After nearly four decades, powerhouse Laurence Rosenthal soundtrack for riveting sequel to A Man Called Horse finally gets fully restored 2-CD release! Irvin Kershner directs, Richard Harris reprises role of English aristocrat John Morgan, once enslaved by Sioux, now aiding them in war with white trappers. Initially available on United Artists label LP at time of film’s release, then slightly expanded on CD many years later, current Intrada release offers entire massive score with treasure trove of previously unreleased music! Generous array of additional cues bring presentation to 102 minutes of exciting, colorful western scoring! Brand new digital mixes created from 2″ 24-track session masters recorded in London allow vibrant clarity and sonic detail like never before. If that were not enough, CD 2 also has moving, elegiac Americana score by Rosenthal for 1999 TV movie Inherit The Wind starring Jack Lemmon, George C. Scott as Henry Drummond and Matthew Brady, two opposing attorneys arguing Scopes ‘Monkey’ Trial of 1925, directed by Daniel Petrie Sr., from famous play by Jerome Lawrence & Robert Edwin Lee. Here the composer scores inherent drama with quiet understatement, building to moving finale featuring long, expressive solo trumpet over strings, horns. Absolutely beautiful writing! Complete 29-minute score presented in stereo from original two-track digital session mixes. Package design by Joe Sikoryak includes full cue assembly details for both scores plus informative notes by John Takis. Laurence Rosenthal conducts.
In 1976 Laurence Rosenthal presented another of his landmark scores for the United Artists film, The Return of a Man Called Horse. There is much to admire in this score: the fierce percussive music for the opening massacre, the harrowing intensity of the scenes surrounding the Sun Vow ritual, and the jovial theme that is introduced in the gift-giving scene. Taken as a whole, the score pulses with a vibrancy that is remarkable even by Rosenthal’s standards. But the centerpiece is unquestionably the filmâ’s powerful main theme. As the composer details in his preface to the album, this melody expertly combines the formative influences of Morganâ’s life: the elegance and refinement of old Europe, the majestic vistas of the Great Plains, and the inner mysticism of the Lakota Sioux.
Return of a Man Called Horse is a sequel to the 1970 film A Man Called Horse, continuing the story of John Morgan (Richard Harris), a British aristocrat who had previously been captured by – and subsequently adopted — into the Yellow Hand tribe of the Lakota Sioux. After a stifling hiatus in his native England, he returns to America to find his friends in despair, broken by malicious trappers in alliance with a rival tribe. Renewing his spirit and sense of purpose, Morgan rallies the Yellow Hands to victory and a new life.
Being such essential Rosenthal, Intrada embarked on a full restoration of the score, remixing the entire score from the 24-track elements stored at MGM and presenting this greatly expanded edition. Flowing over 2-CDs, but not long enough to fill out the second CD, Intrada includes as an added bonus his score to the 1999 television adaptation of Inherit the Wind. Coming more than two decades after scoring The Return of a Man Called Horse, Rosenthal was called upon to provide music for a very different cross-section of American history. A fictionalized account of the landmark 1925 “Scopes Monkey Trial,” in which a Tennessee teacher was tried for violating a state law that prohibited the teaching of Darwin’s theory of evolution in public schools.
Though the score features a reasonably sized orchestra, Rosenthal maintains an intimate feel, often emphasizing small-group writing for individual instrument families. He develops the material with an eye toward illuminating the relationships between characters. Rachel and Bert receive a delicate romantic theme, which becomes anguished during her mid-trial crisis of confidence. Another lovely melody accompanies the scenes of tenderness between Brady and his wife. But there is also warm and inviting material for scenes between Brady and Drummond, where Rosenthal skillfully conveys the history of genuine affection and even friendship that exists between these ideological opposites.
Inherit the Wind is not a lengthy score, coming in at less than thirty minutes of music. Furthermore, several passages were dialed out of the film mix, making this album (sourced directly from the digital 2-track session mixes) the first time Rosenthal’s work can be heard in its complete form.
INTRADA Special Collection Vol. 314
TRACKLIST
CD 1
THE RETURN OF A MAN CALLED HORSE
01. Main Title (4:54)
02. The Massacre (2:47)
03. The Yellow Hands in Despair (3:13)
04. Morgan Haunted by His Memories (original LP version) (2:36)
05. Vanished (2:06)
06. Gryce (1:48)
07. The Gifts (7:36)
08. Buffalo Spirit Gone (2:45)
09. The Hilltop (2:07)
10. Denial (2:34)
11. Elk Woman (0:59)
12. The Sun Vow: The Sweat Lodge – Morgan’s Vision
The Sun Dance (original LP version) (6:26)
13. Portents (2:48)
14. Raven’s Sacrifice (1:36)
15. The Benediction (1:44)
16. The Buffalo Hunt (4:45)
17. Captured Rik (2:11)
18. The Riks Routed (4:09)
19. Training for War (8:49)
Total Disc Time: 66:34
CD 2
01. Battle at the Fort (6:35)
02. Death of the Chief (0:52)
03. The Young Chief – The New Life (7:06)
Total Score Time: 81:21
The Extras
04. The Massacre (original LP version) (2:22)
05. Morgan Haunted by His Memories (2:35)
06. The Sweat Lodge (5:06)
07. The Knife (2:20)
08. Thin Dog (1:23)
09. The Braves (1:46)
10. Training for War (original LP version) (2:59)
11. The Braves (alternate) (0:48)
12. The Benediction (original version) (1:44)
The Extras Total Time: 21:20
INHERIT THE WIND
13. Religion Prologue (alternate) (1:07)
14. Brady Will Prosecute (1:47)
15. Rev. Brown Prays (1:13)
16. Drummond Arrives (1:26)
17. Rev. Brown’s Sermon (4:32)
18. Golden Dancer (2:07)
19. The Stebbins Boy (1:06)
20. Rachel Breaks Down (1:01)
21. Stebbins Posts Bond (0:52)
22. Bible on Bed (0:14)
23. Brady on the Stand (4:21)
24. Come Sit With Us (0:44)
25. Brady’s Death (1:52)
26. Drummond Departs (3:33)
Total Score Time: 26:32
The Extra
27. Summer Days (3:05)
Total Disc Time: 65:55
