Previews of films can sometimes be very deceiving, particularly in the case of Secondhand Lions. Little did I know what was in store for me when I listened to this score for the first time. What appeared in the previews to be a comedy starring Michael Caine, Robert Duvall, and Haley Joel Osment about a young boy who spends a summer with his two eccentric uncles in Texas, turned out to have a wonderful, varied score. Patrick Doyle, in a recent Film Score Monthly interview was asked about the recent scoring of this film. "How would I describe it? Symphonic, comedic, atmospheric, swashbuckling, mysterious and romantic; it's got every conceivable type of music in it. It's been like writing 10 scores in one!"

Flashbacks in the film are the reason for the different kinds of music. "Secondhand Arrival" and "Lion Hunt" feature Ola Onabule in African tribal music. "Sheik Swordfight" among others, feature interesting Arabian style music. "Hub Rescues Jasmine" offers some Korngold type action/adventure scoring as do several other tracks. In addition there is a great main theme, warm and upbeat used in the main title and several of the tracks. Doyle uses the english horn effectively on this theme, as well as other tracks including the character Jasmine. His son Patrick Doyle Jr. sings a somber soprano solo on "She Was A Real Lion" to perfection. To end the score you are treated to a "Piano Suite" solo, reprising the main title eloquently. If you wish you can call up the sheet music on the interactive part of the CD and follow along. Just a word of caution. Don't settle into listening to one kind of music for very long. It not only switches from track to track but often abruptly in the middle of one. Once you have listened to the CD a couple of times it is not a distraction at all, just part of the overall score.

The music was performed by the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra. As explained in the interactive part of the enhanced CD by Doyle the acoustics are superb in the concert hall in Bratislava. I can certainly agree with that statement. It produced a nice clean recording with excellent presence. Secondhand Lions would be a welcome addition to your collection. In my opinion, this is one of Patrick Doyle's finest efforts, and one of the best recordings in 2003 to date. Versatility is the key to the success of this fine score. But in addition it has a great main theme. Something which I believe greatly enhances a film.

Please be sure to read the original review