May 8, 2014

  • Goldsmith's "Dennis the Menace" Gets LLL Treatment

    When it comes to Jerry Goldsmith scores, most fans clamor after the big action, horror, or science fiction scores.  Some have managed to discover some of the more interesting dramatic writing for intimate films of the 1960s that would have a chance to flower again in the 1990s in scores like Rudy.  Comedy scores from the composer are relatively rarer on disc.  Following the superb Total Recall (1990) score, Goldsmith took a decided break from the sort of films he had become so well versed in over the past 15 years.  Fortunately, one of these was for Nick Castle’s 1993 Dennis the Menace.

    Based on the classic Hank Ketcham comic strip, the new film pitted the great Walter Matthau as Mr. Wilson against a perfectly cast new actor Mason Gamble.  The result are some decidedly humorous comic moments that pit the two actors against one another as Dennis’ innocence often results in Mr. Wilson receiving the short end of the stick.  On top of this is added a menacing criminal, played by Christopher Lloyd.  While this added a bit of darkness to the family film, and even some crassness in parts, the slapstick moments are still somewhat humorous.  All of this may be very much do to a rather delightfully engaging score by Goldsmith.

    Goldsmith’s score practically explodes with its unisonal opening as Dennis’ bicycle appears on screen.  There is a wonderful contrasting theme for harmonica that soon appears as well.  A bumbling tuba line will represent Mr. Wilson while Lloyd’s character gets the Prokofiev wolf treatment (perhaps lending too much danger for some children).  Playing with some of these musical characterizations allows the score to support the onscreen antics all the more.  While Goldsmith’s score must create a few Mickey-mousing moments, they work because the music itself allows the humorous punches to flow intelligently from the material used within a given scene.  Touching music that appears during scenes involving Mrs. Wilson (and actually a mistaken identity later) for “Bed Time” and “Shaggy Dog Story” are among some of the composer’s most touching moments.  Perhaps it is because Goldsmith’s score so wonderfully captures the innocence of Dennis’ character and sets that against the frustrations of his unfortunate neighbor that it is simply a delightful listen.  “The Heist” is one of the stand out cues as well providing a mix of the various themes with interesting orchestral combinations.  “Toasted Marshmallows” closes out the score with a review of some of its themes and comedic touches as well.

    For a long time, the score was in a hard-to-find release from Big Screen Records.  La-La Land’s limited edition release has managed to put the score back into its film order, expanding the presentation by including a variety of shorter cues bringing the score playing time to just over an hour.  The sound is also improved.  In addition, they have included four tracks that were edited for the original album.  The track titles from the album that were used in the actual film edits are easy to see in the primary presentation.  The original album was one of Goldsmith’s well-sequenced releases with good score representation.  This release is perfect for those who missed the original release while allowing those who enjoy the score a bit more of favorite sequences.