 |
Title |
| Undersea Battleship |
| International Title |
| Atragon |
| Music By: Akira
Ifukube |
| Record Label:
Toshiba EMI (Futureland) |
| |
|
| Running Time: 50:22 |
Discs: 1 |
| Release: November 1996 |
CD Number: TYCY-5502 |
|
| Comments |
 |
Anthony
Romero |
 |
|
|
Although
not as popular overseas, Atragon is revered as
one of Toho's crowning science fiction productions on
the domestic front. Combining elements typically found
in the company's large library of war films with that
of an invasion plot by an undersea civilization, the movie
struck it big at the box office, ensuring its continual
re-release in the decade that followed.
To match this fusing of genres, maestro Akira
Ifukube delivers a score that perfectly fits the different
aspects of the production, while standing out as a hallmark
entry in the composer's expansive portfolio of work. As
expected from Ifukube, the score excels when it comes
to its military marches. The real standout inclusion here,
and the best theme off the disc, is "The Undersea
Battleship Attacks", specifically the 2nd half (M30).
The cue is on the short side, clocking in at only 50 seconds
in length, but it's such a breath taking piece of work
that it's hard to resist the urge to not loop it for a
bit. It's also fairly extraordinary that the composer
didn't heavily reuse it later in his career, as many of
his better themes had a habit of returning to the screen.
As a side note, though, the cue would return, in stock
form, some 42 years later for Super
Fleet Sazer-X the Movie (2005).
As for the other marches, such as the "Main Title"
and "The Undersea Battleship's Test Run", they
also fare well. The general theme appears several times
throughout the score, although the tempo is changed enough
to keep it fresh and interesting. The disc has a nice
branching flavor to it, though, as it also includes some
more exotic themes to match with the Mu empire. This of
course includes the movie's song, known as the "The
Prayer of the Mu Empire", and a "Warning from
Mu", which is a nice vocal-less version of the dynasty's
chant. There are a couple of menacing cues to fit the
race's actions as well, in particular the "Cargo
Ship Blaze" and "Tokyo Bay Conflagration".
Another stand out theme from the disc, despite it's incredibly
short duration, is the "The Delivered Film".
It's a very atmospheric track, mixing violin and percussion
work to give the theme an almost alien quality. Many will
probably recognize it as well for its later use in Godzilla
vs. Gigan (1972), as it played when the girl dropped
the tape before Gengo picked it up.
Overall, it's a fairly solid collection of music, although
I was slightly disappointed with the "The Undersea
Battleship vs. Manda" theme. It's a fairly sinister
piece of music, sifting into the background to give an
ominous feeling. However, it definitely seems to undercut
the action onscreen, particularly during the moments where
the sub was shocking the giant serpent. Like most Ifukube
scores, the soundtrack also suffers from a fair bit of
repetition as well between themes. The combination of
the different approaches to scoring do help to minimize
this compared to other soundtracks from the maestro, although
it's still there. Bottom line, though, is that this is
a good soundtrack that comes highly recommended to anyone
who enjoys Ifukube's work, regardless of if they happened
to enjoy the movie itself either.
Rating:  |
|
| Tracks |
- Toho Logo (M1)
- Appearance of the Steam Person (M2)
- Main Title (M3)
- The Submarine Rises to the Surface (M4)
- The Delivered Film (M5)
- Warning from Mu (M6)
- The Outcry of Mu
- Emergency U.N. Conference Convenes (M7)
- Cargo Ship Blaze (M8)
- Worldwide Terror (M9)
- The Red Satan (M10)
- The Submarine Returns to Port (M11)
- Communication Ball (M12)
- Gotengo Defense Force (M13)
- Makoto's Theme 1 (M14)
- The Undersea Battleship's Test Run 1 (M15)
- The Undersea Battleship's Test Run 2 (M16)
- The Undersea Battleship's Test Run 3 (M17)
- Makoto's Theme 2 (M18)
- Unno's True Colors (M19)
- The Prayer of the Mu Empire (PS117-T3)
- Guardian Dragon Manda (M20)
- The Mu People on Mount Mihara (M21)
- The Declaration of Mu (M22)
- The Undersea Battleship Attacks 1 (M23)
- The Undersea Battleship Attacks 2 (M24)
- Marunochi Collapses (M25)
- Tokyo Bay Conflagration (M26)
- Tokyo Bay and the Undersea Battleship (M27)
- Rescue (M28)
- The Undersea Battleship vs. Manda (M29)
- The Volunteer Corps Moves Out (M30)
- Ending (M31)
Alternate Takes
- Zero Cannon (M30 Cymbal)
- The Prayer of the Mu Empire (PS117-T2)
Sound Effects
- Gotengo Active Sonar
- Gotengo Ascending
- Gotengo in Flight
- Gotengo Underwater Alarm
- Zero Cannon Discharge
- Mu Submarine Beam Discharge
- "Undersea Battleship" Trailer
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