True Grit (Elmer Bernstein)
(1969)
The film that won the legendary John Wayne his only Academy Award in 1970, True Grit is probably the most famous film featuring the Duke that Elmer Bernstein scored. With that in mind, it’s odd that a decent release of the soundtrack didn’t come along until 2006 when James Fitzpatrick released a complete recording of the score, with himself conducting the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. This was one of the early releases by Tadlow Music (following Dimitri Tiomkin’s The Guns of Navarone), a label that has since become probably the most promising in terms of reviving great scores from the past (other releases since have included El Cid, The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes, and Lawrence of Arabia).
Everyone knows what they’re going to get when they buy a Western score by Elmer Bernstein, so a detailed analysis would be a waste of time. The main theme is a trumpet led piece accompanied by strings, which is also the piece used for the theme song, originally performed by Glen Campbell and performed in this recording by Keith Ferreira.
Bernstein’s score for The Magnificent Seven is referenced heavily in many of his later western scores. The main theme for The Sons of Katie Elder bears strong resemblance to the famous main theme from that score, and there are influences from it heard in True Grit as well, with the heroic brass music in cues such as “Where there’s smoke” and “Ruffled Rooster”. Other highlights include the thundering “Preparation Dugout / Dugout Stakeout / Shots Galore!”, and the lovely violin solo in “A warm wrap up”.
Aside from the full score, the album also contains music from other John Wayne films that Bernstein scored, including The Sons of Katie Elder, Big Jake, and The Shootist. In sum, True Grit is not The Magnificent Seven, but it remains one of Bernstein’s most enjoyable scores for the west, and now, thanks to Tadlow, it can finally be heard as was actually composed for the film, and not the atrocious rearrangements that were featured on the 1969 release. Highly recommended.
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Track Listing
1. True Grit: Instrumental (1:41)
2. A Dastardly Deed / A Stiff Job (2:13)
3. Businesslike Mattie / Papa’s Things (2:00)
4. Pony Mine / Rooster and Le Boeuf / Runaway Races Away (4:04)
5. Chase / On Their Way (1:45)
6. The Big Trail (1:07)
7. Where there is Smoke /
The Dying Moon (4:13)
8. Preparation Dugout / Dugout Stakeout / Shots Galore! (5:25)
9. Ruffled Rooster (1:40)
10. Bouncing into Danger / Over Bald Mountain (4:18)
11. Rooster in the Meadow / Meadow Fight / A Long Shot (3:23)
12. The Snake Pit / The Lift Out / Sad Departure (6:42)
13. The Pace that Kills / A Ride for Life (2:58)
14. A Warm Wrap-Up (1:54)
15. End Credits (0:54)
16. True Grit: Vocal: Keith Ferreira / Lyrics by Don Black (1:49)
Bonus Tracks
17. THE SONS OF KATIE ELDER
Concert Suite (4:32)
18. THE SHOOTIST
Opening Sequence (3:11)
19. THE COMANCHEROS
McBain / Main Title (2:38)
20. CAHILL: U.S. MARSHAL
Necktie Party (4:05)
21. BIG JAKE: Concert Suite (6:44)
22: TRUE GRIT: Instrumental (first orchestration) (1:51)
Credits
Music Composed by Elmer Bernstein
Orchestrations by Christopher Palmer (Tracks 1, 15, 17, 19), Leo Shuken & Jack Hayes (Tracks 2 – 14), Al de Lory (Track 16), Nic Raine (Track 18), Dominic Nunns (Tracks 20 & 21), and Gil Grau (Track 22)
Conducted & Produced by James Fitzpatrick *
Performed by The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra
* Track 19 Conducted by Nic Raine
Awards
Academy Award for Best Original Song (nominated)
Golden Globe Award for Best Song (nominated)
Insert Notes
Contains notes about the film, the score, and the composer.
All images and artwork are Copyright © Tadlow Music.
