I first saw The Patriot on DVD and then I saw it three times in a row on my flight back from India in January 2001. Needless to say the film has been engraved in my mind and so it isn't surprising that the music has been engraved as well. I had bought the soundtrack long before I saw the movie. I bought it the day that it was released. A testament to the fact that I am probably one of John Williams biggest fans. The score to The Patriot is sort of what I was expecting him to have done for Saving Private Ryan, however, for that film, Williams took the minimalist approach and it worked out much better for him and the film. In this case, because the film deals with a much older time period, well before the United States was even called the United States, the music would understandably have to be pompous, robust and...heh heh...Patriotic. Didn't see that one coming did you?
On to the music. As stated, the music is very much patriotic in nature with soaring brass pieces punctuated on occasion by the sweet violin solos of Mark O'Connor. These violin solos, heard mainly in the first and last tracks are very much in the same vein as the trumpet solos heard in Apollo 13. The main theme presented for the duration of the film is first heard in The Patriot. This piece is heard again and again in almost every track and is the central theme. Presented in various forms, the theme serves to underscore the tone of the scene it is heard in. From the simple violin presentation in the opening of the first track, to the heart-pounding brass of To Charleston, none of the versions fails to stir the heart. In a nutshell, the music makes you proud of your country. In fact I wouldn't be surprised to hear this music being played at the Olympics in the coming years.
For the British, (who are often the villians as they are in Gandhi, Braveheart, and The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc), Williams has created a rightfully evil and somber theme. This is by no means a new version of the Imperial March or anything of the sort, but through the use of low notes and the like, he creates an air of menace. Drum beats played in the background serve to further intensify the militaristic characteristics of the British forces. In fact, the traditional British march, The British Grenadiers (last heard in Empire of the Sun also by John Williams) also makes a brief appearance in the score. All in all this score is a very rousing piece that never fails to stir one's patriotic tendancies. Ha! I did it again!
Total time: 72:32
1: The Patriot * (6:39)
2: The Family Farm (3:04)
3: To Charleston (2:15)
4: The Colonial Cause (3:15)
5: Redcoats at the Farm and the Death of Thomas (4:59)
6: Ann Recruits the Parishoners (3:09)
7: Preparing for Battle (5:50)
8: Ann and Gabriel (4:35)
9: The First Ambush and Remembering the Wilderness (4:00)
10: Tavington's Trap (4:10)
11: The Burning of the Plantation (4:55)
12: Facing the British Lines (3:05)
13: The Parish Church Aflame (3:03)
14: Susan Speaks (3:17)
15: Martin vs. Tavington (3:06)
16: Yorktown and the Return Home (5:20)
17: The Patriot Reprise * (7:50)