Presumed Innocent (John Williams)

(1990)

Alan J. Pakula’s 1990 adaptation of Scott Turow’s best-selling novel could perhaps be looked at as the pinnacle of Harrison Ford’s work with thrillers, certainly those in which he played a role he would play more frequently, notably in The Fugitive three years later – a man on the run.  In a somewhat similar plot to that later film, Ford’s character, a wealthy attorney, ends up as the prime suspect in the murder of a beautiful colleague who he had been having an affair with.  He then embarks on a mission to track down the real killer himself…you get the general idea?  Anyway, it’s a brilliant film well worth a watch.

Presumed Innocent was director Pakula’s one and only collaboration with the legendary movie maestro John Williams, although of course the composer had previously scored several of Ford’s most famous films.  After huge success in the 70’s and 80’s, the 90’s would be yet another decade of brilliance for Williams, and whilst he has written excellent scores for practically every genre of film you could think of, adult thrillers such as this are not the films he is typically associated with, and so this is a score that represents a brief departure from his usual style.

One thing that Williams has always (deservedly) gained huge admiration for is his ability to write a score that not only serves the film wonderfully but also presents an excellent listening experience on album, and Presumed Innocent does not have that quality in the way that some of his other scores do.  Whilst it maybe a somewhat underwhelming score separated from the film, it really is one that needs to be listened to carefully, particularly by those who dismiss it as unimpressive and boring, as it really is one of Williams’ most overlooked scores, and a highly skilled presentation by the composer of good vs. evil.

Prominent synthesized music is not what one would expect from a John Williams score, but this is one of them. There’s really only one theme, and a solo piano dominates the score with performances of that theme.  It’s unleashed in the main titles where it’s merged with the Williams trademarks we all know and love, as well as an array of synthesized instruments and orchestra.  A mention needs to be made of the way Williams’ raises the tempo of the performances of the main theme to match the levels of danger on screen, which is superbly effective.

Compared to the main titles piece, the rest of the score is somewhat uninteresting, but make no mistake, it contains several definite highlights.  “Family Life”, which is a light, fluffy string dominated piece, and the main theme is put a large, erotic variation in the cue “Love Scene”, which is definitely one of the score’s best pieces.  “Case Dismissed”, is a pleasant, triumphant piece, and the violent string movements of “The Basement Scene”, later joined by some light percussion, adding just the right amount of tension to the mix.

It would be inaccurate to say that this is Williams’ forgotten masterpiece, since it isn’t one of his finest works.  It is, however, one of his most overlooked works, and that’s something it doesn’t deserve to be.  If you want to hear the maestro explore a musical territory that he rarely does, Presumed Innocent is a highly recommend purchase.

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Track Listing

1 – Presumed Innocent (4:10)

2 – Remembering Carolyn (2:17)

3 – Family Life (1:30)

4 – Love Scene (4:06)

5 – The B File (3:28)

6 – The Bedroom Scene (4:20)

7 – Carolyn’s Office (3:24)

8 – “Leon Talks” (1:59)

9 – Rusty Accused (2:07)

10 – Case Dismissed (1:53)

11 – The Boat Scene (2:15)

12 – The Basement Scene (2:55)

13 – Barbara’s Confession (5:17)

14 – End Credits (4:03)

Credits

Music Composed, Conducted & Produced by John Williams

Awards

None

Insert Notes

Contains a brief note about the score.

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