KeepMoving Records release Mychael Danna and Paul Intson score for The Snow Walker. Written and directed by Charles Martin Smith, the movie follows the trials of veteran bush pilot Charlie Halliday and Kanaalaq, a sick Inuit girl who needs medical attention. When they crash land in the middle of the wild, the tables turn and Kanaalaq becomes the one who provides help and gives survival tips to her companion, going as far as sacrificing herself in the process...

Mychael Danna and Paul Intson's score for The Snow Walker is a joy to listen to. The album contains 22 tracks (50 min, 11 sec) and incorporates so many intensely beautiful themes, that it's difficult to know where to start singing its praises.

KeepMoving Records appears to have a habit of releasing obscure movie soundtracks that every score collector really should own. The Snow Walker is no exception. In fact, if it weren't for KeepMoving, then this beautiful soundtrack would probably have faded into history without getting the coverage and recognition it so rightly deserves.

There are so many elements that are similar to other scores, that at times it was almost as though the composers were deliberately dropping in the occasional homage.

The ending of 'The End Begins' reminded me of Thomas Newman's work on The Shawshank Redemption, as did parts of 'Charlie In The Wilderness'.

There's parts of John Williams's score for Saving Private Ryan in both 'Charlie's Compassion' and 'New Boots / Trek To The Plane'.

'Charlie's Theme' mixes a little of Williams's music for War Horse, with a sprinkling of Ilan Eshkeri's score for Stardust.

'Charlie In The Wilderness' has so many moments that it's hard to spot them all. There's a little of Sergei Prokofiev's ballet Romeo and Juliet ballet, Tim Wynn's score for The Darkness II and the aforementioned The Shawshank Redemption.

The themes are varied and beautiful and this is one score that is seriously worth dropping everything for and getting hold of. The CD comes with 8-page liner notes by Gergely Hubai discussing the film and the score based on original interviews with both composers.

One word of warning. It appears that the album is only available on CD, with a limited print run of 500 copies, from KeepMoving's website (keepmovingrecords.com). With this being the case I strongly urge you to pick this album up before it sells out.

10

Darren Rea