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There's a little poignancy in listening to this collection; a pining for the loss of innocence, for a British film studio that entertained many a tea-time generation. Somewhere in its winning formula was an unspoken agreement that composers could be as enthusiastic in scoring as they wished. Alan Rawsthorne's
The Cruel Sea is as grand as any Miklós Rózsa biblical epic. Georges Auric's
The Titfield Thunderbolt is a sprightly piece of grand theatre (with its snare drums mimicking a steam locomotive). What's most appealing here is the comedy in the music--a quality that is often lost in modern film scoring--the music itself causes an involuntary smile. Cannily named after the brightest of the bunch, it's
The Ladykillers which best illustrates this. Although Boccherini's Minuet and "The Last Rose Of Summer" are now inextricably linked to the film, they also gave first-time film composer Tristram Cary the jumping-off point for a score full of comic effect. Alwyn and the Royal Ballet Sinfonia perform this music with all the grace and charm it deserves.
Police Academy XV--please take note, this is how it's done.
--Paul Tonks
