by PK on 1/15/2000
 
The story of The Man in the Iron Mask is set in century-old times. So, why then does my mind fill with images from Bruckheimer's The Rock as I listen to this music? The answer is simple, if we look in the right places. Along with Hans Zimmer and Harry Gregson-Williams, composer Nick Glennie-Smith was part of a trilogy of composers who wrote music for The Rock. From what I notice in this score, it's easy to hear who worked the most on The Rock.

Aside from those few tracks that sound like The Rock, we really discover Glennie-Smith's talents as a connoisseur of melody. The main theme is introduced in "The Ascension" - it's as uplifting as any John Williams fanfare - and is intertwined throughout the often full-speed action music.

Glennie-Smith's classical sensitivity really pays off for "The Masked Ball" and "The Palace," and his themes take flight during "Training to be King" and "All for One." Indeed, pageantry and triumph can be found in much of this soundtrack, although the instrumentation doesn't identify the music to any specific era. The near-hour CD covers a lot of ground, and is a great listen, but the few flashbacks from The Rock are just a little too damaging, especially when considering the historical drama that supposedly inspired this music.