FILM MUSIC REVIEW

 Soundtrack & Compilation Reviews

(May - June 2005)

All CD reviews are listed alphabetically and are the opinions of Roger Hall or Steven Kennedy.

Some releases are given the designation of "CD of Special Merit" for their outstanding contibution to film music production.  

Also, there is one CD that is singled out when deserving of:  "Editor's Choice - Best of the Month."      

If you have any comments or questions about any review, write to:

 Film Music Review

Please keep FMR up and running by ordering a copy of A Guide to Film Music or order something from Amazon.com (see Bookshelf Search below)

Scroll down this page to read all the CD reviews.  

To read all the titles click on this link:

The Sammy Awards

For the choices of best film composer, soundtracks, compilations, and record labels of the year, go to:

Best and Worst of 2004

Best and Worst of 2003

Best and Worst of 2002

Best and Worst of 2001

Best and Worst of 2000

Help Support FILM MUSIC REVIEW -

Order Your Copy Now While Supplies Last!

A Guide to Film Music - Songs and Scores  (2nd revised edition, PineTree Press, 2002)

Important!

Supply of this limited second edition is running low.  Order your now to avoid disappointment.

The guide also has an accompanying FREE CDR of film music examples and includes these items:

*A timeline of film music highlights from 1926 to 2001

*A chapter on suggestions for listening to film music

*A complete list of Academy Award film music from 1934 to 2000

*A complete list of the Sammy Movie Music Awards from 1988 to 2001

*Top 100 Scores of the 20th Century

*Comments on Film Music:

• Exclusive interviews with two composers (Aaron Copland and Virgil Thomson)
• The Composer as Commentator (Bernard Herrmann,  David Raksin, Dimitri Tiomkin)
• The Composer as Critic (Elmer Bernstein)
• The Film Lyricist and Songwriter (Sammy Cahn and Henry Mancini)
• The Movie Critic and Historian (David Thomson and Tony Thomas)
• An extensive bibliography and discography

Throughout the guide are many illustrations of composer autographs, including:

Johnny Green, Bernard Herrmann, Alex North, Miklos Rozsa,  Max Steiner , Dimitri Tiomkin, John Williams and others.

There are also songwriter autographs as well, such as:

Sammy Cahn, George & Ira Gershwin, Henry Mancini, Johnny Mercer, Jay Livingston, and Harry Warren.

The title page of A Guide to Film Music  has a rare page from the end credits of E.T., boldly signed by John Williams.

Praise from distinguished film composers!

"Thank you for the copy of your film music book.  Congratulations and best wishes for success in your future contributions to the film music literature"-- John Williams, film composer and conductor

"I do feel your book is done in a most interesting way.  It affords a quick overview of what has not become a very, very broad field.  Congratulations!" -- Elmer Bernstein, film composer and conductor

"Your film music guide should be available to anyone interested in the Golden Age and beyond.  I was so happy that KING KONG made your all-time list" -- John Morgan, film composer and score restorer.

Order your copy of this limited edition guide now before it sells out.  

To order A Guide to Film Music with FREE CDR click on this link: 

Music Titles from PineTree Press

Review Rundown::

The titles are chosen to cover a broad range of commercial, promotional and vintage soundtracks.  

No bootleg CDs are reviewed.  

The comments and ratings are based on the whole CD package:  recorded music, booklet notes and art design.   

Ratings:

*****   (Superlative - Highest Recommendation)

****1/2 (Outstanding - Highly Recommended) 

 ****     (Exceptional - Especially Worthwhile)  

  ***1/2 (Very Good - Better Than Average)

  ***      (Good - Okay)

   **1/2  (Fair - Nothing Special)

   **      (Mediocre - Barely Passable)

     *      (Poor - Save Your Money)

Each month soundtracks are selected for Best of the Month or Special Merit.  These soundtracks are chosen on the date of the review, and not necessarily at the end of the month.  They are the CDs worthy of special praise for their overall production.

These are the headings:

Editor's Choice for Best of the Month

CD Release of Special Merit

Soundtracks:

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA—SEASON ONE (Bear McCreary0 - ***

THE CHAIRMAN (Jerry Goldsmith) - ****

CINDERELLA MAN (Thomas Newman) - ***

CRASH (Mark Isham) - ****

DUST TO GLORY (Nathan Furst) - ****

LES FÉLINS (Lalo Shifrin) - ***  

HITMAN: CODENAME 47 - ***/ HITMAN 2: SILENT ASSASSIN - ****  (Jesper Kyd)

HOSTAGE (Alexandre Desplat) - ****

JOHNNY BELINDA (Max Steiner) [Editor's Choice for June] - ****1/2

KINGDOM OF HEAVEN (Harry Gregson-Williams) - ****

LADIES IN LAVENDER  (Nigel Hess) [Editor's Choice for May] - ****1/2

NON SI SEVIZIA UN PAPERINO & NELLA STRETTA MORSA DEL RAGNO (Riz Ortolani) (2 reviews) 

STAR WARS: EPISODE III—REVENGE OF THE SITH  (John Williams) (2 reviews)

WAR OF THE WORLDS (John Williams)  [Special Merit] (2 reviews)

THE WEDDING DATE (Blake Neely) - ***1/2

Compilations:

BAMBI (1942) - Songs by Larry Morey and Frank Churchill/ Score by Ed Plumb [Special Merit] - ****  

NATHAN LARSON: FILM MUSIC  - ***

 THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS - Various Songs - ***

Bookshelf Search

Help support Film Music Review

Order your Books, CDs, DVDs and other products here:

Soundtrack Reviews (May - June 2005)

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA—SEASON ONE (2004)

Music composed by Bear McCreary. Additional music by Richard Gibbs.

30 Tracks (Playing Time = 78:33)

Album produced by Bear McCreary, Steve Kaplan, and Ford A. Thaxton. Score engineered and mixed by Steve Kaplan. Digitally mastered by James Nelson at Digital Outland. Art direction by Mark Banning.

La-La Land Records LLLCD 1032

Rating: ***

After releasing the score for the television return of BATTLESTAR GALACTICA featuring a new score by RICHARD GIBBS, the series continued with the story of this fan favorite from this late 1970s Glen Larson production. Eschewing Stu Phillips style, Gibbs score took a different approach than the original series, though some might say it followed the Sci-Fi Channel movie-of-of-the-week sound. Gibbs’ score made for a fascinating listen. For the invention of the new series, Bear McCreary was asked to provide a new title theme for the US version of the broadcast incorporating some of Gibbs’ music. McCreary is a relatively new name in television scoring. He has provided music for a large variety of short films. Last year he received additional music credits for a couple of higher profile projects, JOHNSON FAMILY VACATION and MY BABY’S DADDY.

The hardest thing in many contemporary television score releases to accomplish is any kind of continuity. There is not a lot of time or room for a composer to develop musical ideas over extended sequences. This release features the best of the over five hours of music McCreary wrote for the series and provides a fine overview of the various styles and needs that episodic television writing provides composers. McCreary has chosen selections illustrating both brief musical statements as well as more elongated underscoring making for a great demonstration disc of his talent. The sound ideas from Gibbs telefilm score complete with chanting, taiko drumming, and orchestral ambient writing are captured and taken in new directions. A few interesting surprises like the Irish-flavored "A Good Lighter" from the episode "Hand of God" appear along the way. The score is an amalgam of ethnic writing one hears in scores from Media Ventures but is along a much higher musical trajectory. It falls into a pattern that Brian Tyler found for his CHILDREN OF DUNE score but McCreary’s contributions seem to fall closer to a kind of ambient sound that mixes a little of Horner’s sound along with the requisite electronic techno patterns and ethnic vocals. This is at times along the lines of the THE MISSING (2003) but more in the way a composer comes from a particular style of writing rather than sounding derivative of that style. A track dedicated to the memory of Elmer Bernstein appears, though McCreary’s style is not like that master’s, perhaps referencing the score to HEAVY METAL (1981), or giving thanks for possible encouragement along the way. This BATTLESTAR is decidedly more contemporary eschewing the more classic orchestral sound of its 1970s predecessor. When the score moves into that territory it tends to lift and shine and is a definite reminder of how much live acoustic instruments provide to scores. "Passacaglia" is one cue that illustrates that best written for string orchestra and running about five minutes in length, it is a cross between a Carter Burwell adagio and James Newton Howard. Still, even on the musical budget set aside here, McCreary is able to perform minor miracles with a heavy reliance on percussion versus synth sounds, and well-placed ethnic wind solos.

Included are a number of vocal selections all of which have their texts and translations included in the well-designed booklet. La-La Land also includes the UK version of the main title with Gibbs’ music as well adding to this already ample timing. Tracks are often paired together by episode, but there is no intended continuity along those lines. Instead, the disc is designed more to provide variety of style or sound. This works somewhat though the disc kind of bogs down around the middle. The more orchestral tracks tend to fall towards the final third of the disc. As with the release of Gibbs’ score for the film, the only fault here may simply be too much of a good thing.

--Steven A. Kennedy, 6 June 2005

Comments regarding this review can be sent to this address: stev4uth@hotmail.com

CD available from:

www.buysoundtrax.com

THE CHAIRMAN (1969)

12 Tracks (Playing Time = 31:46)

Music composed and conducted by Jerry Goldsmith.

Performed by the London Studio Symphony Orchestra. Original album produced by Don Shain for Tetragrammaton Records. Album produced for Prometheus Records by Ford A. Thaxton. Engineered by John Neal. Reissue edited and mastered by James Nelson at Digital Outland. Layout and design by GINKO DIGI.

Prometheus Records PCD 158

Rating: ****

With the great Jerry Goldsmith no longer with us, fans must hope for reissues of his earlier scores. Prometheus continues a string of fine Goldsmith releases with this release from Goldsmith’s fertile late 1960s/early 1970s period of film scoring. The release is essentially a remastered reissue of the original Tetragrammaton release. Some may have a Silva reissue paired with RANSOM. That release was taken from a master with less than good sound. Varese released a portion of the music on its Goldsmith retrospective set. Prometheus has returned to the original analog masters to create this latest release while also resequencing the tracks into film order (with one exception).

THE CHAIRMAN allows us to revisit a lesser known score that comes from the same year of Goldsmith’s noted score for THE ILLUSTRATED MAN, and the year after the celebrated score for PLANET OF THE APES. It would be the first of his four-film collaboration for director J. Lee Thompson. 1969 was a busy year for Goldsmith who provided some music for the television program to ROOM 222 in addition to scores for JUSTINE and 100 RIFLES. Interestingly, each score fits into a definitive genre allowing for comparisons of Goldsmith’s approach to scoring these differing types of films.

THE CHAIRMAN starred Gregory Peck in a secret agent/scientist role with some plot similarities to Hitchcock’s far superior TORN CURTAIN (1966). The twist is that Peck has a trigger bomb implanted in his brain to "eliminate" him should his mission be compromised. Goldsmith’s score features two primary themes, one more martial one to denote Mao’s China, and the other a poignant love theme. The disc opens with an album cover version of this "Love Theme" featuring a piano solo by Goldsmith before moving on into the film sequenced score. Interestingly, the opening accompaniment to this theme is not unlike Goldsmith’s later theme for CHINATOWN (1974), but with piano solo, and a far more romantic sounding orchestra. The Asian-sounding sections of the score are quite masterful and rely on a battery of percussion and Asian-sounding motifs to create the proper effect. These ideas are later blended into the action cues. In "The Tour," one of many great tracks, Goldsmith has written an opening to rival Rozsa. It is almost like hearing a torch being passed. The intermingling of the Chinese idea with the love theme is also wonderfully handled. One can also hear the classic arrhythmic syncopation that is a hallmark of Goldsmith’s style. It is this rediscovery of musical ideas in lesser known scores that makes this release worth adding to your collection. Fan of THE WIND AND THE LION? Listen to a germinal idea in "The Red Guard" that will go further in that later score. This score gives you a chance to hear some of Goldsmith’s most delicate scoring alongside that of his more complicated orchestration played out in a way that can only lead to a greater appreciation of his later scores.

Notes for each track are provided giving brief scene information and musical commentary. The sound is a bit rough still in parts, and quite dry which is normal for the period. The short playing time is a minor detriment. THE CHAIRMAN though is worth seeking out for any who enjoy Goldsmith’s production from this period.

--Steven A. Kennedy, 7 June 2005

Comments regarding this review can be sent to this address: stev4uth@hotmail.com

CD available from:

www.buysoundtrax.com

CINDERELLA MAN (2005)

25 Tracks (Total Time =  47:03)

Music composed and conducted by Thomas Newman.

Executive Album Producers: Ron Howard and Brian Grazer.  Produced by Thomas Newman and Bill Bernstein.  Recorded and Mixed by Tommy Vicari. Orchestra recorded by Armin Steiner. Orchestrations by Thomas Pasatieri.  Music Editor: Bill Bernstein.  Recorded at the Newman Scoring Stage and Sony Scoring Stage.

Decca/UMG B0004561-02

Rating: ***

This is a much anticipated film starring Russell Crowe playing legendary boxer Jim Braddock, and Renee Zellweger as Braddock's wife.  The film was directed by Ron Howard and produced by Brian Glazer.

Thomas Newman has become one of the most respected film composers in Hollywood.  He began with DESPARATELY SEEKING SUSAN in 1985, and later scored such films as SCENT OF A WOMAN (1992) and the cult film, SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION (1994), which earned Newman two Academy Award nominations.  In 1999 he was again nominated for AMERICAN BEAUTY, which I didn't like much. He received a Golden Globe for that score.  He also has received two Grammy Awards and five BMI Music Awards and has composed several TV themes, including the HBO series, SIX FEET UNDER.  In 2004, he composed the score for LEMONY SNICKET'S A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS.

Having said all that, I found the CINDERELLA MAN soundtrack to be somewhat of an awkward mix of new and old music.  Thomas Newman's moody score is typically in a style he has employed so effectively many times before.  Actually the source music of old-time jazz numbers and pop songs liven things up considerably and make Newman's score seem a bit tame by comparison.

CINDERELLA MAN starts off with a boxing crowd noise and a track titled "The Inside Out" (1:20), which is actually quite meandering and unmemorable.  Then the next track (1:03) there's a rousing early jazz number titled: "Shim-Me-Sha-Wobble" performed by Miff Mole and His Molers.  This title is actually slightly incorrect, it should be: "Shim-Me-Sha-Wabble." All the source music on this CD state they were "recorded prior to 1972."  That's just laziness and misleading research.  At least the music could be identified as coming from the Great Depression era.  "Shim-Me-Sha-Wabble" was actually written by Spencer Williams in 1917.  It was recorded from the 1920s to the 1940s.  There are also three other tunes featured on the soundtrack: "Tillie's Downtown Now" (performed by Bud Freeman and His Windy City Five - track 8, 2:19), "We've Got to Put That Sky Back in the Sky" (by Roanne's Pennsylvanians - track 17, 1:27), and "Cheer Up! Smile! Nertz!" (a great novelty song sung by Eddie Cantor - track 25, 4:02).  All these source songs provide the right period flavor.

As for Thomas Newman's score, there seems to be a boxing match of sorts going on between the subdued cues, most of them with the solo piano tinklings he favors, and such vigorous Celtic cues as "Corn Griffin" (track 10, 1:12), "The Hope of the Irish" (track 13, 0:52), and especially the longer and more expansive "Turtle" (track 24, 3:21).  

I don't mean to discount Newman's score because he does create some effective sentiment, as in "Fight Day" (track 14, 3:39).  This cue doesn't begin with a fast action theme as might be expected, but instead is very somber and melancholy in its treatment.  I think it's one of the more effective tracks on the CD.

The silliest track is Paul Giamatti performing "Londonderry Air" on track 12.  Actually all he does is whistle the tune and it lasts a grand total of 0:27!!    

I don't know why the film's title is way down at track 23 (4:48).  This would have made a much more effective opening track.  It's well written, has a really strong melody, and would have made a great opener for the CD.

The flyer isn't very appealing.  It's filled with dark film stills and has no comments from the director or the composer. Just the usual long thank you list.

This is a good Newman score.  But I think the CD itself could have been produced with better organization.  

If you purchase this CD make sure you play track 23 first.  Then play the next track as well.  

Those are the two best demonstrations of the boxing world of CINDERELLA MAN!  

--Roger Hall, 18 May 2005

For more information, see:

www.universalclassics.com   

CRASH (2004)

15 Tracks (Total Time = 58:41/ 13 Score Tracks = 48:05)

Music composed, produced, and performed by Mark Isham.

Mixed by Stephen Krause at Banana Hill. Recorded by Stephen Krause, Cindy O’Connor and Miark Isham at Wetdog. Additional Sound Design by JED. Music edited by James Burt.

Superb Records 2512

Rating: ****

With his screenplay to MILLION DOLLAR BABY having been nominated for an Oscar, it should come as no surprise that this latest Paul Haggis film, has garnered some additional raves as one of the first good movies of 2005. It made an initial appearance at last year’s Toronto Film Festival and then was seen at the Newport Beach International Film Festival before receiving a limited May release. Good word of mouth may give it some life again on DVD though it may still be found in a few theaters. CRASH features a fairly diverse and amazing cast that includes Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Brendan Fraser, Ludacris, Thandie Newton, Tony Danza, and others. Its interweaving story of how lives are changed by an accident deals with racism in engaging ways that many have found fascinating. The film’s music includes a number of songs (12 of which have been released on a separate soundtrack disc on Superb), and an original score by Mark Isham.

Isham has had a number of high profile film projects of varying degrees of success. He has managed to mix children’s scoring for films like this year’s RACING STRIPES alongside family comedies and intense personal dramas. Here, Isham reminds us why he is one of the premiere composers working in synthesized musical soundscapes. Isham’s music is one of subtle motifs and ideas layered against musical ambience that is perfect at staying out of the way of the drama on screen. The subtlety pays off with enormous benefits combining the finest of Isham’s other electronic work with a minimalist sound that goes in different directions than the works of Glass or Adams.

There are many standard synthetic sound gestures familiar to anyone who was a fan of those early "new age" dubbed albums in the 1980s. Here they take on a poignancy that is indescribably enthralling as the disc progresses. From a simple sung (uncredited) chant-like line in "…Safe Now" (a recurring motif in other tracks) to the piano that plays simply over luxuriant harmonies in "No Such Thing as Monsters" (a track reminiscent of the conclusion to Williams’ score for A.I.) the listener is drawn in emotionally without being hit over the head or overwhelmed. It is quite a feat compositionally. If you are not enamored of electronic music, this score may not be for you, but it still stands miles above the average Hollywood electronica that bears its Media Ventures imprints and influences. CRASH is a score that begs for a deeper musical experience that attached to the visceral imagery it accompanies is far more powerful than any traditional approach could be.

Unlike many electronic film scores, this one allows for longer stretches of music that allow full development and organic growth of musical ideas. This is especially the case with the longest track, "Flames" which comes complete with the return of the solo sung lyric and organ harmonies with subtle piano. It is an amazingly restrained and accomplished piece that would make this score worth adding to your collection on its own. All is not ambient adagios as the more rhythmically vigorous "Siren" appears just in time to give needed variety while "A Really Good Cloak" manages to provide an almost elegiac cathartic release as it grows in melodic intensity.

As a listening experience Isham’s CRASH is one that is endlessly fascinating and continually rewarding.

The disc also includes one song by Bird York, though not the one on the song compilation disc, and another one by the Stereophonics that also appears on the songtrack. They help fill out an already generous release.

--Steven A. Kennedy, 20 June 2005

Comments regarding this review can be sent to this address: stev4uth@hotmail.com

DUST TO GLORY (2005)

22 Tracks (Total Time = 75:05; 18 score tracks: playing time =59:36)

Music composed, orchestrated, produced and conducted by Nathan Furst.

Vocals by Becca Cornelius. Songs include "Falling from the Sky" performed by Vast; "Lorena" performed by The Sandals; "Yes I Will" performed by Michael Franti; and "Once I Knew You" performed by Jeremy Kay. Mastered by Bernie Becker.

Varese Sarabande 302 066 643 2

Rating: ****

Nathan Furst’s name may not be familiar to anyone who reads this. If you skip this disc you may regret it a great deal. I am not sure how this was possible, but Varese has released what must be their longest CD. That is not a typo! There are over 75 minutes of music on this CD. A new name and an unknown film might be cause for some to groan, but they would be really missing out. Furst has been busy mostly in television animation for "Dragon Tales," "Bionicle" and "Max Steel" and he has written themes for a number of series. He has a few feature films to his credit including one for his father, actor/director Stephen Furst, called "StageGhost" (2000). At 26, he is showing great promise if he follows in the footsteps of other great film composers.

"Dust to Glory, directed by Dana Brown, is an action-adventure documentary covering the 2003 SCORE Baja 1000—a race across the Baja Peninsula. It’s a race that includes everything from race cars to motorcycles. The film includes footage of the race and includes appearances by Mario Andretti, Robby Gordon, and Steve and Chad McQueen. The score follows that action fairly well with some great give and take moments.

In the opening theme from "Dust to Glory," we get the most unlikely sounding music. Here is the kind of action adventure music suited to something like a Stephen Sommers film. Opening with a Middle-Eastern sounding vocal (which recurs throughout the score), we soon move into music that would be equally at home in films like "The Mummy" or "The Thirteenth Warrior." The second track leads into a wonderfully scored horn and orchestra American sound. Is it really that possible that two engaging pieces of music can come that quickly in a score these days? Furst combines the favorite gestures of film music fans. He has the rhythmic interest of Goldsmith with a touch of jazz rhythms from the likes of Grusin. His melodic ideas are as engaging as those of Williams with a hint of Randy Newman. His electronic writing is beyond the kind of thing that one hears from Media Ventures and it may recall for some the best work of Gregson-Williams. There are full orchestral sections that often feature the kind of horn writing that Zimmer employs with percussion loops. There are also some tracks ("The McMillins") more along an ethnic/popular vein mixing a little Spanish-flavored guitar with percussion. And another, "Weatherman," that sounds like something from Howard Shore’s "Lord of the Rings" scores. "The Beach" is a wild combination of Zimmer’s "Gladiator" and Eidelman’s "Star Trek VI" score. "Coco’s Corner" is a gentle guitar solo to contrast with some of the action music that surrounds it. The track is a sample of ideas and motifs that appear elsewhere in the score. Furst makes use of both thematic recurrence and specific soundscapes attached to specific actions. He thus combines the best of both worlds to deliver a score that pulls together rather surprisingly.

There are so many stylistic influences coming to the forefront in this music that it is still hard to hear his individual voice, but "Dust To Glory" says boldly, "I can do it as well, and better than a lot of other people." The possible references may be as much a problem of the temp music used as anything. But to fault the score here would be wrong-headed. "Dust to Glory" will be an important disc twenty or thirty years from now when Furst has established his voice and can choose his projects carefully. He will be a name worth watching.

Dispersed throughout the disc are songs performed by Vast, The Sandals (a fun cover of "Lorena"), Michael Franti, and Jeremy Kay. They provide an odd contrast to the score material, but are placed well on the disc so that they fit better than one would expect providing an aural break from the score that helps break up the wealth of material being offered.

This is one of the most fun discoveries I have had since hearing Alex Heffes’ amazing score to "Touching the Void." Here’s hoping that Furst gets a few more chances to show his abilities and to Varese for having the courage to release this score.

--Steven A. Kennedy, 24 June 2005

Comments regarding this review can be sent to this address: stev4uth@hotmail.com

LES FÉLINS (1964)

10 Tracks (Total Time = 34:48)

Music composed and conducted by Lalo Schifrin.

Album produced by Nick Redman. Music recorded at Europa Sonore, Paris, France. Original recording engineered by Jean Michael Poudubois. Reissue edited and mastered by Daniel Hersch at DigiPrep, Hollywood, CA. Art direction and design by Theresa E. Schifrin.

Aleph Records 031

Rating: ***

Fans of Lalo Schifrin will want to seek out this latest release from his Aleph label. The score for LES FÉLINS, directed by René Clément, was the first commercial film Schifrin provided music for apart from a 1958 Argentinean film, EL JEFE, and the fairly bad 1964 American film, RHINO!. As such it provides a bit of a window on Schifrin’s use of music in cinema. This comes at a time when he was busy providing music for several television series, among them being THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E..

One hears in LES FÉLINS a combination of Schifrin’s contemporary jazz sounds familiar in later scores for MISSION IMPOSSIBLE, but also a little adaptation of French film scoring. The "Main Title" has a very contemporary feel that seems to take a Mancini sound and move it forward in a way that caught me off guard upon first listen. There are some additional things that will have you wishing that Schifrin would have been offered a lot better material in the ensuing period. "Melinda" is an amazingly complex piece of music featuring atonal chorus and ensemble that is made more frightening by the compressed sound of the masters. There a some gestures that almost seem like stock musical phrases or underscoring when they begin, as in "Mediterranean Chase," but they soon transform into far more complicated musical statements. It may be that the psychological focus of the film may have lent Schifrin a hand in developing this music. It comes in a direct line of classic French noir films by Clouzot and others. Here, Schifrin moves the musical language forward as well giving the film a decidedly contemporary flavor.

The accompanying booklet features a number of film stills on one side of its accordion fold-out booklet. The flip side of the booklet features a long "discussion" excerpted from an interview between Schifrin and Stéphane Lerouge but done more in program note style versus that of an interview. It makes for some interesting reading as the composer reflects on his luck and the film as well as his approach to the score.

This disc came on the heels of a superb release of Maurice Jarre’s music for French films in the 1950s and 1960s making it a wonderful companion to that disc. And, I had oddly just finished viewing one of Clouzot’s masterpieces, LE CORBEAU (1943), with a score sounding a lot like those Herrmann wrote for Hitchcock classics. In this case, LES FÉLINS is not near the masterpiece with Clément’s best work behind him. It does however feature Jane Fonda reminding us that the recent MOTHER-IN-LAW is not the worst film she has graced with her presence. Sorrell Booke, of DUKES OF HAZZARD fame, also makes an appearance.

This is a score again worth having for anyone interested in film music in the 1960s. It helps place Schifrin’s music in a better light alongside his contemporaries and it is a welcome addition to the Aleph catalogue. The sound is at times a little dry and harsh sounding, but this seems to add an edge. It is most apparent in the opening "Main Title" track is likely due to source detioration.

--Steven A. Kennedy, 26 May 2005

Comments regarding this review can be sent to this address: stev4uth@hotmail.com

HITMAN: CODENAME 47 (2000)

HITMAN 2: SILENT ASSASSIN (2002)

Music composed and produced by Jesper Kyd. Additional music by Pierre Földes.

HITMAN: CODENAME 47

Disc One: 12 Tracks (Total Time = 67:49)

Electronics and percussion performed by Jesper Kyd.

SILENT ASSASSIN

Disc Two: 20 Tracks (Total Time = 50:41)

Performed by the Budapest Symphony Orchestra and Hungarian Radio Choir conducted by Bela Drahos. Additional electronics and percussion performed by Jesper Kyd. Orchestrations by Pierre Földes. Album produced by Jesper Kyd and Michael V. Gerhard. Music recorded at Budapest Radio Hall, Budapest. Score recorded by Jørn Jacobsen. Engineered by Denes Redly. Mixed at Radiohustes Koncertsal, Copenhagen. Mastered and remixed at Nano Studio, NYC. Digitally mastered by James Nelson at Digital Outland. Art direction by Mark Banning.

La-La Land Records LLLCD 1030

Rating: CODENAME 47 ***

SILENT ASSASSIN ****

One of La-La Lands services to score buffs is its Video Game Collection which is introducing some composers many may never have heard of before. It was through this series that I first heard Michael Giacchino’s music and that of award winning game composer Richard Jacques. The world of video entertainment has come a far cry away from the beeps and tones of the Atari days! Problems in the genre are often the need for continuous loops of music that either bounce along with great energy or land on static harmonies with the occasional burst of sound. The award-winning Danish composer Jesper Kyd will be no new name to fans of these soundtracks. He was the composer for the MINORITY REPORT videogame and has begun to write for films. He is currently slated to provide the score for the upcoming Daniel Hess directed thriller STRANGER. And now fans of his most acclaimed scores will have a chance to hear them. In this two-disc set, La-Land has pulled together substantial selections from the first two games in the HITMAN series with a re-mastered disc devoted to music from the second installment in the series, SILENT ASSASSIN.

HITMAN: CODENAME 47 is the premiere game in this series now reaching into its fourth new game this summer. The sounds here are all well-created electronics mixing between a Euro-techno sound and occasional string-based sections. There is the standard give and take between ambient music and percussive action sections. For this release, Kyd has placed together the themes for different settings into single bands making for a less disjointed listening experience. So we get substantial tracks of "Hong Kong" themes, "Hotel" themes, "Hospital" themes, etc. Also included are early demos submitted for the potential contract and some atmosphere demos which take up about thirteen minutes of playing time. Both an extended version of the "Main Title" and a slower version book end the selections.

For SILENT ASSASSIN, Kyd has employed the 110 piece Budapest Symphony Orchestra, the Hungarian Radio Choir, and the services of Bela Drahos who some may know from his recordings on the Naxos label. Drahos has an excellent recording of Beethoven overtures worth seeking out. The music from this game soundtrack has been featured in symphony orchestra concerts devoted to video game music as well over the past year. Gamers and those who pay attention to this musical genre have sung the praises of this score for some time and will find this to be the single most draw of this new release. The "Main Title" is definitely something worth paying attention to with its strong choral opening and classic orchestral writing combined with electronic instrumental sounds. Rather than rely on more minimalist techniques, Kyd’s score stands alongside the likes of film score writing with thematic ideas and a sound that is decidedly Eastern European in flavor. Unlike the electronic score of its predecessor, one can hear some of Kyd’s voice peaking through. Like his score for FREEDOM FIGHTERS, SILENT ASSASSIN has a sound that comes from a delicious mix of ideas that is similar to Basil Poledouris action scores. This one sounds less like Media Ventures synth orchestrations. Tracks here are decidedly short averaging about two minutes each. To approximate the sound think THE THIRTEENTH WARRIOR combined with Brian Tyler’s TIMELINE score and THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER mixed in with a little of AIR FORCE ONE. Not meaning to imply that Kyd’s score is derivative, but more to suggest that if those are among your favorite styles, this is worth checking out. The plot line of this particular game allows Kyd to explore a variety of ethnic sounds from St. Petersburg, to Japan, India, and Arabia. There are many tracks that are fascinating musical pieces, among them is "Japanese Snow Castle" which could stand beside anything written by the recent spate of Asian-influenced kung fu films by Shibayashi and Dun.

SILENT ASSASSIN is a demonstration of superior technique on display in keeping with the finest contemporary film score writing. Kyd’s brass writing is a little harsher and dryer along the lines of say Prokofiev with some of the sardonic horn writing of Shostakovich. Is Kyd in heady company? Absolutely, it is a place where he definitely can confidently aspire to belong as he continues to establish himself in the commercial music world.

While video game soundtracks may be a bit on the esoteric side, young fans looking to start their music collections with the earlier works of upcoming and newly arrived composers may wish to seek out this and other Kyd scores. It seems that rather than cutting your teeth on dramatic television serials, the video game is the one place where composers can experiment with a variety of writing. Samples of the score can be heard at http://www.lalalandrecords.com/Hitman.html. The set is worth seeking out for SILENT ASSASSIN and CODENAME 47 allows a chance to satisfy completists. It will be interesting to see if La La Land has plans to release the third and fourth scores from this popular series.

--Steven A. Kennedy, 6 June 2005.

Comments regarding this review can be sent to this address: stev4uth@hotmail.com

HOSTAGE (2005)

24 Tracks (Total Time = 61:54)

Music composed, orchestrated, conducted, and produced by Alexandre Desplat. Additional orchestrations by Cyrille Aufort. Performed by the London Symphony Orchestra. Vocals by Antonia Desplat. Orchestra recorded at Whitfield Street Studios, London, by Steve McGlaughlin. Soloists recorded at Studios Davout, Paris. Sound Engineering by Stephane Reichart. Mixed at Abbey Road Studios, London, and AT Copthorne Studio, Maidenhead, by Pete Corbin and John Temperley.

Superb Records 72051-2

Rating: ****

Reviewers seldom get to pick what they review which is a good thing because it helps in the critical assessment of musical releases. However, it can sometimes mean that really great scores can be overlooked. Such has been the case with the music for Alexandre Desplat’s last couple of scores. Having just missed my best lists two year’s running, I finally had a chance to hear this latest score for the March Bruce Willis film HOSTAGE. It turns out to be one of the first great scores of the year.

"Child’s Spirit" opens the track and provides us with a great sample of what will continue to inform the remaining score—a delicate melodic idea sung by a wordless voice, provided by Antonia Desplat, is surrounded by intriguing harmonies. For the title track, Desplat is covering a territory that includes the orchestral style from his superb score for GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING (2003) coupled with a more dramatic underscore heard in James Newton Howard’s music for the Shyamalan films. In "The Waterfall," Desplat creates a sound that is similar to Danny Elfman’s but whose orchestration is purely Desplat. "Crawl Space" has the kind of action writing that fans of John Williams will appreciate as Desplat uses a variety of orchestral ideas to pile on his dissonant rhythmic punctuations. Unlike the many ambient scores heard these days, Desplat writes in a style that mixes in thematic ideas with powerful orchestration. He is not afraid of "big" thematic statements firmly rooted in standard harmonic language. But he is capable of creating such an intricate pattern to back up a film’s visuals that the music can stand far better on its own if necessary even when thematic ideas are absent.

HOSTAGE combines wonderfully romantic thematic ideas with action writing that has its roots in many standard Hollywood films, but Desplat finds new ways of taking what must have been on the temp track and turning it into his own voice, thus improving on whatever was suggested. He is also able to easily transition from poignant thematic writing to action underscoring with great ease. This is on perfect display in the tense track, "House on Fire." "Talley’s Plan" has a wild-driving piano ostinato which gradually has a variety of ideas added onto its texture. Inside the brief track, Desplat manages to play against the action on screen by providing musical pauses shaped to fit excellently with his musical ideas. The action cues have the kind of asymmetrical rhythmic punctuations that make one recall many a Goldsmith cue. With all those types of musical ideas in his compositional arsenal, it is no wonder that HOSTAGE is among Desplat’s finer efforts.

Not to fault American studio orchestras, but the performance here by the London Symphony Orchestra adds depth to the score which is helped by the warmer recording approach. The recording is helped along, as in other Desplat scores, by longer tracks that provide real musical shaping in ways often not possible in many contemporary film score releases. He is also quite adept at carefully choosing the musical progression of his soundtrack releases which allows for an excellent listening experience. If you have yet to experience a Desplat score, this one is worth checking out along with other fine efforts from the past couple of years. His other project this year for the French film, "De batter mon Coeur s’est arête," has already garnered a Silver Bear Award from the Berlin International Film Festival for "Best Film Music." Hopefully we will be able to hear much more from this composer in the year to come.

--Steven A. Kennedy, 27 June 2005

Comments regarding this review can be sent to this address: stev4uth@hotmail.com

Editor's Choice - Best of the Month for June

JOHNNY BELINDA (1948)

27 Tracks (Total Time = 58:39)

Music composed and conducted by Max Steiner.  Producer: James D'Arc, Brigham Young University. Executive Producer: Craig Spaulding, Screen Archives Entertainment.  CD Producer: Ray Faiola. Film Notes: Rudy Behlmer.  Music Notes: John W. Morgan.  Disk Transfer: Chris Lembesis. Design: Charles Johnston. All music on the CD originate from acetate recordings of the original studio sessions preserved in the Max Steiner Papers, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University.

BYU FMA-MS115

Rating: ****1/2

The Brigham Young University Film Music Archive series continues to offer superb releases of film music from the Golden Age.  This CD features a Oscar-nominated score by Max Steiner which once again demonstrates his mastery of capturing the essence of a film's mood.

The locale of this film was changed from the play by Elmer Harris to take place on Cape Breton Island, off the coast of Nova Scotia.  Since most of the inhabitants were of Scottish descent, Max Steiner's score has elements of Scottish music and at least one actual Scottish folk melody.  That folk melody is "O Poorith Cauld," first heard in the Main Title music (track 1, 2:13).

Steiner uses a wide variety of musical themes in this score.  Some of these are found in the opening Main Title music.  One theme is for Dr. Robert Richardson (played by Lew Ayres).  Another is the Love Theme for the doctor and Johnny Belinda (played by Jane Wyman).  Still another one is "Maple Leaf Forever," a Canadian national song.  All of these themes are effortlessly connected in just over two minutes of music. Steiner was, after all, the Father of Film Scoring.  His score for KING KONG in 1933 set the stage for all film composers who came after him during the Golden Age.

This score combines both light and dark music to reflect the story.  An example of lighter music is "Riding Out to the Farm" (track 4, 2:37).  It begins with a delightful theme for the buggy driven by the doctor and then incorporates a Scottish theme as the doctor tries to talk with Belinda.  As John Morgan writes in his excellent CD notes:  "With modulations and developments, Steiner covers a wide variety of dramatic moods and situations with smooth, symphonic transitions." That statement pretty much summarizes the content of the entire score for JOHNNY BELINDA.

Steiner saves his darkest music for track 11, "The Rape and Afterwards" (1:26).  Even though it is a short cue, the music is one of the most effective of all as it accompanies the brutality of the rape by Locky McCormack (Stephen McNally) and then ends with Belinda's sad theme played on a solo cello.  

It's foolish to try and describe any other cues since every one of them is right on target for depicting the moods of the film's story, from the lightness of the opening ones to a much darker one such as "Lucky Goes After Johnny" (track 25, 2:02).

In addition to the complete score, there is a brief "Publisher's Demo Recording" on track 27 (1:59) of the Love Theme performed by solo violin and small combo.  It's makes a lovely end to this highly enjoyable CD.

Considering its age, the sound quality is extremely good.  Credit for that should go to CD Producer, Ray Faiola, who has done so much to restore the sound of Golden Age soundtracks.  It's original mono is just fine, rather than try to "improve" it in digital stereo or surround sound.  

As usual with BYU FMA releases, the CD booklet is tastefully done and well illustrated.  The background on the film and the score are by the always dependable Rudy Behlmer, author of Behind the Scenes: The Making of Inside Warner Bros (1933-1951), and Memo from David O. Selznick.  The track descriptions are by score restorer and composer, John Morgan.  His notes are highly informative and to the point.

Once again the BYU FMA team are to be commended for their outstanding work in making this great Max Steiner score available to listeners.    

This is one of Steiner's best scores among the many he composed in the 1940s for Warner Bros.

An essential release for those who love great film scores of the 1940s.

Highly recommened.

--Roger Hall, 30 June 2005

Note:  Also recommended is this beautifully illustrated guide:

The Max Steiner Collection, compiled and edited by James D'Arc and John Gillespie

It's a limited edition of 500 copies and is well worth adding to your film music library.  Information of how to order it is included in the JOHNNY BELINDA CD booklet.

KINGDOM OF HEAVEN (2005)

19 Tracks (Total Time = 62:14)

Music composed and conducted by Harry Gregson-Williams.

Performed by the London Session Orchestra, the Bach Choir, Fretwork, Choir of the King’s Consort (conducted by Robert King), and Kardes Turkuler. Also includes "Light of Life" with vocals and lyrics by Natacha Atlas. Orchestrations by Harry Gregson-Williams and Alastair King. Additional music by Stephen Barton. Album produced by Harry Gregson-Williams and Peter Cobbin. Music recorded at Abbey Road Studios and Air Studios, London. Score recorded and mixed by Peter Cobbin at Abbey Road Studios. Album mastered by Simon Gibson at Abbey Road Studios. Art direction and design by Lauren Dooreck Camara.

Sony Classical SK 94419

Rating: ****

As summer blockbusters position themselves around the little Lucasfilms movie, we have a few early hopefuls popping up in May. One of these is Ridley Scott’s epic, KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, starring Orlando Bloom and a host of familiar faces. Jumping ahead a couple of centuries from his take on the ancient culture of GLADIATOR, Scott’s film lands us at the end of the Second Crusade as the Christian armies have gained some peace but are divided over wanting to continue to fight and living with their Arab neighbors. If it sounds somewhat familiar, it is because Scott intends us to make the leap of allegory and apply the lessons learned to our own day. As entertainment, the film is a bit overlong though the characters are at times drawn well enough that we actually begin to want to see some of them get what they deserve. Unlike last year’s TROY, KINGDOM OF HEAVEN is actually fairly engaging. The music in the film is a bit of a mixed bag which is not the fault of Harry Gregson-Williams. He is not the first composer to find some of his music replaced by Scott. One scene towards the end of the film uses music from Goldsmith’s score to THE THIRTEENTH WARRIOR. That music is so superior to what we have heard in the film that it is distracting not the least of which it has not actual connection to anything before or after what we have seen and heard. So plagued by temp track cues, the film suffers. This CD release of the score is another perfect example why directors need to trust their composers instincts and allow them to shape a film.

Gregson-Williams’s score on its own merits where it turns out to be a fine effort showing that he has the ability to write in a grand epic style. The writing here is far more interesting than Zimmer’s GLADIATOR score emphasizing subtlety over bombast. If the cues had not been dialed down so much in the film, you would have been able to hear the way Gregson-Williams uses a particular sound idea to follow different character threads. There is the use of an early instrument consort which gives us a bit of a picture of "early music" though not a real 12th century sound. There is some ethnic writing as well to depict the Middle Eastern influences. In "To Jerusalem," the sound would be equally at home in Dreamworks’ animated feature THE PRINCE OF EGYPT. In "The Battle of Karnak" Gregson-Williams comes closest to revealing his Media Ventures roots. It is in this track where we have multiple layers of orchestral sound, solo vocals, full choir, and percussion. All which build to a rather exciting climax. "Coronation" opens with a gorgeously scored segment featuring choir that is along more romantic musical lines. It is one of the disc’s ethereal highlights and just one of many amazing choral cues in the score.

Throughout the orchestration tends toward static lower lines with delicate instrumental lines layered over the top often coupled with a variety of acoustic percussion backgrounds. Choral writing appears in a serio-religious style as full choirs singing chant-like lines in Latin. The effect is really quite wonderful and broadens the epic scope. By gradually building his textures, Gregson-Williams allows you to hear what is happening musically and builds the energy through a scene in a way that gets missed against visuals at times. But allowed to be heard independently here, you can really gain an appreciation for his skill as a composer.

This turns out to be a far more interesting listen as the disc progresses than one might have expected. The music lands in a progression of period films such as GLADIATOR and THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST and can stand alongside both those efforts easily. It works extremely well as a musical experience on its own and can be highly recommended.

--Steven A. Kennedy, 16 May 2005

Comments regarding this review can be sent to this address:  stev4uth@hotmail.com

Editor's Choice - Best of the Month for May

LADIES IN LAVENDER (2005)

16 Tracks (Total Time = 55:39)

Music composed and orchestrated by Nigel Hess.

Album produced by Nigel Hess.  Solo violin played by Joshua Bell. All tracks performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Nigel Hess, except track 13 performed by the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, conducted by Michael Stern.  Piano solos on tracks 8 and 16 by Simon Mulligan; tracks 2 and 15 by Nigel hess.  Recorded and mixed by Toby Wood at Phoenix Sound Studios, London in February and June 2004.  Edited by Erik Jordan. Mastered by Martin Gibbs. Soundtrack supervisor: Roger Watson. Music consultant: Quentin Williams. Music associate: Francis Shaw.  Track 13 recorded at Abbey Road Studios, London, June 11-13, 2003.

Sony Classical SK 92689

Rating: ****1/2

With all the attention put on the big blockbusters like BATMAN BEGINS and REVENGE OF THE SITH, I'm afraid this beautiful score by Nigel Hess might get overlooked.  It certainly doesn't deserve such treatment.  

Nigel Hess is primarily known from his work on television in the theater, especially the Royal Shakespeare Company, where he contributed twenty scores for their productions.

LADIES IN LAVENDER was written and directed by Charles Dance and stars two distinguished Oscar-winning actresses, Judi Dench and Maggie Smith, playing two elderly sisters, and a young German actor, Daniel Bruhl, portraying Andrea, a Polish castaway.  The sisters discover him washed ashore at their home in a Cornish fishing village during the 1930s.  They soon discover that he is a gifted violinist.  

The score by Hess features prominent solos expertly performed by the gifted classical violinist, Joshua Bell.

In addition to the Hess score, Bell also performs several classical pieces: "Meditation from Thais" by Jules Massenet (arranged by Hess - track 5, 4:59), "Introduction and Tranatella" by Pablo de Sarasate, Op. 43 (track 8, 5:15), Debussy's luscious impressionistic piece: "The Girl With The Flaxen Hair" (arranged by Craig Leon - track 13, 2:36 ), and "Variations on The Carnival of Venice" by Nicolai Paganinni (track 16, 9:18).  All these violin pieces are a necessary addition since the character portrayed by Daniel Bruhl is a talented violinist.  In addition to the Massenet piece, Hess also arranged a rollicking Polish Dance titled "Zabawa Weselna" (track 10, 2:49).  

I must say that the opening title track with Joshua Bell playing the main theme is a ravishing beauty (4:04). WIt harkens back to the beautiful themes composed by such Golden Age film composers as Korngold and Steiner.  This main theme isn't just stated briefly, as so often happens with many film scores today.  Instead, it is expanded and developed by Hess within the opening title track, which ends on a high note -- pun intended!

Another highpoint is "Fantasy for Violin and Orchestra" (track 4, 3:39) which is again sensitively performed by Bell and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Hess.  

On this soundtrack, the violin playing by Joshua Bell is superb in its expressive emotion.  In the CD notes Nigel Hess said of Bell: "He takes the music I've written to a whole new level. Hearing him play was like stepping into a really expensive Rolls Royce."  

Movie critic Rex Reed perhaps said it best when he wrote: "By the time the music swells (courtesy of exquisite violin solos by Joshua Bell), so do the tears in the eyes of everyone in the audience who can still find a pulse beat."

But you don't have to see this film to enjoy the gorgeous soundtrack. It's well worth your time to purchase this CD so you can enjoy this highly sensitive film score.  You can learn more about the film score, the composer, and the director from the CD notes which are tastefully designed.    

I hope Nigel Hess continues to be given the opportunity to compose more serene scores like LADIES IN LAVENDER.  He is a composer who has proven his enormous talents.  

This is one of the most beautiful film scores of recent years.

Highly recommended.

--Roger Hall, 16 May 2005    

NON SI SEVIZIA UN PAPERINO [DON'T TORTURE A DUCKLING/LONG NIGHT OF EXORCISM] (1972)

12 tracks (Time = 34:21)

NELLA STRETTA MORSA DEL RAGNO [IN THE GRIP OF THE SPIDER] (1971)

16 tracks (Time = 41:50)

28 Tracks for both (Total Time = 76:11)

Music composed, arranged and conducted by Riz Ortolani. Album peoduced by Roberto Zamori. Artwork and graphic director: Claudio Fuiano.  

Hexachord HCD-9307

Rating: ***1/2

Both of the scores on this Italian import CD were composed while Riz Ortolani was working at Cinesitta, when he was extremely busy.  Also composed during those years were such popular scores as BROTHER SUN, SISTER MOON; THE VALACHI PAPERS; and ADDIO ZIO TOM.

Italian director Lucio Fulci worked in all film genres (musicals, comedies, westerns), he is probably best known as the King of Grue also known as the Italian Giallo genre. This CD offers one of his best known films with a score by the prolific Riz Ortolani.         

Fulci's suspenseful film, known in English as DON'T TORTURE A DUCKLING, stars Florinda Bolkan, Barbara Bouchet and Irene Papas.  To heighten the suspense in the film, Riz Ortolani composed a very impressive score filled with stabbing strings, similar to the technique used so effectively by Bernard Herrmann in PSYCHO.  Unlike Herrmann, Ortolani uses an echo chamber effect with the strings to prolong the sound.  He also introduces a beautiful Love Theme, "Quei giorni insieme a te" (track 5, 2:25), unusually employed as underscore for a brutal murder scene.   Ortolani's score in NON SI SEVIZIA UN PAPERINO is modernistic and dissonant which helps to build up the suspense for the film.  This is illustrated in the longest cue from the score (track 11, 4:44), which uses a technique also a bit reminscent of Herrmann's PSYCHO. There is a constant pulse like a tickling clock going on underneath while high piercing strings weave a slow theme that gradually grows in intensity, and resolves into the Love Theme, bringing it all to a conclusion.  The last track of the score has the Love Theme in a longer vocal version nicely sung by Ornella Vanoni (track 12, 3:33).  This is one of Ortolani's best modernistic scores.

The other score on this CD is from IN THE GRIP OF A SPIDER, a Gothic horror thriller directed by Antonio Margheriti and a remake of his earlier LA DANZA MACABRA from 1964.  The cast includes Anthony Franciosa, Michele Mercier, Peter Carsten, and Klaus Kinski as Edgar Allen Poe. 

The Ortolani score also has suspenseful music, but is more conventional than the score for the Fulci film. It features a combination of frenetic fuzzed guitars and percussion, and more conventional lighter and lusher strings for the love theme and ballroom music.  These cues include "Tempa d'Amore" (track 14); "Ballo al Castello" (tracks 15, 18, 25); and "Dolcissimo sogno" (track 19).

The CD flyer doesn't have any liner notes.  The film art inside the flyer seems too busy and jumbled together with too many illustrations.  But those are minor faults to the music itself, which is taken from original masters.  

For me, NON SI SEVIZIA UN PAPERINO is the better of the two scores and also has additional material not previously available on the out-of-print Lucertola disc.

For fans of these Italian giallo and suspense films, this CD should be a welcome release.

A very good double feature of Ortolani scores from the early 1970s.

--Roger Hall, 10 June 2005

Another review...

Ratings:

***1/2 (NON SI SEVIZIA)

*** (NELLA STRETTA)

The latest Hexacord release couples together two Ortolani scores from the early 1970s. In this instance, we get to hear two of Ortolani’s approaches to dramatic and horror film scoring. Coupling a noted score from 1972’s NON SI SEVIZIA UN PAPERINO, with the lesser acknowledged score to NELLA STRETTA MORSA makes for an attractive package for many collectors of Italian film music.

The score from Lucio Fulci’s 1972 film NON SI SEVIZIA UN PAPERINO makes up the first half of the disc. Because of the film’s religious overtones, the film turned out to be a bit controversial and never received a US release. Anchor Bay offered the film on DVD five years ago. Many consider this to be one of Fulci’s most personal films and features an excellent Ortolani score. Unlike the titled tracks provided for NON SI SEVIZIA, Hexacord simply repeats the film title for each of the eleven score tracks. Without any additional synopsis or notes about the film in the booklet one is really on their own to figure out what goes where without any knowledge of the film.

The opening "title" track features a fascinating string effect that is altered electronically to create gradually diminishing accents in a possible nod to PSYCHO—possibly influenced by PLANET OF THE APES. The title track includes angular string writing with bell tones that somehow manage to root the harmony. This amazing track is followed by a standard Ortolani love ballad. It is orchestrated with guitar, harpsichord, and an electric piano sound. Though listed as over three minutes, the edits within the track appear to have pulled together at least three different versions of the tune. For the third track, the opening string attacks soon move into a quasi-slow jazz style complete with sax and a little flute. Interestingly, the string idea transfers to a vibraphone thus allowing the effect to occur naturally. By track five, Ortolani has begun pulling together his more atonal writing to alternate with the love theme presented earlier. Track seven is a very interesting organ interlude that eventually adds in a more romantic style string accompaniment. Track eight may elicit a "wow" as the string chords appear played out first without their electronic alteration with a piano obbligato layed on top to add tension. By track nine, the love theme has become more poignant. It is presented in minor this time played by a recorder, adding a plaintive sound to the music. Ortolani’s approach has all of his instrumental choices appear throughout the score so that they become calculated choices for certain musical ideas all leading to an equally fascinating "finale." The pop love song "Quei Giorni Insieme a Te" sung by Ornella Vanoni is included as the last track from the film. It serves as an appropriate buffer between the two scores.

NELLA STRETTA MORSA DEL RAGNO (1971) is Antonio Margheriti’s remake of his own 1964 film, DANZA MACABRA. This time out the cast included Anthony Franciosa and Klaus Kinski as Edgar Allan Poe and is the common horror story of a person who makes a bet to stay in a haunted castle. While there are titles for these tracks, they often have duplicates so it is unclear from the track listing what appears where. For his main title, Ortolani, combines a tentative mixture of classic horror scoring with an electric guitar bringing a little of the rock world into his music which, coupled with a distorted harpsichord accompaniment, proves to be fairly unsettling. The love theme, appearing in other tracks as well, has more of a Morricone feel to it, richly orchestrated for strings. "Castle Ball" is a delightfully "pops" waltz for strings and harpsichord. The difference in the three versions on the disc is in who gets to play the theme and in the subtle accompaniment variations. For "Hallucination," we are back in the distorted electric guitar world, as is the case where this appears elsewhere in the score, it sounds like the opening idea for one of The Who’s albums from the period. Ortolani always brings in his angular string writing with this idea and includes a randomly dispersed drum pattern that emphasizes concluding statements. This track fades out. If one listens to this score first, it will likely come across as more impressive than usual, but standing next to the superb score for NON SI SEVIZIA it is little more than a curiosity worth having for Ortolani completists and for those interested in scoring approaches from the early 1970s.

Film stills and poster art crowds the interior of the one sheet booklet so you will have to look elsewhere for information about the music.

With two scores on one disc you cannot go far wrong as they individually are diverse enough to be of interest to wider variety of music lovers.

--Steven A. Kennedy 27 June 2005

Comments regarding this review can be sent to this address: stev4uth@hotmail.com

For more information about this CD and other Italian releases, see

hexacord-america.com

STAR WARS: EPISODE III—REVENGE OF THE SITH (2005)

15 Tracks (Total Time = 70:51)

Music composed, conducted, and produced by John Williams.

Performed by the London Symphony Orchestra and London Voices, Terry Edwards director. Score recorded and mixed at Abbey Road Studios, London, by Shawn Murphy. Album mastered by Patricia Sullivan-Fourstar at Bernie Grundman Mastering, Hollywood, California. Art direction by Sean Evans. Design by Sean Evans and Meghan Foley.

Sony Classical SK 94220

Rating: ***

Unlike reviews you may have seen regarding REVENGE OF THE SITH, this one is being written a couple of weeks after listening and reflecting on this latest Williams score. When THE PHANTOM MENACE was released, I listened to the score almost continually from morning to afternoon. It was a bit exciting to hear new music from this familiar film series. There were plenty of themes and exciting pieces whose titles I refused to look at until I managed to see the movie. By the time ATTACK OF THE CLONES came out, less time had gone by, but the score CD seemed to be equally interesting.

With REVENGE OF THE SITH the music is still from the STAR WARS universe but it seems to take a different approach. Perhaps I was expecting some grand peroration that pulled together the thematic ideas of the first two films and telescoped us into the next three films. Some of that happens in this release, especially in the end credits music which is an overlong performance of "The Throne Room" from the end of STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE. There are also plenty of notes to hear as one action sequence after another finds its way onto this disc. Among these, the standout "concert" track, "Battle of the Heroes," will likely find its way onto many future pops programs. Two tracks relating to Padmé are also welcome respites to the busyness of the other tracks. "Padmés Ruminations" and "The Birth of the Twins and Padmés Destiny" allow the introduction of Leia’s and Luke’s thematic ideas which are hinted at without any full statement. Some tracks are ominously titled. Among them is the disappointing, "Enter Lord Vader," which hopefully is a bit more dramatic in the film than the music heard here. Elsewhere are statements of the Emperor’s theme, some intriguing chanting, and even a wordless female vocal in other tracks.

If there is something to be said for Williams’ approach to this score it is that he has fallen back on the kind of underscoring that he used for more recent dramatic films like STEPMOM where themes are less apparent at first hearing. In a way this is very appropriate and illustrates the advancement of his composing techniques. It is in parallel to the non-thematic dramatic writing of the original STAR WARS film that finds its roots in the music of Alfred Newman’s dramatic scoring. So perhaps it is too much to expect a composer to write towards a style he has left behind for the most part.

My first impression of the score was that is was all right but not the best. Still, the sound that Williams uses for these pictures are so much a part of the imagery that it will not be until after the film is released when we can see how this will actually play out. However, remembering how immediately enthralled I was upon hearing the first STAR WARS LPs, this still does not grab you in the same way. It may be that rather than throw together a third disc rehashing themes, it was decided to put together something that would give us a glimpse of half of the music written for the film. That makes for some rather odd musical edits in this release that are far more obvious than in other STAR WARS score releases. There end up being little musical hiccups that desperately cry out for better transitions. This is not consistent, but they seem far more common here than in the other releases of the previous 5 scores.

If this film makes radical cuts back and forth between various scenes, it would explain why there are fewer extended battle sequences that could be shaped musically a la "The Forest Battle" from RETURN OF THE JEDI, or the final assault on the Death Star in A NEW HOPE. It could very well be that the battle sequences make use of music already appearing on the previous two discs. We will not know until the film makes its appearance on the screen this month.

There is also a DVD of music videos (about 70 minutes in length) that throws together a variety of images from each film coupled with music from the series called STAR WARS: A MUSICAL JOURNEY. But, it ends up being fairly boring, perhaps explaining why it would be a "bonus" since no one would actually pay for this. Better would have been actual scoring session scenes.

--Steven A. Kennedy, 11 May 2005

Comments regarding this review can be sent to: stev4uth@hotmail.com

And here's another review...

Rating: ***1/2

I basically agree with Steve Kennedy's review except I liked it more than he did.  Steve makes a good point about the sometimes awkward musical edits.  Yet I do think this score overall provides enough of the trademark STAR WARS excitement with prominent use of brass (especially those triumphant trumpets!) and chorus (the excellent London Voices). There's also a few softer exotic cues such as "Padme's Ruminations" (track 8, 3:17) which provide some needed contrast.  I wish there were more of those quieter moments.     

Probably the highlight of the score is "Battle of the Heroes" (track 3, 2:42), which is an exciting cue. But the other cues with chorus are not nearly as exciting, such as "Grevious Speaks to Lord Sidious" (track 13, 2:49), and "The Birth of the Twins and Padme's Destiny" (track 14, 3:37).  I couldn't understand what words they were singing.  Why not include the words instead of so much space devoted to those glossy photos?

The music from A NEW HOPE and the End Credits makes an exciting finale (track 15, 13:06) and brings the STAR WARS series full circle back to its beginning.

Yet considering that Williams has said he composed 130 minutes of music for STAR WARS: EPISODE III, this disc has only about half of that music.  Perhaps there was a lot of good music left out.  Why not release a 2 CD set of all the music in its initial release?  You probably guessed why...wait a few months and then release an expanded 2 CD set.  Or maybe even an expensive deluxe 12 CD set of all six STAR WARS scores.

The DVD included with the soundtrack contains highlights from all six STAR WARS features and is enjoyable to watch if you want brief highlights of the whole story in complete form with the accompanying music.  But it does get a bit tiresome at times and seems too much like a long promotional STAR WARS video.  The narrator is also extremely dull. I agree with Steve that it would have been better to have some of the recording sessions instead, but that probably wouldn't satisfy the hordes of STAR WARS fanatics.

Overall, I would say that the REVENGE OF THE SITH score this is a very good end to the long STAR WARS musical journey.  

Now will we have to wait for REVENGE to be re-issued on a 2 CD expanded edition? I hope not.  As good as the Williams scores have been -- the overall quality is excellent on them all -- I hope this last score will finally put the STAR WARS saga in a galaxy far, far away.  

--Roger Hall, 18 May 2005

Comments about this review may be sent to: Film Music Review

CD Release of Special Merit

WAR OF THE WORLDS (2005)

15 Tracks (Total Time = 61:10)

Music composed and conducted and album produced by John Williams.  Music Editor: Peter Myles. Music Scoring Mixer: Shawn Murphy.  Chorus: Hollywood Film Chorale. Music recorded and mixed at Sony Pictures Studios, Culver City, California. Album mastered by Patricia Smith. CD tribute by Steven Spielberg.

Decca B0004568-02

Rating: ****

After being somewhat disappointed with the STAR WARS  - REVENGE OF THE SITH score, I was very pleased to hear this exciting and intense John Williams score for WAR OF THE WORLDS.  

Having watched Steven Spielberg's depiction of the H.G. Wells classic novel WAR OF THE WORLD, my overall impression is -- what an incredible movie thrill ride!

Yes the aliens are scary and the special effects are absolutely amazing.  But the film also plays off the terrorist fears in our world today and some of the film's scenes resemble the terrible World Trade Center destruction on 9/11/01. The film's focus is on the disjointed relationships of one alienated family.  It consists of a divorced couple with an overly fussy mom (Miranda Otto) who is pregnant with her second husband's child, and her former husband, Ray Ferrier (Tom Cruise), who is basically a less than trustworthy dad.  As the film opens he has custody of his two kids for a few days over a weekend. His teenage son , Robbie (Justin Chatwin), hates him and his younger daughter, Rachel (Dakota Fanning), seems to put up him only a little more.  That relationship will be dramatically changed by the film's end.  This film depicts a journey of survival and discovery.  

The previous Hollywood film, produced by George Pal and directed by Byron Haskin in 1953, was set in California rather than the England of H.G. Wells' novel.  The notorious radio broadcast with Orson Welles as narrator from 1938 had its location set in Grovers Mill and Princeton, New Jersey.  So the location seems to work better when the listener or viewer can relate to a contemporary location. The Spielberg film locale opens in Bayonne, New Jersey (actually the Ironbound section of Newark) and ends in Boston.  Besides those locations, the production notes mention two dozen locations in five states, including Brooklyn and Athens in New York, Naugatuck, Connecticut, and eastern Virginia.  Tom Cruise felt right at home filming in New Jersey since he graduated from high school in Glen Ridge -- the town where I was born.    

Some critics have complained about the "happy ending" that spoils the film's finale.  Well, if you watch the earlier film with Gene Barry and Ann Robinson, the ending is just as "happy"and few complain about that film. Of course anyone who has read the classic 1898 H.G. Wells novel knows how the story ends anyway.  I believe that after all the destruction shown in Spielberg's film, there's a need to end with a positive scene. Okay it does seem too obvious. Plus the all too brief cameos of both Gene Barry and Ann Robinson from the 1953 film are really wasted in that final scene.  But for me the film remains an enjoyable one, at least until the very end.  

Now let's turn to the excellent film score by John Williams.

The opening Prologue (2:52) begins so softly it's barely audible and it reminded me a bit of the opening of CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND.  But this time a narrator is heard.  The brief narration is spoken with conviction by actor Morgan Freeman, and is an altered and updated version of the opening paragraph from Chapter One (The Eve of War) of the H.G. Wells novel.

After the Prologue, the next track ("The Ferry Scene" - 5:49), picks up the pace considerably and propels the listener into a sea of swirling dissonances and rhythms.  This Ferry scene is out of sequence with the film but the intent is surely to draw in the listener with this exciting music.  And that it does with brilliant use of brass and percussion.  This is one of the most exciting cues on the soundtrack.

There's even a little music reminiscent from Igor Stravinsky's RITE OF SPRING ballet score heard on track 4 ("The Intersection Scene" - 4:13).  This is another thrilling piece of film scoring.

Even though much of this thrill ride of music is dissonant and percussive, there are also tender moments.  For example, the poignant "Ray and Rachel" (track 5, 2:41) and the somber strings used in "Refugee Status" (track 8, 3:50).  But there isn't much relief from the horrors going on all around since WAR OF THE WORLDS is a very dark and intense film.  There are no beautiful melodies,  like "Sean's Theme" from MINORITY REPORT or "Stored Memories/ Monica's Theme" from A.I.: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.

Yet for WAR OF THE WORLDS, Williams draws from his big bag of previous themes.  Besides CLOSE ENCOUNTERS and the Shark Theme from JAWS, there's also a similarity to the Spyder theme from MINORITY REPORT on track 6 ("Escape from the City" - 3:49).  Yet these similarities shouldn't be a problem unless you're a nit picker who dislikes any use of previous material or the same stylistic writing.

The soundtrack comes to a quiet resolution with "The Reunion"(track 14, 3:16), which features a solo piano and strings.  It includes another narration from the H.G. Wells novel, this time from Chapter 8 ("Dead London"), which was also used at the end of the 1953 Hollywood film.  The final Epilogue (track 15, 3:11) seems shorter than the music heard in the end credits of the film.

The accordion CD flyer is very awkward to handle.  The artwork is nothing exceptional but does have lots of film stills and some lines of dialogue from the film.  Unfortunately, as with almost all  John Williams soundtrack CDs, there are no comments from the composer.  Only his longtime director has his say...  

And Steven Spielberg sums it up very nicely in his CD tribute when he writes:

"He (John Williams) has laid down a musical foundation of atmospherics and textural events, achieving a rhythmic propulsion that is so utterly primal it crawls up inside you and makes you wonder how one composer could make such a radical departure in style...and come up with a new sound that gives WAR OF THE WORLDS much of its ultra-realism."

While I wouldn't put this soundtrack up in the same league with A.I. or MINORITY REPORT, the WAR OF THE WORLDS music by Williams is thrilling to listen to -- and it provides a powerful force of musical energy.

I'd  recommend this latest John Williams soundtrack to anyone for wants something more challenging for their ears.

WAR OF THE WORLDS isn't an easy listen by any means. But it's worth the effort.

This is another brilliant John Williams score.

--Roger Hall, 30 June 2005

Another review...

Rating: ****

Roger has already provided his astute commentary on this latest John Williams score, but I thought I would offer some additional thoughts as well. First, we both know that most fans of Williams’ music have weighed in already and that this is not a soundtrack your average person will run out to buy. However, there is much to explore in this particular score for those interested in contemporary film music.

The opening "Prologue" is an excellent encapsulation of the musical language of the score with appropriate narration by Morgan Freeman. Here is some of the magical mystery that comes along the lines of A.I., but soon the music turns very dark and we are in that black-and white style favored in scores like MINORITY REPORT. There is less reliance on the beautiful thematic lines that popped up in that score in "Sean’s Theme." But that does not mean there is not thematic development. The problem is that the music has to compete a lot with on screen images and effects more so than in other Spielberg films where it could be easily layered on top. "The Ferry Scene" though is a classic Williams action-suspense cue that mixes vary dark orchestral colors with exciting rhythmic pulses and the occasional bittersweet pauses. It reminded me of Williams’ work on THE LOST WORLD.

Unlike the last alien outings with Spielberg, this one has very little hope to offer. As in Wells’ book the resolution is rather matter-of-fact and does not offer the kind of exhilarating ending many have become accustomed to in their sci-fi movies of late. The effect is an intense build up leaving to a deeply satisfying relaxation that disappoints those who wanted to have a release for their anger and frustration, exhibited hear by the character Robbie. The film reflects an uncomfortable connection with America’s experience of 9/11 that hits close to home for the less jaded. The feeling one gets within the film is one of utter helplessness, and even at the end, the resolution is such that there is a sense that regardless of the outcome, we had little to do with it. That being said, Williams’ music is in some respects able to capture that deeply intense emotion in a way that was only hinted at in the darkest corners of BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY. A melodic score, such as the one used in SCHINDLER’S LIST, would have been pointless. And perhaps those disappointed in this particular film and score wanted more of a thoughtless popcorn movie like INDEPENDENCE DAY, than to leave feeling cheated out of a few more explosions.

As the score CD unfolded, I have to admit that I found the music far more engaging than I had expected. In the film, whole stretches go without any background music. This makes the scenes seem even creepier and intense. When the music enters it does not feel over the top, but bubbles with intensity lifting scenes up a notch. There is less time in this film for domestic interior music, though it exists ("Ray and Rachel").

Here Williams has tapped the Stravinsky of "The Rite of Spring"—especially in places like "The Intersection Scene." In that track we are treated to something that moves us closer to the scarier sections of his score for CLOSE ENCOUNTERS, but in that film there was always a sense that we should not be afraid. Eventually things would turn out alright. In WAR OF THE WORLDS, that sensibility is rightfully lacking and makes the score and film all the more interesting.

It would appear that the CD contains music that was not used in the film, or at the very least most if not all of the music that ended up in the final cut. Overall, the score turns out to be a far more satisfying experience than that for REVENGE OF THE SITH. Perhaps it is because most listeners can suspend any previous expectations. Williams does the genre proud even while using a lot of ideas and motives heard in his other science fiction action scores. "Escape From the City" actually sounds a lot like the "Conveyor Belt" scene from ATTACK OF THE CLONES. It is this closely-knit identiy of Williams’ current scoring style that is on full display in this score that will be one that fans and historians can turn to illustrate where the master was in his musical language for this genre writing. And soon, we will be able to hear his approach to dramatic scoring in the upcoming MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA. Let us hope that we will continue to be blessed with more to come.

--Steven A. Kennedy

For more information:

www.universalclassics.com

www.waroftheworlds.com

THE WEDDING DATE (2005)

17 Tracks (Total Time = 32:40)

Music composed, produced, orchestrated and conducted by Blake Neely.  Executive Album Producers: Ford A. Thaxton and Mark Banning.  Music Supervisor: Randy Gerston. Performed by the Northern Sinfonia. Recorded by Joel Iwataki at St. Thomas Chapel, Seattle, Washington. Mixed by Slamm Andrews.  Digital Editing and Mastering by James Nelson.  CD Art Director: Mark Banning.

BSX Records (limited edition of 1,000)

Rating:  ***1/2

This CD soundtrack to this Universal Pictures romantic comedy starring Debra Messing and Dermot Mulroney features some very appealing music by Blake Neely.

The first track ("Invitation to a Wedding" - 4:56) starts off with the simple lilting main theme which is heard again at various points of this soundtrack.  For example, the main theme is heard in an upbeat tempo at the beginning of track 3 ("What You're Wearing" - 1:29).  Another variation of the main theme is found on track 9 ("To the Wedding" - 0:49).  In fact a good deal of Neely's soundtrack makes reference to the main theme, which isn't a bad practice since it's a very appealing tune.

Other than the main theme, much of the score is of a quiet and subdued quality, such as "Betrayal" (track 13 - 2:16), which seems a bit tame for such a cue.  This is continued on the next track, ""The Morning After" (1:22), but it does pick up delightfully near the end of the cue.

The last of the quiet cues comes on track 16 ("I'm Sorry/ Best Man" - 2:28), which again brings back the lovely main theme.  Both this track and the first one are the best on this CD.

The last track has a raucous cue known as "Willy Wide Wonder" (or "That Bachelor Party Song") which seems out of place with the rest of the quiet soundtrack.  Maybe if this cue was placed somewhere in the middle of the CD it wouldn't seem so unwelcome at the end.

The CD art on the flyer is very tasteful and well designed.  Recorded sound is very clean and distinct.

Even though on the short side at a bit over 30 minutes in length, this is a very appealing soundtrack by Blake Neely.  He's a film composer who shows much promise ahead.

--Roger Hall, 10 June 2005

CD available from:

www.buysoundtrax.com

Compilation Reviews (May - June 2005)

CD Release of Special Merit

BAMBI (1942)

19 Tracks (Total Time = 66:43)

Songs by Larry Morey and Frank Churchill, Score by Ed Plumb.

Digital Restoration Producer: Randy Thornton. Digital Restoration Executive Producer and Interviews by Ted Kryczko.  Audio research: Scott MacQueen. Digital restoration and mastering: John Polito.  Digitally edited by Randy Thornton.  Orchestra conducted by Alexander Steinert. Chorus conducted by Charles Henderson. Album art direction: Steve Sterling. Album design: Jennifer Pritchett and Katherine Lam. Liner notes: Paula Sigman.  Originally recorded January 27, 1942.  Digital restoration completed in 1995.

Walt Disney Records 60701-7

Rating: ****

This is one of the most beloved of Walt Disney classic films and has been a favorite of mine since childhood. It may not have as many songs as SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS or PINOCCHIO, but BAMBI is still a beautifully scored and a highly sophisticated film score, especially for an animated film.  The film itself may be the most artisically accomplished of any classic Disney film, as can be seen on the superb newly released 2 DVD set.

This is a remastered soundtrack recording of BAMBI  from 1995, with some interviews at the end.  

The songs were written by Larry Morey (words) and Frank Churchill (music).  The score was mostly done by Edward Plumb.  Disney authority Ross Care, in an informative article in THE CUE SHEET (July - October 2002), also mentions arrangements done by Paul J. Smith and Charles Wolcott and possibly other Disney staff arrangers. Apparently the BAMBI score began in 1938 and the film project began in 1935.  This demonstrates the time and attention devoted to getting it just right.

This CD doesn't present the music in the same sequence as the film.  That should only matter to those who focus on such matters.  The CD was obviously made as a listening experience rather than just a copy from the film's soundtrack.

The opening track has the memorable Oscar-nominated song, "Love is a Song" (2:55), sung by Donald Novis with chorus. There are three other very good songs, all sung by the chorus: "Little April Shower" (track 4, 3:53), "Let's Sing a Gay Little Spring Song" (track 10, 1:41), and "Looking for Romance (I Bring You a Song)" (track 13, 2:08).  Since there are only four songs in the score, the remainder of the soundtrack includes delightful and descriptive music to accompany the highly artistic animation.  

For example, on track 6: "Gallop of the Stags/ The Great Prince of the Forest/ Man" (4:10).  It begins with a majestic theme for the Stags, then becomes quieter and repeats the main title theme with chorus before ending more menacingly with the appearance of "Man."  

The final two tracks are action-packed ones on tracks 14 ("Man Returns") and  15 ("Fire/ Reunion/ Finale"), with the beautiful title song coming in at the end to bring it to a satisfying close.

Since there is little dialogue in BAMBI, the music is a major contibutor to carry the film's story along and it succeeds beautifully in doing just that from beginning to end.

Following the final track there is a demo recording from an old acetate of "Rain Drops" (track 16, 1:37).  This song wasn't used in the film but was incorporated in "Little April Showers."

As an added bonus there are three interesting interviews introduced by Richard Kiley:

Walt Disney (track 17, 3:18)

Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas (track 18, 6:22)

Henry Mancini (track 19, 3:51) - who calls the score "first class,"compliments the choral director, Charles Henderson, and mentions the subtle scoring.

Kudos to the art design team for their colorful layout in the CD booklet, including words to all the songs.

This is an excellent restoration re-release and is highly recommended to all those who love the BAMBI film.

--Roger Hall, 18 May 2005

Nathan Larson: Film Music

22 Tracks (Playing Time = 45:32)

Includes music from: BOYS DON’T CRY (4 tracks); THE CHATEAU (1 track); DIRTY PRETTY THINGS (2); HIGH ART (3 tracks); LILJA 4-EVER (2 tracks); PHONE BOOTH (1 track); PROZAC NATION (5 tracks); TIGERLAND (1 track); STORYTELLING (1 track); THE WOODSMAN (1 track); and one "bonus track"—"I Want Someone Badly"

Music composed, arranged, and performed by Nathan Larson. Also featuring Asa Hakkensson, violin; Guan Ru Li, erhu; the Flesh Quartet; Kevin March, drums; and Nina Persson, vocals.

Recorded at Globe Studios, Studio 533, and Sear Sound, NYC; and Bad Break-up and Hot House of Glass, Brooklyn; Tambourine Studios and The Brakeman, Malmo, Sweden; Flesh Studios, Stockholm; Out of Eden, London; The Pentagon, Tallin, Estonia; The Black Dahlia, Los Angeles; and La Pavillion de La Reine, Paris. Mastered by Mike Fossenkemper at Turtletone Studios, NYC. Additional engineering by Carl Glanville, Andy Richards, and Bill Emmins. Artwork by Emma Harrysson.

Commotion Records 006

Rating: ***

From Commotion Records comes this release of music by Nathan Larsson to ten films spanning from 1998’s HIGH ART to last year’s THE WOODSMAN, represented here by the character track, "Walter." He has worked on a variety of high profile films of which excerpts appear here. Among them are BOYS DON’T CRY, DIRTY PRETTY THINGS, and PHONE BOOTH, the latter score ended up being rejected and replaced by one from Harry Gregson-Williams.

This eclectic collection of tracks allows you to hear a little bit of Larson’s style and approach to film scoring both through songs and instrumental tracks. There are some definitely Europop-influenced tracks and many which land completely in creating ambient textures mixing acoustic and electronic instruments. Some tracks obviously stand out more than others among them the Asian-sounding title track from TIGERLAND (1999) that gradually adds in electronic guitar to an enthralling piece of music. The songs have the kind of indie-pop rock flavor that was appropriate for their respective films. The music reflects the need for economy at times, but the quality of what we hear is rarely compromised. Some tracks barely register, mostly due to their brevity. The appeal of the songs will be dependent on ones personal taste but they are above the standard pop offerings.

Larson has selected a variety of tracks that have as yet remained unavailable. Fans who have discovered his music in this variety of art house films are encouraged to seek out this disc. More about the composer can be found at his website:

www.nathanlarson.com

--Steven A. Kennedy, 20 June 2005

Comments regarding this review can be sent to this address: stev4uth@hotmail.com

THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS (2005)

12 Tracks (Total Time = 45:21)

Songs by various singers.  Executive Soundtrack Producers: Broderick Johnson, Andrew Kosove and Ken Kwapis.  Soundtrack Album Producers: Glen Brunman and Dawn Soler. Music Project Manager: Tony Von Previeux.  Mastered by Louie Teran.

Columbia/Sony Music Sountrax CK 94606

Rating: ***

Tracks:

1.  These Days - CHANTAL KREVIAZUK (3:57)

2.  Unwritten - NATASHA BEDINGFIELD (4:20)

3.  Black Roses Red - ALANA GRACE (4:12)

4.  If God Made You (Remix) - FIVE FOR FIGHTING (4:16)

5.  Just For You - WILLIAM TELL (3:46)

6.  Closer To You - BRANDI CARLILE (2:54)

7.  No Sleep 2nite - THE FADERS (3:00)

8.  I Want You To Know - CHANTAL KREVIAZUK (3:18)

9.  Be Be Your Love - RACHEL YAMAGATA (4:14)

10. Sun's Gonna Rise - SHANNON CURFMAN (3:55)

11. Simple - KATY PERRY (3:39)

12. Always There In You - THE VALLI GIRLS (3:44) 

This CD is a compilation of 12 songs produced to accompany the film based on Ann Brashares' popular best-selling novel about one special summer in the lives of four lifelong friends.  

The songs on the CD are primarily by young women singers, including Chantal Kreviazuk (a talent to watch), Rachel Yamagata, Natasha Bedingfield, Alana Grace and Brandi Carlile.  The two songs by Kreviazuk are the best ones on the CD.  The opening song, "These Days," was co-written by John Ondrasik and Kreviazuk and the lyrics are provided in the CD foldout.  The second song, "I Want to Know," was co-written by Kreviazuk and Raine Maida.  

The other songs are all fine and should appeal to the "sisterhood" audience that will see THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS.

A good collection of songs.

--Roger Hall, 8 June 2005

All reviews are the opinions of the reviewers and are not to be reprinted without permission.

For permission or to ask questions, write to:

Film Music Review

Return to: FILM MUSIC REVIEW