World premiere release of Jerry Goldsmith’s original soundtrack from 1977 WWII film! Universal Pictures releases for Richard D. Zanuck/David Brown productions with Frank McCarthy producing, Hal Barwood & Matthew Robbins script, Joseph Sargent directs with Gregory Peck starring as the famed titular character of General Douglas MacArthur.

Movie follows MacArthur in his combat exploits in the South Pacific during the latter years of WWII. Significant losses at Corregidor, victories in the Pacific, ultimate surrender of Japan, China’s conflict with Korea, all are captured in Jerry Goldsmith’s powerful score. The music anchors with a sturdy, propulsive military march given an unusual introductory idea: left-hand piano rhythms played with mallets on the strings. This dramatic effect reappears in several sequences. But Goldsmith’s march is judiciously used.

Getting considerable attention is a much more nostalgic theme identifying MacArthur’s respect for West Point and the military traditions. Interestingly, a secondary idea heard as a “B” section of the composer’s march also gets considerable attention and in many instances becomes a major theme on its own. In fact, when the final end credits playout with a dynamic return of the march, Goldsmith adds a coda of powerful fortissimo major chords declaring that secondary idea to close the score. Commanding idea!

There is so much more in Goldsmith’s score as well: Film covers losses by both U.S. and Filipinos as well as the Japanese, and the loss of face and defeat in Japan is given darker material. “New Era” is a moving highlight with Goldsmith building on a traditional Japanese melody (“Sakura Sakura”) in low strings colored with striking solo phrases from bassoon.

MCA Records issued highlights in a re-recorded album at the time of the film’s release but the actual film versions of Goldsmith’s score have never been released - until now. Some of the differences between the film and re-recorded versions are subtle, other differences are striking. The soundtrack version of the score also includes numerous cues not contained on the 1977 album. Newly re-mastered presentation of that original album also appears. Complete score is presented from 1/2” 3-channel session masters. Several extras include source material recorded at the sessions plus a powerful specially-recorded performance of Goldsmith’s exciting “Hard Gained Ground” cue from Lonely Are The Brave in which a few seconds of the take are heard as source music in MacArthur. Wow!

John Neal engineers at The Burbank Studios, Arthur Morton orchestrates, Jerry Goldsmith composes, conducts.

CD 1 MacArthur – The Score
01. MacArthur – Main Title (MacArthur March) (2:08)
02. The Tunnel [Long Version] (0:36)
03. MacArthur March [March Indoors] (With Drum Intro) (1:10)
04. I Shall Return (3:53)
05. To Australia (0:51)
06. The Minefield (1:52)
07. Statistics (1:47)
08. Surrender (0:54)
09. Attack Training (0:43)
10. Casualties (0:51)
11. Propaganda (2:26)
12. Change Is Inevitable (1:22)
13. Stand By [Marcato Trumpets] (1:42)
14. The Landing (3:26)
15. The Prison (1:30)
16. The Reunion (0:50)
17. Missouri [Extended Version] (0:43)
18. The Treaty (2:16)
19. New Era (3:01)
20. Newsreel – #1 (0:40)
21. Newsreel – #2 (0:20)
22. Hard Gained Ground (From Lonely Are The Brave) (2:03)
23. The Last Gift (1:56)
24. Ambush (0:55)
25. Reflections (1:03)
26. MacArthur March [Newsreel] (1:05)
27. I Bid You Farewell (2:07)
28. MacArthur – End Title (MacArthur March) (1:54)
Score Time: 46:41

Score Alternates
29. The Tunnel [Short Version] (0:31)
30. MacArthur March – Drums (0:10)
31. MacArthur March [March Indoors] (Without Drum Intro) (1:07)
32. I Shall Return (Alternate Mix) (3:50)
33. Stand By [Legato Trumpets] (1:42)
34. Missouri [Original Version] (0:26)
Alternates Time: 8:06

Source Music
35. Waltzing Matilda (A.B. Paterson/Marie Cowan) (2:04)
36. Don’t Sit Under The Apple Tree (Lew Brown/Charles Tobias/Sam H. Stept) (0:41)
37. Funeral March (Piano Sonata No. 2, Op. 35) (Frederick Chopin) (0:57)
38. Symphony No. 7 In A Major – Mvt. 2 (Beethoven) (1:32)
39. Admiral Byrd (Billy May) (0:29)
40. Undecided – Instrumental (Sid Robin/ Charles Shavers) (1:08)
41. Orpheus In Hades – Can-Can (J. Offenbach, Arr. Hal Mooney) (0:20)
42. Mayday In Moscow (From The Front Page) (Billy May) (0:48)
Source Music Time: 8:27
CD 1 Total Time: 62:30

CD 2 Original 1977 Soundtrack Album
01. MacArthur March (Main Title) (2:48)
02. I Shall Return (3:56)
03. The Treaty (2:35)
04. The Tunnel (2:32)
05. Statistics (3:03)
06. Stand By (2:07)
07. A Last Gift (2:24)
08. New Era (3:24)
09. The Landing (3:40)
10. The Minefield (2:36)
11. I Bid You Farewell / MacArthur March (4:15)
CD 2 Total Time: 33:42