Touchback

William Ross

 
" William Ross enriches an already passionate sports drama "

Written by Thomas Glorieux - Review of the regular release

For one, there can never be too many sports dramas in the world. Because they are often based on true inspirational facts, moments in life that we like to cherish. Touchback of director Don Handfield doesn't go that far, but delivers nonetheless all the tested ingredients that worked often in movies before. Meaning, for originality you'll find nothing here that hasn't been done before. But when it's done with real passion, heart and craftsmanship, most will not mind this tiny detail at all. And that is basically Touchback in a nutshell. When Brian Murphy, Mr. Football of Coldwater gets a second chance before his actual football injury that destroyed his world, he has to choose to do it differently without losing all the things he has known his entire life.

And this interesting second chance concept does work on composer William Ross as well, considering he's done this kind of inspirational movie genre before. So, he has actually gotten a chance to do it differently without losing all the ingredients that made the previous ones so good. And thank god he has, because there's a reason Touchback is such a wonderful motion picture experience. Because passion wise, it has inspired William Ross to come up with a great score and a heartfelt journey you've truly got to experience.

And there are many wonderful moments to experience in Touchback. "Opening Titles" mixes the solemn dramatic music with the climax of a game that has a disastrous outcome. "Harvest" suddenly takes us back (briefly) to that glorious spirited music of Tuck Everlasting, "Back to Football" and "Skinny Dip" resorts to brief moments of comedy while you spot a returning love theme in most of the tracks that revolve around Macy, like "Campfire" or "The Barn". These moments are fine and lovely to listen to, but I can see some people getting disappointed by the quiet serene nature of them. For me however they are just part of the character development.

So, considering the film is mostly a personal drama focusing rather on the character development than football, expect the first part to be largely this, dramatic and lovely but soft. But when football suddenly becomes the driving decision between hopes and reality, Ross leaves nothing to chance. The stirring "Waiting for Murphy", the suspenseful "It's Gonna Keep Comin'" and the thrilling "Back in the Game" are just crowd pleasers for the exciting pair of "Gig Catches / Taking the Lead" and "Full Circle / Black Seven". Do you remember what was lacking in The Mighty Macs? Yes, this! TIME to make a difference. The first is full of those delicious fanfares and excitement that crowds only the good sports movies and the second is a heart stopping experience that will decide the fate of Scott Murphy once and for all.

It ends with "Town Harvest / Back to Macy", a beautiful long piece that surely brought tears to my eyes.

Honestly, while the movie and eventually the score does nothing to change the formula, they are perfect companions nonetheless. They bring passion to the game (and life) and hope and understanding to the character. And the score for me is vital in that. If you love sports dramas, then you have to see past the rating on most film boards and experience it for yourself. Then, only then will you receive some of that thunderous sports music and beautiful old school movie magic that we miss so much these days. Honestly, if you truly have problems with the extremely calm first 40 minutes of Touchback, please know you've got still some 20 exceptional minutes ahead of you. Like the film, it is an experience that truly touched me, and I want to thank you for that deeply William Ross.

Track Listing

1. Opening Titles (2.56) Excellent track
2. Ride Home (1.33)
3. Soybean Field (1.23)
4. Money Troubles (1.26)
5. The Frost (1.31)
6. Harvest (1.32)
7. Suicide (3.36)
8. Back to High School (2.14)
9. Back to Football (1.24)
10. Young Macy (1.00)
11. Coldwater (1.04)
12. Back Home (1.12)
13. Macy in Front of Lockers (0.54)
14. High School Flame (0.48)
15. Skinny Dip (0.45)
16. Campfire (2.48)
17. Save the Band (2.36)
18. Next Year (1.30)
19. The Barn (2.29)
20. Life Without Macy (1.34)
21. Ohio Jersey (1.00)
22. Mom and Son Dinner (2.18)
23. Waiting for Murphy (1.47)
24. It's Gonna Keep Comin' (2.06)
25. Back in the Game (1.49) Excellent track
26. Halftime Speech (1.51)
27. Gig Catches / Taking the Lead (5.17) Excellent track
28. Full Circle / Black Seven (7.05) Excellent track
29. Town Harvest / Back to Macy (6.22) Excellent track

Total Length: 65.03
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(total of 1 votes - average 4/5)

Released by

Varèse Sarabande 302 067 149 2 (regular release 2012)

Conducted by

Jerome Leroy

Orchestrations by

William Ross & Jerome Leroy