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Music Conducted By
Jerry Goldsmith

Orchestrations By
Arthur Morton

Recorded By
-

Performed By
The
National Philharmonic Orchestra
(album only)
Album Produced By
Jerry Goldsmith

Deluxe Edition Produced By
 Robert Townson
Nick Redman

Label
Varese Sarabande
VCL 0803 1023

Previous Release(s)
Monument LP
Tsunami CD

Year Of CD/Film Release
2003/1969

Running Time
69:08

Availability
Limited Edition Release

Cues & Timings

 

Album Version

1. Alexandria (01:59)
2. Melissa & Darley (01:52)
3. Justine (00:59)
4. The Farm (01:52)
5. The Camp (01:50)
6. The Beach (03:10)
7. The Telescope (02:13)
8. The Visit (01:31)
9. Samba Alexandria (02:54)
Composed by Herbert W. Spencer
10. Dance of Death (03:11)
11. The Ruins (00:58)
12. The Meeting (00:33)
13. Hands Off (04:46)
14. The Killing (01:15)
15. End Title (02:31)

Original Soundtrack

16. Justine (02:35)
17. The School (03:38)
18. The Farm (03:14)
19. Melissa (01:54)
20. Alexandria (01:37)
21. Carnival Happening (02:36)
22. Melissa & Darley (02:05)
23. Samba Chica (01:45)
Composed by Herbert W. Spencer
24. The Beach (02:54)
25. The Telescope (01:50)
26. Ambush (01:14)
27. End Title (02:39)

Soundtrack Ratings

Disappointing

Functional

 Average

 Good

 Excellent

 Outstanding

Justine
 
Justine the movie was based on a classic literary work by Lawrence Durrell, intended to be one of four novels to be filmed that made up The Alexandria Quartet. But it wasn't to be and Justine's lack of success on the big screen assured its obscurity with only Jerry Goldsmith's memorable music surviving amongst film music listeners.

Justine is a potent blend of love, intrigue and politics set against arms dealing in Egypt. At the story's centre is the beautiful Justine who uses her power over men to aid her husband into securing arms for Palestine to aid the Jews. Jerry Goldsmith's score is an exotic blend of ethnic and western instruments, a score full of eastern promise. At its heart is one of the composer's most delightful main themes for the story's heroine. Here Goldsmith captures the beauty and mystery of this incredible woman and the power she exhibits with tranquil strings, recorder and winds. At times sad, at times full of love, Goldsmith manipulates his melody just like Justine manipulates her men.

The score to Justine remains one of the composer's 'easy listening' soundtracks with near on every cue playing like some refined source piece. From the delicacy of the opening cue; Alexandria to the Parisian sounding Melissa & Darley, the Egyptian/Grecian phrases of The Camp, to the frolicking Dance of Death, Goldsmith's cosmopolitan orchestra is a feast of ethnic and period instruments with accordion, auto harp, sitar, darbouka, xylophone and electric flute just a few of the odd delights playing away.

Justine was originally released on LP but featured a re-recording of the score made by the composer in London. Varese's deluxe CD, includes both the superior 'sounding' re-recording along with the actual film soundtrack for the first time. However, even though the sound quality for this rather old score is quite respectable it fails to have the dynamics or detail of the re-recording. Add to this, Robert Townson's informative and detailed notes reveal that Goldsmith wrote additional cues and popularised a couple of score cues to enhance the listening experience, which he does. Goldsmith's opening arrangement; Justine, along with the latter cue; The Beach, remain the CD highlights as Goldsmith envelopes his gorgeous theme with warm and tender strings extracting every ounce of passion the musicians can muster.