lthough many of the movies created over the years based upon Ray Bradbury's tales have showcased first-rate soundtracks, the music for The Illustrated Man—a 1969 anthology film that adapted three narratives from the author's short-story collection of the same name—offers a truly curious score. Composer Jerry Goldsmith combines heartfelt themes, diverse instrumentation and odd electronics in this intriguing work, which was recently issued as part of Film Score Monthly magazine's enduring "Silver Age Classics" CD series.
While each of the picture's sections maintains a distinct milieu, overall the 13 cues are surprisingly cohesive. The first six cuts help to introduce the film's basic framework, and therefore manifest a poignant, wistful air. Here, Goldsmith employs strings, woodwinds and a soft harp to emphasize the mysterious, melancholy demeanor of the title character (portrayed by Rod Steiger), whose "skin illustrations" link the movie's segments. Cues like "The Rocket," "The House is Gone" and "Frightened Willie"—all of which surface later on the recording alongside those tunes crafted for specific tales—further amplify the preliminary motifs.
Weird artificial tones dominate the three compositions supplementing the initial story, "The Veldt," a chilling work concerning parents who're worried that their children are spending an inordinate amount of time in a futuristic playroom. The two tracks augmenting the second adaptation, "The Long Rain," incorporate extensive electronic processing, creating an unearthly accompaniment for this yarn about an astronaut stranded on a waterlogged world. A pair of orchestral cues highlighting mock-Renaissance elements and bittersweet sounds complement the final narrative, "The Last Night of the World," in which a mother and father must decide whether to poison their offspring or allow them to die in a horrific apocalypse.
A depressing and disconcerting disk
The Illustrated Man is a genuinely idiosyncratic motion picture, with the key actors reappearing in each drama and the settings ranging from a turn-of-the-century home to an ultramodern dwelling to a far-flung planet. Goldsmith's music capably reflects these fluid surroundings, blending resourceful orchestration and inspired effects with unusual serial compositional techniques and robust leitmotifs. It's an adventurous effort that, though not wholly successful as a stand-alone work, is accomplished and generally appealing.
On "Main Title," a delicate, moaning female voice is intertwined with a mournful oboe, sweet flute and emotive strings, forming a memorable motif that concurrently evokes senses of sorrow, danger and worry. This uneasy theme returns in altered forms within some of the ensuing numbers, including "Quiet Evening," an exciting track from "The Veldt" awash with artificial noises, and "The Sun Dome," the closing cue for "The Long Rain." At the same time, discordant sounds dominate "21st Century House" and "Angry Child," generating an appropriately austere and detached atmosphere for "The Veldt," just as a gentle mandolin and recorder fashion a suitably warm, organic environment for the two cuts—"Almost a Wife" and "The Morning After"—that accompany "The Last Night of the World."
However, despite Goldsmith's inventiveness, the soundtrack isn't entirely gratifying. The various harmonic textures and moods, along with the air of sadness and betrayal that permeates the collection (and the film), leads to an at times depressing and disconcerting listening experience. Nonetheless, the music admirably captures the ambiance of the picture. Each of the stories deals with powerful and frequently destructive emotions: The Illustrated Man score eloquently and imaginatively reflects these forceful yet volatile sentiments.
