Although a long-time action exploitation producer, Danny Lerner chose to direct this family-friendly account of an American serviceman who found a German Shepherd puppy in Lorraine, France, near the end of World War I, and took the dog back to the U.S. where Rin Tin Tin, as he was called, advanced from trick shows to films.

One of the most successful film pooches (and often cited as saving Warner Bros. from financial disaster during the Great Depression), Rin Tin Tin also appeared, so to speak, in a set of long-running radio shows, and his descendents also starred in a TV series. This film marks the most recent attempt to dramatize the dog’s story, with veteran composer Stephen Edwards scoring with a broad-sized orchestra.

The main theme is a very amiable concoction with lilting strings playing the main melody with just the right strain to hark back to the melodramatic music of the silent era, when Rin Tin Tin made his cinematic debut in 1922.

For the “Main Title” cue, Edwards emphasizes intimacy with sparse instrumentation, and very distinct orchestral divisions: brass and percussion start the cue with a quoting of the French national anthem, and strings and woodwinds introduce the main theme. Oboes, flutes, and piano colour the cue with a very buoyant atmosphere, while elongated chords act as a bridge before the full orchestra clamours towards a heavy finale.

“First Chase” is a kinetic action cue written with animated flourishes set against a three-beat motif, and Edwards employs a very refreshing lightness for his four-note theme, which he quotes using bird-like flutes, and some rather cheeky brass flares that sometimes infer a comedic, almost Keystone Cops routine of running, jumping, and colliding.

Edwards’ prior work includes horror films (Feast) as well as documentaries (the IMAX film Titanica) and myriad action exploitation films. With such a unique background, it’s refreshing to hear such a warm and amiable score that addresses the obvious melodrama of the Rin Tin Tin saga without being maudlin.

The score’s orchestrations are first rate, as is the performance by Belgrade Film Orchestra. The only qualm is the score’s general anchoring around the main theme, and regular anthem quotations. In many ways, Finding Rin Tin Tin feels like an energetic score for an animated film, with cues such as “He Stinks” bearing a mocking tone, whereas “Rinty Raids Kitchen” is very expressive of canine chaos; the orchestra’s pauses are often broken up by a sudden march, spiralling woodwinds, and a teasing tuba.

A handful of cues like “Avalanche” offer more formal action writing, and Edwards distinguishes himself with some deft writing that mimics a tumbling motion, although like several tracks on the album, the cue runs just over a minute. MovieScore Media’s substantive album runs just under an hour, but the frenetic, comedic tone may not be ideal for those familiar with Edwards' action/exploitation scores. Those open to trying a lighter side of the composer, though, will be pleasantly surprised.

© 2008 Mark R. Hasan