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
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 3.0 / 5.0
MIX:
This is a good soundtrack overall, but if you listen carefully it's a mix of Horner's previous soundtracks of Balto and his new soundtrack of Troy. I guess he just pulled in some melodies from Enemy at the Gates to use in Troy.
What a pity.:
Yes, what a pity this is nothing more than a recycling of 'Willow', with bits of Titanic thrown in for good measure. I read on a web site that James Horner takes the accusations of self-rip-off to heart. I'm sure he does. Its sad when a composer of really great music cops a beating. But in this instance I'm joining in the accusation. I adore Mr. Horner's work, I have most of his soundtracks. But this time even I have to admit that he has gone beyond the pale. If he doesn't want to get harsh criticism,... more info
Derivative or not, a good soundtrack:
I see many reviews of this soundtrack that bash Horner for copying himself and perhaps others. I'm not familiar with most of Horner's scores, except for "A Beautiful Mind" so I'm not colored with the recognizance of his other work, though I do often recognize his style in other soundtracks as I hear more of them, and correctly guess that he scored them. That being said, I think the soundtrack is great in its own right. If he copied his other work or uses the same themes, I don't really care. What I... more info
Decent cd, but not an ORIGINAL score:
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... more info
