Search - James Horner :: Enemy At The Gates (2001 Film)

Enemy At The Gates (2001 Film)
James Horner
Enemy At The Gates (2001 Film)
Genres: Pop, Soundtracks
 
  •  Track Listings (12) - Disc #1

For many an armchair history buff, the Allied invasion of Europe on D day in 1944 is seen as the decisive European battle of World War II. In reality, the war's turning point may well have been the German army's defea...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: James Horner
Title: Enemy At The Gates (2001 Film)
Members Wishing: 0
Total Copies: 0
Label: Sony
Original Release Date: 3/16/2001
Re-Release Date: 3/13/2001
Album Type: Soundtrack
Genres: Pop, Soundtracks
Style:
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPCs: 696998952225, 5099708952228

Synopsis

Amazon.com
For many an armchair history buff, the Allied invasion of Europe on D day in 1944 is seen as the decisive European battle of World War II. In reality, the war's turning point may well have been the German army's defeat at Stalingrad in the bitterly cold early months of 1943 after one of history's bloodiest sieges. Director Sergio Leone had planned an epic film version of those events, but he died before he could proceed. A decade later, French director Jean-Jacques Annaud's Enemy at the Gates has brought the saga to the screen in what's said to be the most expensive European production ever mounted. Annaud frames his epic with human dimensions by telling the true tale of dueling German and Soviet snipers, and James Horner's truly epic orchestral and choral soundtrack gives the story its sense of place, both geographically and historically. With nods toward some 20th-century Russian composers, Horner's music is by turns romantic, ominous, and modern, imbuing the drama of Shostakovich and Prokofiev with his own masterful sense of color and tension. He is still best known to general audiences for his hugely successful work on Titanic, but the sheer sweep and power of this score makes that work seem almost like a student's exercise by comparison. Enemy at the Gates is perhaps a once-in-a-lifetime assignment, and Horner admirably rises to the challenge. --Jerry McCulley

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CD Reviews

Decent cd, but not an ORIGINAL score
J. K. Moser | Flemington, New Jersey USA | 03/02/2005
(3 out of 5 stars)

"James Horner's score for Enemy At The Gates is not a bad cd. It has some moments that are dark, and others that are contemplative. His love theme is decent and his chorale pieces are very good and very original. The rest is not. There are parts of this cd that can be interchanged with Horner's scores for the recent Troy or the not so recent Mask of Zorro. When Horner sticks to sounding Russian he does a good job unfortunately he doesn't and like much of his work after Breveheart, his music is recycled. That doesn't mean it's necessarily bad, because it is not. What it does mean is that outside the movie, the listener feels like they've heard the music before and in many cases they have."
Captures a Russian musical influence, but too quiet/loud
Bryan E. Leed | Dayton, OH USA | 06/18/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)

"I really like listening to this soundtrack, which reminds me of the terrific movie. I listen to it while I read the "Enemy at the Gates," book by William Craig. So it is a fun experience. I also have it playing all the time, at home, like background music, which it technically is.The music has a nice, military and Russian influence, so this really has a cool atmosphere about it.The only thing that I don't like about this CD is that the music goes from VERY quiet to VERY loud. To listen at a normal volume means that some passages are so quiet that you think there is no music playing for long stretches, (usually the start of most songs). To set you stereo volume to be able to hear the quiet stuff means that you will be jumping for the volume knob, in shock, when the loud passages come in. Most of the CD is at the loud volume, so I put up with not hearing the quiet stuff. It's a bit hard to find a decent, comfortable listening volume, until you get used to expecting this BIG variation in volume.If you liked the movie, then this CD does a good job of reminding you of the film, and the overall atmosphere and ambience of the tense fighting in Stalingrad scenes. Buy it, if you please, Comrade Commissar!"
Score's a bullseye!
Chapulina R | Tovarischi Imports, USA/RUS | 04/29/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Like the film itself, James Horner's soundtrack for "Enemy at the Gates" contains elements of several previous works. I detected segments from other Horner favorites, particularly "Braveheart" and the early "Star Trek" films. That in no way detracts from my enjoyment of this soundtrack. I've seen the film four times already, and I'm convinced the music complements the action perfectly. In fact, Horner's score consistently outshines the screenplay. The film's mood is repeatedly disrupted by banal dialogue, but the powerful and emotional soundtrack successfully maintains the suspense of the sniper duel. Horner's most original composition contains balalaika accompaniment, which conveys needed Russian "feeling" to a film whose characters are played (rather unconvincingly) by Cockney actors. I love the CD. I've played it already a hundred times without tiring of it!"