I watched this film the first time because I was on the chess team in high school (oh don't act so surprised!) and our coach thought that this movie would serve as an inspiration for us. While we enjoyed watching the movie, it unfortunately didn't do much for our team. I think we ended up ranking fourth in the county that year. I did see the movie again mainly because I liked the story and it finally gave chess the recognition it doesn't nearly always get. I got the soundtrack mainly because I'm a big James Horner fan. But you already knew that didn't you.
Well, does the fact that I'm a James Horner fan mean that I automatically give it the full five stars? No. I gets a modest three stars. Why? Well I'm glad you asked. The score to Searching for Bobby Fischer is unique in that it is much more restrained than one would have expected. The orchestra doesn't kick it into full gear until the tail end of the score. That's not to say that the first half isn't good. On the contrary. I enjoy the score as a whole but it doesn't quite reach the level I thought it would. Let's face it, chess isn't one of the most visual sports out there. It's very rare that you'll see people gathered around a television to watch a chess match. As such it wouldn't do for the music to be overly dramatic.
With the occasional French horn solo, or piano, Horner presents us with a simple score for a young chess prodigy who attains his goals. This score is hard to find and it will only get harder to find since the CD is no longer in print. I highly recommend seeing the film but I wouldn't run out and get the score before you see the film. You must decide for yourself whether this score is for you or not.
Total time: 49:35
1: Main Title (3:03)
2: Early Victories (3:30)
3: Contempt (2:40)
4: The Castle (2:04)
5: Josh vs. Dad (3:18)
6: Josh's First Lesson (2:38)
7: Trip to Chicago (3:24)
8: Washington Square (2:45)
9: Start Your Clocks/Master Class Points (4:06)
10: Josh and Vinnie (3:31)
11: The Nationals (3:25)
12: Final Tournament (7:55)
13: Epilogue/End Credits (7:10)