Medicine Man

Review by Thomas Glorieux:

Another creative effort of Goldsmith that relies more on the exotic instruments to bring a jungle to life. And like efforts such as Congo and The Ghost and the Darkness, he feels right at home with this genre. The film was one that wasn't bad but also wasn't that good to start praying about its benefits and faults. It just gave a clear signal what we as humans do to our own world. The score on the other hand was so good that it enlightened a movie to be better and music on its own terms makes a movie better but also the listen on disc, especially if it captures some divvying moments on itself. Medicine Man is just capturing the right feel and transcends the movie to a more emotional psychic level. I'm of course referring to two key moments in the film. The one where Sean Connery and Lorraine Bracco hang in the air, gliding from tree to tree is one of the moments where music can do everything right and nothing wrong. And the way Goldsmith makes the scene just so deep simply through strings and a mouthwatering theme is brilliant on itself. The beauty of the forest due to 'The Trees' then takes the grandest place on the screen and you realize that it has nothing to do about hanging in the air, but about the beauty, relaxing calm and spiritual power of a forest. That the scene and of course Goldsmith takes directly a 180 turn in direction with threatening tones is not only spot on with the movie itself, but including that we are destroying everything for a better world, yet in the making make of a better world one that will ultimately be destroyed.

The other pinnacle moment or better said the end of the beginning for 2 scientists is found at the end, with the accompanying track 'The Fire'. Here the dark theme heard many times before takes the heaviest burden in that we destroy what could be our salvation. Again a more spiritual feel that can take any direction in how you want to see it but again Goldsmith is spot on with his music. For the rest, this is what the score revolves around. Either it is the one theme or the other making an appearance, but it never becomes too much for one theme alone. The danger and of course more dark dramatic theme is often heard in a variation, whether more playful or emotionally lighthearted. The score cue that opens it is equally a lovely one to digest. 'Rae's Arrival' includes the bouncy piece for guitar, percussion and pan pipes and fits just so well with all the other bouncy pieces Goldsmith has written in his career. Here the dark drama theme receives its first outing. So in the end you have three themes, all bringing one time or another a performance in all of the tracks. 'Campbell and the Children' is the first track where a short version of the tree theme is heard but still its performance in track 4 is of the utmost superiority, check out the version when it smacks your head upside down on 3.34.

The other thematic moments all make great background listening and even the dark theme sometimes flies before your eyes when it appears with the more lighthearted touch, its that different simply. 'Mountain High' is a nice example of this fact. 'Without a Net' is also very good to listen to, a playful wash after 2 minutes with the tree theme that glows near the end. The last track after the climatic fire sequence is 'A Meal and a Bath' and is just what people call 'born compilation material'. Here all the themes once more appear in their best performance but also the string work around the fourth minute is simply brilliant, it almost can make you cry of happiness. Result, from start to finish, Medicine Man is a dream of a score. The more ethnic pieces that bounce around are perhaps background material but it is background material that listens so well, it is interesting to begin with. The themes that weave around this score are excellent and the music is simply of such a nature that it makes the movie recommendable on its own. Along with The Ghost and the Darkness and Under Fire it is a testament to the quality of ethnic scores of Goldsmith. And along with Basic Instinct, it is the crčme de la crčme of Goldsmith for '92.

\ľľľľ/

Tracks

Single Disc

1. Rae's Arrival (5.07) Excellent Track

2. First Morning (3.45)

3. Campbell And The Children (1.56)

4. The Trees (6.01) Excellent Track

5. The Harvest (3.11)

6. Mocara (3.36)

7. Mountain High (2.40)

8. Without A Net (4.18)

9. Finger Painting (2.30)

10. What's Wrong (1.51)

11. The Injection (2.09)

12. The Sugar (2.07)

13. The Fire (2.10) Excellent Track

14. A Meal And A Bath (8.04) Excellent Track

Total Length: 50.12

The use of artwork or photos is posted for non profitable reasons

=== Link to Composer Site: Jerry Goldsmith ===