Customer Reviews

Timeline: Music Inspired by the Film [Hybrid SACD]

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

 

 

to those of us who've derived great pleasure from his film music is his score for TIMELINE, the time-travel movie based on the novel by Michael Crichton.

TIMELINE briefly reunited Goldsmith with director Richard Donner, with whom he worked on 1976's spookfest THE OMEN (Goldsmith earned an Oscar for his original score), and although Goldsmith produced a sweeping, powerful score which so deftly captured the themes of great love, courage, high adventure and the desire to change things for the better, his score was inexplicably dropped from the film in favor of a rather bland sounding (imo) orchestral score composed by Brian Tyler (Tyler's score is also available from (....), if you wish to compare them).

TIMELINE was a film plagued with more than its fair share of problems, and when Goldsmith's orchestral score was dropped from the film, it was feared that this film score would disappear into a wormhole and never be recorded or heard. However, Mr. Goldsmith's final wish was that his score for TIMELINE be preserved and recorded as his final gift to his fans. Although the album is a bit short (around 45 mins. or so), it won't disappoint fans who loved Mr. Goldsmith's way of making the blandest film interesting with a good orchestral score.

This album proves that Jerry Goldsmith was a master composer, and this score proves it once again. Yes, there are a few electronics, but (as always) they don't overwhelm the magic of the orchestral score, especially the rich brass section and those lushly orchestrated strings. The first cue, entitled "Dig", gives us a musical picture of what the students were doing while they poked around a archeological dig and discovered a lot more than they bargained for.

All of the cues (including my favorite cue, entitled "Greek Fire") are the kind of exciting action-adventure music so many of us came to expect from Jerry Goldsmith, and although the world of film music isn't quite the same now that he's gone, TIMELINE, along with his scores for STAR TREK: NEMESIS and LOONEY TUNES: BACK IN ACTION, are the final chapters in a long, distinguished film music career.

I highly recommend this CD.

Great score from the master!!! Glad it got an official release!!!

There's a chap on youknowhotube who has inserted Goldsmith's score back into the film for the scenes where Goldsmith had completed score. I must say his fabulous score makes a great impact on those scenes, especially the battle scene. While it was not a great movie, it definately raises a notch with the original score in there. Check it out by searching 'Goldsmith Timeline' for a scene by scene....

This soundtrack doesn't dissapoint! Especially track entitled "Prepare for Battle/Victory". Alot of energy just like were used to a Jerry Goldsmith score. We will truly miss you Sir Goldsmith!

I can't get my head around the positive reviews for this score. The rightfully rejected score to Timeline is Goldsmith at his most generic. He simply got this score completely wrong, and his sounds just never come across as natural or indigenous to the story. There is one bright spot, track 2 'Cornflakes' is a wonderfully bittersweet tangent, and it's almost worth buying the CD for, but the rest is pure drudgery. It was Goldsmith's second last scoring assignment, and his last for his old friend Richard Donner, but for a better epitaph for a great composer check-out Looney Tunes: Back In Action.

From the Movie of the same name:

Based on Michael Crichton's novel of transposing modern day humans back into medieval times, it follows the book nicely. Both use mirrors to achieve the time warp experience from medieval to this century.
This story takes place in 1971 where a diverse group of archaeology students, working under the auspices of ITC in New Mexico, are involved in excavating the ruins of Castlegard in France. Their professor has disappeared and, using a wormhole in a wooded area, are transported back in time to rescue him. They have six hours in our concept of time and given markers to use for their return within that timeline. Arriving on April 4, 1357, the day of a French attack on this particular castle, we see a lot of action. Only the modern men showed fear in combat. William Decker, stranded there 400 years in the past because of transcription errors, exemplified the savage cruelty which is second nature in a hostile environment. He showed this young group 'the price we pay' for discovery, that knowledge of history depends upon survival. One thing worse than dying here is living here, they were told. This film uses a primitive set of castle grounds complete with thatched roof. The church at the base of a mountain on whidh a fortress stood contained a tomb of a couple holding hands in death. In the modern scene, the female student was intrigued with the dead man having only one ear. The mystery is revealed during the fireworks of a fierce battle that evening.

One of their group was ready to change history over a woman; instead, he spends 25 years back in time to die in 1382. Andre Merick had his ear cut off and stayed behind with his love, Lady Clare. He'd commented to her, "We are speaking the same language but you don't understand anything I am saying to you." You've got to see the Greek fire used in this fight in the name of justice. They were told, "God is on your side." The night arrows turned the tide. A lot of fire was used. Because of the timeline (6 hrs. down to a few minutes) for anyone to safely return, a battle was also going on in the lab as time runs out. You must see the entire episode to discover who indeed returns and who is lost. "Well done.