James Newton Howard composed the film's musical score with theHollywood Studio Symphony.[1][2] Howard had a difficult time scoring the film, recalling, "The Fugitive really kicked my ass. When I was hired for it, I was terrified." He became more despondent after listening toJerry Goldsmith's work, which he had been using as placeholders for scenes that needed music. Howard was not confident that he could match the quality of those temporary cues, but he refused to quit, eventually conceding that his score would be a "quasi-failure". He was particularly dissatisfied with his work on the chase scenes, believing his string arrangements were too awkward.[3]
Elektra Records released an album featuring selections from the score on August 31, 1993. La-La Land Records later released a two-disc, expanded, and remastered edition of the score, featuring over an hour of previously unreleased music, tracks from the original soundtrack, and alternate cues.[4][5]
Jonathan Broxton ofMovie Music UK wrote "Although James Newton Howard himself didn’t think his score was Academy Award material, The Fugitive has nevertheless gone on to be regarded as one of the quintessential action scores of the composer’s career. It’s a superb work that blends languid jazz and blues with aggressive, complicated, intricate action music – a perfect combination of his own developing stylistics, and appropriate acknowledgements of the film’s own 1960s TV roots."[6]
Christian Clemmensen ofFilmtracks wrote "The Fugitive represents Howard's thriller and action mode in its early development and it's difficult to sing the praises of a score that is ultimately efficiently mundane and little more. It remains a significantly underachieving effort floated more by a superior film than vice versa."[7] Jason Ankeny ofAllMusic wrote "With a scaled-down orchestra primarily emphasizing strings and woodwinds, the music lives or dies on its rhythmic intensity, and Howard does not disappoint."[8]
Janet Maslin ofThe New York Times called Howard's score "hugely effective".[9] Leonard Klady ofVariety wrote "special note is due James Newton Howard’s score, which slips in just enough hints of the TV theme to bridge the years".[10] Duane Byrge ofThe Hollywood Reporter wrote "composer James Newton Howard’s propulsive score makes one feel Kimble’s pounding heart."[11] Glen Chapman ofDen of Geek wrote "The score adds to the levels of tension, as it alternates between time signatures, with orchestral passages underpinning the score, and percussion very much the primary focus [...] Even with all of those elements, the score never goes over the top, with Howard showing a deft touch for creating suspense that would serve him well later in his career."[12]
Orchestra contractor and manager – Sandy DeCrescent
Copyist – JoAnn Kane Music Services
Proofreaders – Aime Vereecke, Artie Kane, Barbara Franklin, Berwyn E. Linton, Bradley G. Dechter, Christopher E. Boardman, Conrad M. Pope, Cynthia A. Turner, Dan Franklin, Daniel Gold, Deborah S. Mitchell (Jones), Donald Rivers McGinnis, Douglas Dana, Ellen G. Fleming, Eric L. Stonerook, F. E. Scott Harris, Frank White Bennett, Harold L. Garrett, Howard W. Drew, James F. Hoffman, Jim Surell, Jeremy E. Thale, Jo Ann Kane, Joseph P. McGuire, Joe Porcaro, Joel Franklin, Julia A. Eidsvoog, Karen Marie Smith, Katherine Fields, Kirby M. Furlong, Larry B. Rench, Lars Clutterham, Lolita L. Ritmanis, Margaret Jean Maryatt, Norman Mark Frisbie, Michael C. Mason, Michael Melvoin, Ralph Fera, Robert M. Calderwood, Robert L. Manrique, Roberta McIntosh, Ronald F. Gorow, Russell Bartmus, Steven L. Smith, Thomas G. Brown, Tom J. Calderaro, Vincent Bartold, Wayne J. Coster, William T. Stromberg
Booth reader – Bradley G. Dechter, Christopher E. Boardman
Instruments
Acoustic bass – Chuck Domanico
Bagpipes – Aaron Groszmann, Charles Burgin, Eric Rigler, Glen Thompson, Hugh Elder, James Yuile, John Davis, Scott Newton, Scott Ruscoe
Bass – Arni Egilsson, Bruce P. Morgenthaler, Buell Neidlinger, Charles C. Berghoffer, Charles L. Domanico, David Henry Young, Drew D. Dembowski, Norman S. Ludwin, Paul J. Zibits, Richard Feves, Steven G. Edelman, Susan Ranney, Timothy C. Barr
Bassoon – Julie Ann Feves, Kenneth E. Munday, Leslie Lashinsky, Michael R. O'Donovan, Patricia Kindel-Heimerl
Cello – J. Antony Cooke, Armen Ksajikian, Barbara Jane Hunter (Badgley), Christine Ermacoff, David J. Low, David H. Speltz, Dennis Karmazyn, Douglas L. Davis, Earl S. Madison, Jerome Kessler, John A. Walz, Matthew A. Cooker, Paula J. Hochhalter, Raymond J. Kelley, Robert Lee Adcock, Ronald A. Leonard, Sebastian W. Toettcher, Stephen Erdody, Timothy Eric Landauer, Todd L. Hemmenway
Clarinet – Dominick Fera, Gary G. Gray, Jim Kanter, John Lowe
Drums, percussion – Alan C. Estes, Robert J. Zimmitti, Emil Radocchia, Jerry D. Williams, Joe Porcaro, Larry Bunker, Leonard Castro, Michael G. Fisher, Peter Limonick, Ralph A. Razze, Steven M. Porcaro, Steven Schaeffer
Flute – David J. Shostac, Geraldine Rotella, James R. Walker, Louise M. DiTullio (Dissman), Sarah Weisz (Orme), Sheridon W. Stokes
French horn – Carol Bacon Drake, Daniel P. Kelley, David Allan Duke, James W. Thatcher, John A. Reynolds, Kurt G. Snyder, Mark L. Adams, Phillip Edward Yao, Stephanie Mijanovich (O'Keefe), Steven B. Becknell, Steven L. Durnin, Todd L. Miller
Harp – Anne Stockton (Mason), Eleanore S. Choate, Gayle R. Levant
Keyboards – James Newton Howard, Michael A. Lang
Oboe – Barbara B. Northcutt, Phillip W. Ayling, Thomas George Boyd
Piano – James Newton Howard
Saxophone – Wayne Shorter
Trombone – William Frank Reichenbach, Charles C. Loper, Richard Nash, Lewis Melvin McCreary
Trumpet – Boyde Wyatt Hood, David Preston Searfoss, George Burnette Dillon, Jon Lewis, Malcolm Boyd McNab, Mario F. Guarneri, Rick J. Baptist, Roy L. Poper, Warren H. Luening Jr.
Tuba – James M. Self, John E. Pokorny, John T. "Tommy" Johnson, Norman W. Pearson
Viola – Alan B. DeVeritch, Benjamin Simon, Carole Kleister-Castillo, Carole S. Mukogawa, Carrie Holzman-Little, Dan Lionel Neufeld, Denyse N. Buffum, Janet Lakatos, Laura E. Kuennen-Poper, Linn Subotnick, Margot L. Aldcroft (MacLaine), Mihail Zinovyev, Miriam M. Granat, Miriam Meyer, Nancy K. Roth, Pamela Goldsmith, Rick E. Gerding, Robin R. Ross, Roland A. Kato, Samuel Boghossian, Scott David Haupert, Steven A. Gordon, Victoria Eva Miskolczy
Violin – Alan H. Grunfeld, Anatoly Rosinsky, Armen Garabedian, Arnold Belnick, Berj Garabedian, Robert A. Sanov, Brian Leonard, Bruce Dukov, Darius P. Campo, David W. Ewart, Dimitrie J. Leivici, Ellen Garaffa Gray, Guillermo (Gil) Romero, Haim Shtrum, Harris Goldman, Igor Kiskatchi, Irma W. Neumann, Jacqueline I. Brand, Jay A. Rosen, Joel G. Derouin, Karen Jones, Kathleen A. Lenski, Kenneth Yerke, Margaret L. Batjer, Mari Tsumura (Botnick), Mario R. DeLeon, Miran Kojian, Miwako Watanabe, Norma Leonard (Auzin), Patricia Johnson, Polly H. Sweeney, Rachel Stegeman (Robinson), Rafael Rishik, Ralph D. III Morrison, Rene Mandel, Robin Olson, Ron Clark, Ronald P. Folsom, Sheldon Sanov, Sheryl L. Staples-Centanni, Stuart V. Canin, Tamara Chang (Hatwan), Yoko Matsuda
"I was completely shocked. I just didn't think [my score] was worthy of a nomination, but that's often what happens. It worked, and the movie was so good. It makes everybody look better."
^Howard, James Newton; Shorter, Wayne (2009).The Fugitive, Music from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (CD). Burbank, CA: La-La Land Records.OCLC871506046. 0826924111222.
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