The original record issue of the score of this stupendous movie directed by Robert Wise, published in 1966 at the time of the film's premiere, had been converted into a classic collector item, a quite unreachable piece; originally conducted by Lionel Newman, a bootleg edition of scarce quality has been the prelude of a new recording, this time in complete form and under the baton of the own composer. In spite of the almost three hours of the film, The Sand Pebbles is not one of those movies whose score occupy a great quantity of the footage, at the style of a lot of films in the forties; to the contrary, the measured and successful appearance of Goldsmith's music, especially in the key moments as in the death of Po-Han (Death of a Thousand Cuts, one of his author favorite themes), increase the dramatic development of the plot and grants a special quality to the film. Comparing this version with the original we can observe an obvious profit, not only by the logical better sound of the recording, but for the superb conducting of the Californian composer that, curiously, had not directed ever his own work (except for a short passage); to this we must add the incorporation of three stupendous new cues (Jake and Shirley, The Wedding and Frenchy's Death), and the curious difference between the included Overture, different to that of the original record, but exactly as the one used in the film's premiere such and as can heard in the LaserDisc edition of the film. Even the famous Love Theme sounds in an exquisitely superior way. Not to be missed.

THE SAND PEBBLES (1966) - 42:31
Royal Scottish National Orchestra - Conductor: Jerry Goldsmith
VARESE SARABANDE VSD-5795 / 43'

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