Based on the 1981 novel by Martin Cruz Smith, the 1983 film adaptation of Gorky Park was a suspenseful, exciting thriller with an expert cast, including William Hurt, Lee Marvin, Ian Bannen, Brian Dennehy, Joanna Pacula, and Richard Griffiths. The screenplay was by Dennis Potter, and the director was Michael Apted.
The New York Times called the film ''a taut, clever thriller throughout, with Mr. Apted's direction establishing its intensity immediately and sustaining it well. Ralf G. Bode's cinematography and James Horner's score go a long way toward setting a hauntingly bleak mood, and the supporting players, particularly Brian Dennehy and Ian Bannen, are excellent.'' The film's screenplay won an Edgar Allen Poe award, and Pacula was nominated for a Golden Globe.
James Horner's score is really integral to the film, helping establish its various moods and characters, and really notching up the tension and romance. It has some of Horner's best themes, including a stunning one for Irina, the character played by Joanna Pacula. By 1983, Horner had only been writing film scores for five years, but he'd already built up a substantial body of work and was considered to be one of the best of the up-and-comers of that generation, thanks to his terrific work on films in every kind of genre, including Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, 48 Hrs, Wolfen, Deadly Blessing, The Hand, Something Wicked This Way Comes, Krull, The Dresser, Testament, Brainstorm, among others.
He would, of course, go on to be one of the most successful film composers in history, turning out scores for both blockbusters and more intimate films such as Cocoon, Uncommon Valor, The Journey of Natty Gann, Commando, An American Tail, Willow, Field of Dreams, Honey, I Shrunk The Kids, Glory, The Rocketeer, Aliens, Braveheart, Apollo 13, The Mask of Zorro, as well as his scores for two of the most successful films ever made, James Cameron's Titanic and Avatar and that doesn't even scratch the surface. Horner is both an Oscar and Grammy Award-winner.
Gorky Park was originally released on LP and CD by Varese Sarabande. For this release, we have completely remastered the sound and offer two presentations of the score the first in film order, and the second in album order, two very different listening experiences. While there are a handful of additional cues in the film, most of them are very brief and are mostly reiterations of the cues that were assembled for the soundtrack album by Horner himself.
So, here is James Horner's great score for Gorky Park, one of his finest from an especially rich time in his scoring career. It's everything a thriller score should be and more.
Film Presentation:
1. Main Title
2. Faceless Bodies
3. Chase Through The Park
4. Following Kirwill
5. Irina's Chase
6. Arkady and Irina
7. Irina's Theme
8. The Sable Shed
9. Following KGB
10. Airport Farewell
11. Releasing the Sables/End Titles
Album Presentation:
12. Main Title
13. Following Kirwill
14. Irina's Theme
15. Following KGB
16. Chase Through The Park
17. Arkady and Irina
18. Faceless Bodies
19. Irina's Chase
20. The Sable Shed
21. Airport Farewell
22. Releasing the Sables/End Titles
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