Born Free
Label: Varèse Sarabande
Catalogue No: 302-066-084
Release Date: 2000
Total Duration: 52:44
UPN: 0-3020-66084-2-7
One of cinema’s most instantly recognisable songs forms the skeleton of John Barry’s 1966 double Oscar winning effort. What John Barry proved, no doubt to the chagrin of Jerry Goldsmith and the Hollywood pack, is that a great song sells. Not just records, but films and recognition. For Barry, already tarred with the brush of a pop background and a reputation for Bond films and comedies like THE KNACK, it may have set back his recognition as a serious film composer for years. But commercially minded or not, BORN FREE is one of those compelling, instantly inviting, complete listening experiences that is normally only found in the musical. It’s a show score with some laughs, some drama, and some tears, albeit rather Disneyesque in their superficiality. As standard easy listening it is perhaps less dramatically biting than so many other scores in Barry’s repertoire. But it worked.
Varèse Sarabande’s reputation for fine new recordings is only strengthened by this effort. Wisely not taking an option on a vocal, the body and texture of the music is wholly true to the original. In fact it is uncannily indiscernible in parts, proving that total textural fidelity can be achieved. (The recording was made from fully orchestrated original scores. No reconstruction needed to be done, although the individual orchestral parts had been lost and had to be re-copied by Vic Fraser). The only problem in Frederic Talgorn’s direction is the pace, which often slips into gears below the original – not necessarily to the detriment of the music, though in at least one case (and sadly it’s the highlight cue “Holiday with Elsa”), the slow pace is a complete miss.
One faulted cue isn’t enough to slate the recording though, which stands up on so many occasions. Some of the previously unreleased music add extra spice to what will be a familiar listening experience to many, whilst the fact that Varèse’s “Killing At Kiunga” is a completely different piece of music to Barry’s original LP will create the delight of a mystery to be solved.
Stephen Woolston – Originally published in Soundtrack Magazine Vol.19 / No.74 / 2000
