I believe it is simple elegance. The music is truly moving and the themes are beautiful. However, it is something more. It touches to the heart all the complex emotion, the love, the confusion, the excitement and in the end the acceptance and understanding of the deep and sometimes dark story of the film. The themes are All American. The emotion is universal.

For me, the test of a good film score is when it works both as an integral part of the film and can stand alone as an individual composition. In this regard, "The Cider House Rules" is a remarkable achievement.


Inspiring and Reflective   January 7, 2000
Jim Reed (Ontario, California)
19 out of 19 found this review helpful

I have collected dramatic score soundtracks for over 15 years. This soundtrack ranks in the top 5%. The piano and orchestral accompaniment make this recording a must for all serious collectors. It will uplift and inspire you, as well as invite you to see the film again and again.


Rachel Portman's best yet   December 27, 1999
William R. Sample (Valley Center, KS United States)
17 out of 17 found this review helpful

I heard portions of this score played on local public radio and immediately had to have the CD. It is one of the most beautiful film soundtracks I have heard. Rachel Portman has written as masterpiece with Cider House. I do believe that she will receive an Academy Award nomination for this piece.


Simple yet beautiful!   March 28, 2000
16 out of 17 found this review helpful

Listening to Portman's score is simply a pleasure. Some might critique her for being a little too repetitious, but like I've always said, if something sounds great (as her reoccuring theme does), why change things? I walked out of this film and immediately had to have the score because it was so beautiful (incedentally, I bought it the next day before heading back into the theatre to see the movie again). And the surprising thing is that Portman uses only a few orchestral instruments and a piano, yet she has created a very stirring and moving work of music. If you loved the movie like I did (it is truly one of the most beautiful movies to come out of Hollywood in recent years), then this CD is a must-have. If you haven't seen "Cider House" yet, see it as soon as you can as well as purchasing this score. It's perfect background music for anything you can imagine--homework, dinner parties, relaxing, driving, anything! (And DO NOT read the track listings if you do not want to know every plot detail contained in the film) I'm positive that Portman's exquisite score will remain in my ever-expanding collection for eternity. "The Cider House Rules" score will make even the coldest heart melt and make anyone feel like a prince of Maine, a king of New England.


The Power of Music   May 4, 2000
rockrob52 (S.F., CA)
12 out of 12 found this review helpful

Being raised in a home that included music on a daily basis (father is a composer/arranger)has always made me 'aware' of what I hear and in particular, the score I hear behind a particular movie. Rachel Portman's score affected me like no other I've heard in a long time (not since "Schindler's List" and even that was on a totally different plane). In fact, in just the first few seconds of the film (as the opening credits were running), I leaned over to the person I was with and said "What beautiful music!" I purchased the CD shortly thereafter and it just so happens that the day it arrived, I was going through a particularly difficult time. All I can say is that as soon as I began listening to it, I was immediately 'centered'. Ms. Portman's score evokes such emotion in me and the fact that she can use the time-honored technique of taking a recurring 'theme' and make it project every emotion from happiness to sadness, places her at the top of my list. THAT is truly 'talent'. I have recommended this CD to everyone and told them that I doubt I could ever tire of listening to it. BRAVO!