Rudy: The Deluxe Edition (CD)

Limited Edition of 3,000 copies

Jerry Goldsmith’s favorite projects, especially late in life, were films that spotlighted people—their hopes, feelings and relationships. And no film was a better fit for Goldsmith’s artistic passion than Rudy: the 1993 true-life story of Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger (Sean Astin), an undersized grinder whose quixotic dream to play Notre Dame Fighting Irish football came true for a few brief plays in 1975.

For Rudy, Goldsmith reteamed with Hoosiers director David Anspaugh and writer Angelo Pizzo for another crowd-pleasing, critically acclaimed Indiana sports movie that became part of the pantheon. The score is heartfelt, warm and melodic, speaking to the universal grandeur of one man’s underdog quest. Goldsmith’s propulsive melody for the football sequences—an uplifting, balletic, driving approach—is a majestic triumph, and quickly became repurposed for trailers, commercials and actual sporting events. 

“There are so few things in the world that you can stand up and scream from the rooftops and not care what anyone says, because you know there’s absolute right and absolute wrong,” says Rudy himself, in a new interview for this release. “And it is an absolute right and an absolute truth that this score by Jerry Goldsmith is perfect. It’s a perfect score.”

Varèse Sarabande released the Rudy soundtrack in 1993 in a 37-minute program. This Deluxe Edition expands the sequence to 67 minutes, including the film’s a cappella recordings of the classic “Hike, Notre Dame!” and “Notre Dame Victory March.” Liner notes by Tim Greiving feature new interview material with Rudy, Pizzo, Anspaugh and Astin—as well as Get Out composer Michael Abels, who worked at the sessions—and archival comments by Goldsmith and contractor JoAnn Kane.