The rushed collaborative nature of the score's creation
does cause some odd thematic attributions throughout the narrative, but
the composers managed to stay loyal to three distinct, major themes in
The Rock, along with several lesser motifs in support.
Interestingly, while the melodramatic theme that Zimmer wrote for the
opening titles of the film is the general representation of the entire
score, most of Zimmer's contributions seem centered around the villain
of the tale, Brigadier General Frank Hummel, played by Ed Harris. The
sense of tragic nobility that Zimmer inserts into this material is quite
suitable for the character, and it's consistent with the composer's
previous thematic tendencies. This main theme and its multiple facets,
heard prominently over the rainy opening title sequence, is an
intriguing cross between the styles of
Crimson Tide and
Backdraft. You hear the choral and electronic instrumentation
from the former while the deliberate, snare-ripping movement of the
theme itself has all the heroic stature of the latter. The theme was
about as bold as Zimmer would ever get in the genre, with the possible
exception of his more satisfying experience for a very similar idea in
The Peacemaker, and many of his assistants carried this torch
ahead in scores like
The Man in the Iron Mask and
Armageddon. In
The Rock, this theme receives its most
fluid expansion in the middle of "Rock House Jail" ("Hummel/SEALs" and
"SEAL Attack" on the fuller album), reminding of some of the more
attractive, propulsive statements of melody in
Crimson Tide. The
blend of string, brass, solo trumpet, and choral aspects in this
material is a direct carry-over. Due to the placement of this theme in
the "End Titles" and its upbeat, heroic variation over different
harmonics and rock percussion in "Mason Into Furnace/SEALs Tunnel," some
might think that this theme represents militaristic tendencies both good
and evil, and that may have been the intent. But given the idea's
rooting with Hummel, including "Hummel Speech," one can't help but
associate the score's main theme with the villain alone. A separate
theme for the character's evil actions is actually teased a few times,
beginning in the opening cue but receiving more singular treatment in
"Alcatraz Reopened." Ultimately, this material for Hummel drives the
entire melodramatic core of
The Rock from the opening moments of
the film, and these passages will provide casual Zimmer collectors with
the best listening experience on album.
Aside from the primary theme of
The Rock, both
of the other two major themes have been attributed to Glennie-Smith, and
they couldn't be more incongruous in sound despite ultimately accessing
the same instrumentation. His primary action theme in the score follows
the opening title sequence in "Naval Weapons Depot" and serves as the
driving, ball-busting idea for
The Rock in "SEALs Tunnel" and
other moments of blasting mayhem. This theme is rather standard in the
ranks of Media Ventures action themes, clearly sharing characteristics
with Mark Mancina's similar, choppy moves in
Speed and
Bad
Boys. The third and more obvious theme is for Connery's character,
Mason, and it sticks out like a sore thumb. Heard poignantly in "Jade"
and at the end of "Rocket Away" ("Finale"), this exceedingly pretty
theme with all the hallmarks of an uncredited Richard Harvey performance
seems like an attempt to draw from Celtic mannerisms, both in the swing
of its progressions and the penny whistle/recorder performance lead. The
composers do adapt the idea into several cues for the character's
heroics, ranging from a brief reference in "Mason Into Furnace" to a
fuller, anthemic rendition in "Hostage/Goodspeed Captured." The
gorgeous, though simplistic five minutes of this theme's two romantic
performances is deserving of a place on a compilation far different from
the one that carries the other highlights from
The Rock, and this
theme, more than any other part of the work as a whole, somewhat betrays
the fragmented personality that results from such collaborative efforts.
Several other motifs abound in
The Rock, including the trumpet
motif for fallen soldiers and a brazenly romantic sideshow, both
sounding distinctly like Zimmer concoctions. The latter theme, while
sometimes credited to Glennie-Smith, is suspiciously similar to Zimmer's
own late-1980's and early 1990's romantic drama mode. Regardless, it
adorns "Romance I" and "Possible Romantic Cue" briefly on acoustic
guitar but takes off in "Fort Walton, Kansas," where the modern rock
edge seems quite innocent despite reminding heavily of Mancina's
Twister. But this spirited finale to the film is also out of step
with the remainder of the score. There is some indication that Zimmer
and Glennie-Smith supplied Cage's lead protagonist and other
positively-associated concepts with themes, though the thorough
integration of the main Hummel identities and the primary action motif
lessens their impact. Complicating matters, these ideas sometimes serve
as interludes to one another.
Instrumentally, the synthetic style of
The Rock
is both the score's greatest asset and weakness. Unlike the smart use of
electronics in
Crimson Tide, the overemphasis on powerful bass,
wailing electric guitars, and staccato keyboarding thrills some
listeners but ruins this score for others. The contributions by
Gregson-Williams account for some of the more intolerable parts of the
score; you can tell which portions of the work he wrote because of the
accelerated use of tingling percussion effects, best exemplified by
"Baby Gas" and the ear-splitting "The Chase" ("Escape the Chase!").
Gregson-Williams actually wrote several variations on that chase cue,
and none of them is particularly palatable. Conversely, listeners who
found the overbearing masculinity of the successive score in the series,
The Peacemaker, to be irritating and obnoxious will find little
of interest here. The rendering of the staccato movements in
The
Rock is raw to a fault, and a fair amount of the suspense and action
music is grating and juvenile in retrospect. Overall,
The Rock is
a mess of last-minute arrangements and poorly constructed orchestration
and electronic accompaniment. But given the effectiveness of both
Zimmer's main theme and Glennie-Smith's material for Connery's
character, it's easy to get the impression that this score could have
been significantly better had there been ample time to make it more
coherent. Glennie-Smith went on to adapt many of the same ideas (with
frightening similarity) in a more balanced package for
The Man in the
Iron Mask two years later. For fans of the Media Ventures (and
eventually Remote Control) sound machine,
The Rock remains a
favorite, and 2-CD bootlegs of the score long circulated. Featuring an
additional 42 minutes and in film order, these presentations eventually
improved their sound quality and removed their sound effects, making it
easier to hear the distinct musical voices of the composers at work. In
2023, Intrada Records finally supplied an official presentation of
similar arrangement and length, including a variety of alternate and
demo takes that bring the listening experience to well over two hours.
While this length exposes much of the obnoxiously raw underbelly and
frayed edges of the score, it also provides more renditions of Zimmer's
dramatic main theme and the secondary Celtic-oriented and romance themes
from which to draw highlights. For the majority of the mainstream,
though, the commercial album will offer satisfying suites of the major
parts. Many love affairs with Hans Zimmer began and ended with
The
Rock, and for those who have always bemoaned his stylistic and
procedural influence on the genre, it's bitter point of division.
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