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At both the outset and finale, as well as in the middle of the horrific scenes of devastation, Williams uses the instrument to constantly remind the viewer and listener that no matter the attention given to a veteran of such horrors, there will always be trials that exist within that veteran's psyche. On a technical level, the trumpet is mixed brilliantly with the ensemble, always front and center with outstanding clarity, aiding in its effectiveness. The score opens with the solo trumpet performing its dedicated theme over a droning note of bass strings and electronics, joined only by a faint single note of violins in the latter half. The stark realism in this cue is striking. Almost as striking is Williams' secondary theme, a layered string piece that represents the more romantic elements of service to one's country, and the broad scope of not only the war, but of American culture as well. In "The Early Days," Williams addresses the innocence of pre-war days as children play war in green yards with this theme. Its middle-America sincerity is conveyed in its harmonic simplicity and grand layers of strings. An oboe delicately takes the theme before the strings hand it over once again to trumpet. This cue spans two separate pre-war scenes in the film, and cannot be more of a contrast from what follows. The two engaging war cues represented on the album for Born on the Fourth of July are largely unlistenable, but easy to respect. For the nightmarish "The Shooting of Wilson," Williams cranks up the same strings to high, dissonant layers, with uncomfortable percussion blasts, atonal brass, and whining violins offering as unpleasant a five minutes as possible. The following "Cua Viet River" cue takes the Americana theme from the early scenes and turns it distinctly tragic and morbid, as the war tears that innocence away with dramatic thuds under the languishing strings.

As the primary character is suddenly shot, the themes are ripped away and replaced with eerie electronic effects, including a series of whispering voices over random droning notes from the ensemble. The redeeming "Homecoming" cue inserts new passion into the Americana theme, introducing a rock rhythm over the trumpet's subtheme from within the performances of innocence earlier in the film. Even at the end of this cue, however, the rhythm fades away and leads to the droning bass and solo trumpet performing the alienation theme from the start. It's a stark reminder of the horrific journey that continues for the veterans. Williams can't resist the usual concert suite at the end, of course, and he opens it with a resplendently lush string performance of the Americana theme. After the trumpet's upbeat performance of this theme's secondary passage, Williams allows the track to once again devolve into the same droning bass note under solo trumpet. If the message isn't clear by the end of this suite, then you'll probably never get it. Overall, Born on the Fourth of July is a very mixed listening experience on album. As per Williams' score, the two tracks featuring lengthy performances of the delightfully layered strings for the Americana theme are easy to enjoy. The remainder of the score demands respect, and can be appreciated for its effectiveness, but the war cues are hardly listenable. Also a potential difficulty are the numerous songs from the film that MCA included on the album release. Before the 25 minutes of Williams' score, eight songs from the 1950's and 60's are provided. While they are staples of the era, a few of the 50's songs are insufferable, and all of them detract from the drama of Williams' score. Still, that score is one that demands respect, regardless of your ability to enjoy the album to any degree.  ****   @Amazon.com: CD or Download

Bias Check:

For John Williams reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.68 (in 91 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.54 (in 363,716 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.

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