Brainstorm

James Horner

 
" Unparalleled Horner Brainpower! "

Written by Thomas Glorieux - Review of the regular release

The mind has always fascinated people, to the end and beyond. But when scientists try to record the feelings of a person's thought, to let other people sense them, they are opening Pandora's box. After all, the military soon wants to use that power for military means, and the scientists try to destroy the machine recording it before it falls into their hands. In a way, Brainstorm is a rather good film, after all the brain has always triggered interest for scientists, and this film somewhat displays the passion that these have to unravel the mysteries of it. And yet, Brainstorm is at another end a typical cheesy 80's film, taking it less serious so that people can enjoy the film for what it is, a Saturday afternoon flick.

Luckily the experience just got more interesting due to James Horner's music. Brainstorm is still one of the earliest scores of Horner's career, and yet most people consider this to be one of his ever best. Because it has everything a great James Horner score should have. Emotion, beauty, power and energy, all bundled in a 30 minute soundtrack experience that has to get an expanded treatment any time soon (though I don't remember anything noteworthy unused in the film).

Opening in true Abyss like style (for once James Horner can actually attack someone else for re using his material), "Main Title" shows the atonal danger when tempering with the human mind, rarely letting loose the danger when eerie vocals and dangerous brass delivers us an uneasy opening. This is followed by this score's most powerful moment, namely "Lillian's Heart Attack". As scientist Lillian knows she is about to die, she wants to record her last feelings using the device, unknowingly creating her own RING like lethal tape, if ever someone was going to play it afterwards. Horner's material here is downright amazing, a striking example of how powerful no nonsense brass can ignite a terrifying experience, igniting extra dangerously courtesy of an evil four note motif that we seem to have heard somewhere before.

However, the device can also be used for happy memories. And that's where "Michael's Gift to Karen" comes out to greet us. First we hear a large portion of the heavenly music that was used in the trailer of Dragonfly, later it delivers us the beautiful main theme on violin and later piano, unraveling a heartfelt love that both characters still have for each other. The final seconds are simply put magical as well once piano starts tinkling away. But as the deadly feeling of how a heart attack feels like awaits its unknowing victim, "First Playback" opens logically enough with an atonal outburst, but somehow Michael plays the tape until the end, unraveling the possible mysteries of what happens when someone dies and sees that white light. Again that kind of mystery gets a brief magical quality that is quite unmatched in Horner's repertoire, showing that even a few seconds can deliver us unbridled brilliance. Ah when Horner was still daring us with his talent.

And luckily, that talent has always gotten us some way or another energetic crowd pleasers. You know the time when Horner was letting loose everything but the kitchen sink? Well that time has come again in "Race for Time". Get ready for the same development of "Gaining Access to the Tapes", but now igniting it in full, delivering us again a piece of energetic music that most composers can't even dream off. This gets a conclusive encore with "Final Playback / End Titles", a final moment to hear that Abyss like choir and main theme on piano.

Brainstorm might be 30 minutes short, but what those minutes deliver is nothing but unrivaled Horner brilliance. There aren't many examples where Horner injects some kind of heavenly choir to his music, followed closely by sheer massive atonal brass and beautiful emotional goosebumps. Yes Brainstorm packs more than a punch in those 30 minutes, more than enough to recommend this wholeheartedly and tell you this ought to be in any filmmusic fan's treasure vault, because your CD player will record some kind of hefty emotions once you start playing it. Bullseye!

Track Listing

1. Main Title (2.14)
2. Lillian's Heart Attack (3.18) Excellent track
3. Gaining Access to the Tapes (2.48)
4. Michael's Gift to Karen (6.53) Excellent track
5. First Playback (3.20)
6. Race for Time (4.52) Excellent track
7. Final Playback / End Titles (6.50)

Total Length: 30.15
(click to rate this score)  
 
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(total of 13 votes - average 4.38/5)

Released by

Varèse Sarabande VCD 47215 (regular release 1983)

Conducted by

James Horner

Orchestrations by

Greig McRitchie

Performed by

The London Symphony Orchestra, The Ambrosian Singers & The Boys Choir of New College