Pearl Harbor

by

Hans Zimmer, Martin Tillman, Heitor Pereira, Michael Fisher and Julia Migenes

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I have been eagerly awaiting the release of the Pearl Harbor soundtrack as much as the movie itself, being an avid soundtrack fan, and a Hans Zimmer fan as well. I had wondered what kind of music he would compose for this fateful event; whether it would be heavy on the war and fighting aspect with lots of action cues; or more somber and sad, dealing with the tragedy and seriousness of the events; or uplifing, dealing with the triumph brought out of the tragedy. I have to say that Zimmer has come through with a powerful soundtrack, dealing with all of the above types of music, as well as the romantic aspect of the film as well.

Obviously I have not seen the movie yet, as I am writing this three days before it comes out, but I know a decent bit about the movie, and using the titles of the tracks,can kinda figure out what is going on in the movie during the cues. As I mentioned before, this score covers the full scope of the spectrum needed for fully appreciating this event, and the drama surrounding it.

The CD starts off with a Faith Hill song, which wasn't a bad song, but is also not anything special or attention grabbing. The first score track though, the second on the CD is absolutely breathtaking, and unfolds the main theme for the movie. It is a soft and slightly subdued piece of music at times, outlining the sad nature of the movie, but it is also grand and sweeping at other times, often crescendoing out of the softness into a majestic and inspiring theme. This track embodies what "Pearl Harbor" is about: triumph rising out of tragedy, and the spirit behind. It isn't specificaly patriotic in sound, but one can't help but feel proud to be an American while thinking about the images this music evokes in one's mind.

The next three tracks all feature variations on this main theme, all tweaked to signify the different events they are portraying. They are pretty as well, and continue to provide the build up to the actual bombing later. Zimmer has really returned to a style with these tracks that has not been very common in many of his soundtracks. I go all the way back to "A League of their Own" to find a similar sounding piece of music from him. He does this somber, but hopeful music well.

Track 6 is where the actual bombing takes place, and it is here that I find the only piece of music that I do not like. The track starts out with a percussion driven piece, highlighted by some ethnic flute type intrument, and almost sounds like "Gladiator" in parts. It is very different from the rest of the score, and sticks out badly. Thankfully it only lasts the first minute and a half, and then after long, drawn out crescendo on a violin, probably signifying the first bomb dropping, goes into an extremely dramatic and sad piece of music for the last seven minutes of the track. I would assume this is taking place while the attack continues, and then the aftermath of the devestaion. That is the impression given by the music at least. A female choral voice in the background also permeates this portion, adding a nice touch.

Zimmer also uses this choral singer in other portions of the soundtrack, as well as a full choral chant in track 7, which is another very dramatic and sad piece of music. This full choral piece sounds a lot like a somber funeral dirge, signifying the memorial of death. It may sound morbid, but it is powerful to listen to.

Track 8 deals with the American raid on Japan in retaliation, and is very inspiring, and brings out the main theme again, mixing it in with some fast paced action cues, for a great effect. By the end, you feel like something great was just accomplished, though it wasn't easy. This is a great track as well.

The final track is another soft peice of music, drawing both the romantic, and dramatic elements back together again, and then finishing with the main theme. It builds towards this conclusion, and finshes off nicely with a soft version of the main theme.

So in retrospect, this is an excellent accomplishment by Zimmer, and just may net him that elusive Oscar that everyone thought was his for sure last year with "Gladiator". This is a far superior score to that one, and is in fact, probably my favorite Zimmer score yet. It is a piece of beauty, and I'm more excited about seeing the movie now then ever! Buy it, and be transported back to December 7th, 1941 yourself....

Hans writes great music but lots of it is missing. Like what? First: All the big band music from the era - missing. The opening scene where the kids are in the barn - partially missing. The hospital physical scene - missing. The Battle of Brittain -partially missing (the only part included is where he actually crashes in track 5). The music for most of the Japanese preparation sequences - missing including the first view of Pearl Harbor. The Japanese aerial approach to the island (the scenes in the trailers with the two little boys and the baseball game and the laundry line) - missing. The attack itself - partially missing (some of it is in tracks 6 and 7). The dogfight over Pearl Harbor - missing. The raid over Japan - partially missing. Did I miss anything? I'm sure I did but I didn't miss as much as the producers of this CD. Han's music was great, but when will I get to have it on CD?