Gulliver's Travels

Review by Thomas Glorieux:

When is Trevor Jones not scoring epic films? When is Trevor Jones not bringing epic themes for stories so legendary yet so Television like in scope? We have seen examples of epic themes in blockbusters (The Last of the Mohicans, The Mighty, Thirteen Days or his first scores so to speak off, namely Excalibur and The Dark Crystal). But we have seen also features of epic quality but in television format and there lies Merlin and Loch Ness as scores that carry fantastic music onto themselves. Another feature brought for Television standards was Gulliver's Travels, starring Ted Danson as Gulliver in the leading role. And by his tall or tiny side was the music of Trevor Jones, it couldn't be better doesn't it? Well, it could if you compare scores of Merlin and the unreleased Loch Ness with Gulliver's Travels in the first place. The point usually lies with what kind of theme Jones has written here and what kind of underscore that follows its guidelines. Usually the theme is so good and the rest so comfortable that it all becomes excellent to listen to. Yet with Gulliver's Travels we have an appropriate yet no stunning theme per se and background music which repeats too much the same so to speak. Varying listens make it pleasing overall but too large in length to really give it more for its better parts.

As always, Jones' epic themes are the first to appear in scores and this theme appears in the first track 'Gulliver Returns Home' at the end, the epic nature is of course present and so is the large quality but I have heard better even if it always grows on you. This theme which is the main theme is used the most during the score, giving always a sense of dreary mysticism, the unknown and the emotional burden Gulliver carries with it. At times this theme receives much more hope and joyful momentum but it is mostly used near the end of the story and score. Another theme which appears only in the first 10 tracks (and way at the end) is first appearing in 'Finding a Giant', and is heard more heroic or lighter in the next tracks (with drums in 'A Hero's Welcome' or as a waltz like ditty in track 5). It is a theme that leans close to the main theme and represents the first world Gulliver discovers (when he is big). The main theme after that appears a bit and then he enters a world where the sizes are reversed (meaning he is little). Here the world isn't introduced with a theme per se but we make one up in several tracks, 'Journey to Bedlam' and with more classical harpsichord in 'The Doll's House'. This theme is not so epic or loud but appears just several times to pinpoint its existence. Yet the trouble of long soundtracks such as these is that variation is required to make it a much gratifying listen and here things don't mingle as they should. From tracks 10 to 30 the variation is kept to a minimum and whether a choral moment, a different theme or another way of tone could have changed it all, Jones merely sticks with a more darker approach to signify the continuing voyage of Gulliver to a way out and the truth of his adventures.

The tracks that we do pick out are the following, 'Glumdalclitch Loses Gulliver' with its epic main theme performance, 'Laputa' which covers a different flavor through the Egyptian sounding guitar, 'The Empress Munodi' which captures a bit of Arabic flavor in it, 'Reverse the Lodestone!' and 'The Yahoos' which both cover a better sense of suspense building through brass, same with 'Escape from the Sorcerer' yet here it happens with strings to the main theme itself and a more percussive beat and tribal feel rules over tracks such as 30, 31, 33 and 34. I was referring to a more relieved statement of the main theme that could bring a more positive sounding tone and we alas receive it at the end with 'Everything is True' and 'Gulliver's Travels Closing Theme' works as a good compilation piece with the main theme and march like secondary theme. Basically this is what Gulliver's Travels misses a bit, variety that makes a listen different since the time (75 minutes) is huge and the tracks overall (37) are too numerous and small in length to really keep you on edge for the duration of the listen. It also makes the score not one to return much too, simply on the occasions. I've had scores like Thirteen Days which equally listened dark and underscore like, but in there, explosions of tense suspense building made you feel alive. Here Gulliver's Travels is a bit the same overall. A better begin and end period and a quasi same middle period is all what you need to remember of this score's impression. It works but not for many repeated listening.

\ตตต/

Tracks

Single Disc

1. Gulliver Returns Home (5.33)

2. Finding A Giant (3.23)

3. The Gates Of Mildendo (0.43)

4. An Exploration (0.50)

5. The Emperor's Palace (3.06)

6. Creeping And Leaping (1.00)

7. A Hero's Welcome (0.53)

8. The Flight From Lilliput (3.40)

9. Journey To Bedlam (1.50)

10. Arrival In Brobdingnag (1.34)

11. Tom Finds The Bag (1.48)

12. The Doll's House (2.07)

13. Gulliver's Big Bang (1.28)

14. Grildrig's Attack (2.03)

15. Battle Of The Wasps (2.36)

16. Glumdalclitch Loses Gulliver (3.33)

17. The Flying Island (2.06)

18. Tom Won't Eat (1.32)

19. Laputa (1.13)

20. The Empress Munodi (1.02)

21. Reverse The Lodestone! (1.51)

22. The Professor Of Sunlight (2.16)

23. The Pit (1.07)

24. There's Going To Be A Storm (1.20)

25. The Sorcerer's Mirror (1.04)

26. Gulliver Calls Up The Dead (1.19)

27. Escape From The Sorcerer (1.23)

28. Mary's Letters (1.32)

29. The Immortal Struldbruggs (1.25)

30. It's A Start (2.14)

31. Mistress (1.20)

32. The Land Of The Houyhnhnms (1.35)

33. The Yahoos (1.35)

34. Never Going Home (2.46)

35. The Houyhnhnms Cry Out (1.59)

36. Everything Is True (4.29)

37. Gulliver's Travels Closing Theme (3.34)

Total Length: 75.55

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

=== Link to Composer Site: Trevor Jones ===