Amazon.co.uk Review
October Sky is a nostalgic drama telling the true story of four teenagers who built amateur rockets during the early years of the Space Age. Previously director Joe Johnston worked with
Titanic composer James Horner on such fantasies as
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids,
The Rocketeer, and
Jumanji.
October Sky is more serious, a coming-of-age tale with score of haunting beauty, imbued throughout with a plaintive nobility capturing the romance of youthful dreams. With its bittersweet Americana and lovingly crafted folk-violin opening, Mark Isham's writing echoes Horner's
Legends Of The Fall, though his work stands independently as fine orchestral score. Given that Isham is a jazz trumpeter/band leader first and a prolific film composer second, the sheer quality of this score is doubly impressive. The album also features seven songs that set the 1950s scene. Three, including Buddy Holly's "That'll Be The Day" are pop classics, though interspersed with the score, they do break the gorgeously autumnal atmosphere: fortunately this can easily be remedied with a little reprogramming.
--Gary S. Dalkin
See all 24 tracks on this disc
