Jerry Fielding's score for Chato's Land, the first pairing (of six) of star Charles Bronson with director Michael Winner, is as dark and difficult as the film itself. The composer's creative affinity toward dissonance and atonality allows for the perfect underscore as the anger and tension seething onscreen builds to outbursts of brutal violence (a Winner trademark).
This score came during one of Fielding's most blistering creative streaks, which occurred in 1971 and '72. During this period he composed the scores for eight feature films, two made-for-television movies, a whopping ten television pilots, and multiple episodes of regular television. It seems that the scarring left by being blacklisted instilled in Fielding a terror of not being able to work, making him incapable of turning down any and all job offers.
The late Nick Redman, in his reprinted liner notes for this Intrada reissue, singles out Fielding's Main Title for praise, pointing out how it moves from a forceful melody into strange and worrying percussion that is indicative of the merciless brutality that is to come.
Redman describes Fielding's overall work here as "rough-hewn, pitiless, without mercy" and I agree. It is a dark and brooding listening experience that unsettles every bit as much as it impresses.
No comments:
Post a Comment