Customer Reviews

Lifeforce: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

One might not think that Henry Mancini, the composer of music scores to comedies like THE PINK PANTHER, or even the early Latin-rock of Orson Welles' 1958 thriller TOUCH OF EVIL, would be capable of bold orchestral music. But his score to the 1985 sci-fi/horror film LIFEFORCE is proof that he is. Aided by the London Symphony Orchestra, Mancini composed a score that has elements not only of John Williams' own STAR WARS music, but also elements of Beethoven, Bruckner, Mahler, and Wagner. The main theme is a vigorous, sinister scherzo along the lines of the scherzo in Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. The rest is very bold symphonic film scoring at its best.

Like the admittedly uneven film it is a part of, however, Mancini's LIFEFORCE score has largely gone unnoticed. Hopefully that changes, because this score has to be one of the greatest undiscovered gems of Hollywood film scoring in recent memory.

Henry Mancini's score for Lifeforce is simply rousing. I get chills just listening to it.

The whole ending and closing music are breathtaking. I give 5 stars for these tracks alone. It's seminal sci-fi music.

Henry really shines here with the theme for Lifeforce. The music is fantastic. Highly recommended.

Not a words... How to describ one of the most beautifull soundtrack ?... The two CD présente all the versions; somes variations. The music of the movies is complet in this two CD box... Perfection... just listen...

The other reviewers are right. This is sure not the blues rolled Henry Mancini we know--when he scored the film Lifeforce, Mancini completely departed from his sound, and made classical music.

This takes a lot of getting used to, and the work is on our part. A composer does not create expectations, fans do. So if Henry Mancini chose to make orchestral music that completely sailed away from his own reference points, who are we to argue.

Does it work? Absolutely, as long as you let Mancini be Mancini as opposed to expecting Mancini to be Mancini. The surprise here is not the orchestration. He did that on plenty of his classic scores, and if you want to hear a fantastic example, check out 1963s Charade.

The big departure here is that from tightly structured pieces. Lifeforce's music seems to float in big amorphous clouds. These long movements remind me of Charles Ives, or on the soundtrack side, some of Jerry Fielding's dark soundscapes.

It will take you time to get into this music--although given time and listening you will get very wrapped in these sound layers--and that may be Mancini's biggest coup of all on Lifeforce. By abandoning the usual immediacy of his sound, he has taken true risk here, and possibly achieved a different level of true brilliance.

I had the good fortune to hear Mancini conduct the Dallas Symphony in the mid 80's. At that time he told the audience that the theme from Lifeforce was his favorite of all his themes. I have looked for this CD for some time. It is probably the most powerful of all his themes - and he has written some classics.

Though missing the eerie incedental music by Michael Kamen & James Guthrie(added by the panicked producers to the USA cut of the film at the last minute) This CD asks and answers the musical question: Can Henry Mancini write sci-fi/horror music? Personally, the Main Theme and the very last section of ÕThe Web of DestinyÕ, set at the end of the film, are used to best advantage....much of the rest is just adequate.