Babe was a massive surprise hit in 1995. A children's film starring a talking pig seemed to be the last thing anybody expected from visionary filmmaker George Miller (Mad Max), but writer-producer Miller, adapting a 1983 book with director and cowriter Chris Noonan, created a universally praised, moving film about a farm pig (a combination of animatronics and computer graphics) who longs to be a sheepdog. With a memorable lead performance by James Cromwell as Babe's farmer-owner, Babe received glowing reviews and seven Oscar nominations, winning for Best Visual Effects.
A major part of Babe's exquisite, perfectly pitched storybook tone is the charming, resonant symphonic score by Australian composer Nigel Westlake. Westlake interpolated a tapestry of classical works, most notably the maestoso section of Saint-Saëns' third (Organ) symphony, to perfectly capture the human emotions of the film's animal characters, while ironically treating the humans with an animal-like comedy and whimsy. (The Saint-Saëns melody had been adapted into the British reggae pop hit, "If I Had Words," by Scott Fitzgerald & Yvonne Kelley; a sped-up version is used in Babe's end credits.)
Babe was released as a music-and-dialogue album at the time of the film. This CD Club edition features the expanded score as music only, packaged with a new essay by Tim Greiving featuring insights from Miller, Noonan, Cromwell and Westlake.
01 Opening Titles (From the Motion Picture Babe) – Piggery (4:02)
02 Fairground (Extended Version) (3:16)
03 I Want My Mum / The Way Things Are (4:40)
04 Fly Would Never / Crime And Punishment (3:50)
05 Anorexic Duck Pizzicati (Extended Version) (3:21)
06 Repercussions / Into The Knackery (2:23)
07 Pig, Pig, Piggy / Mother And Son (2:28)
08 Pork Is A Nice Sweet Meat (3:26)
09 Christmas Morning (Extended Version) (5:08)
10 Separate The Chickens / Round Up (2:37)
11 Babe's Round Up (Extended Version) (3:59)
12 Mad Dog Rex (1:14)
13 The Sheep Pig (Extended Version) (1:47)
14 Dog Tragedy (1:36)
15 Hoggett Shows Babe / Maa's Death (2:58)
16 Home Pig / Hoggett With Gun (2:48)
17 Pig Of Destiny / Up To Trouble (3:29)
18 The Cat / What Are Pigs For (2:26)
19 Where's Babe / Hoggett's Song (3:23)
20 Babe In The Kitchen / Help For Babe (4:32)
21 Baa Ram Ewe / Rex On Truck (1:46)
22 The Gauntlet / Moment Of Truth (Extended Version) (1:45)
23 Finale - That'll Do, Pig, That'll Do (1:39)
24 If I Had Words (2:54)
25 Toreador Aria (Excerpt) (:22)
26 Pork Is A Nice Sweet Meat (With Vocals) (3:51)
27 Blue Moon (Excerpt) (:40)
28 Cantique de Jean Racine (Excerpt) (:41)
29 If I Had Words (Hoggett's Song) (1:52)
Music Composed and Produced by Nigel Westlake
Performed by the Victorian Philharmonic Orchestra |
