison From A Friend (6.56)

10. Escape (6.45)

11. Ethne's Feather (4.21)

12. Ghost Of Serenity (6.30)

13. A Coward No Longer (13.49)

Total Length: 79.20

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=== Link to Composer Site: James Horner ===