Grimm Music

By: Randall D. Larson
Date: Thursday, September 01, 2005

THIS WEEK'S RECOMMENDATIONS

Composer Dario Marianelli (BLOOD STRANGERS, PRIDE AND PREJUDICE) has stepped up to the plate and smashed a home run out of the park with his wondrously compelling score for Terry Gilliam's delightful fantasy, THE BROTHERS GRIMM. Release this week on CD by Milan (M2-36136), the music is as provocatively flavored and richly hewn as anything you might expect from this type of film. Befitting the subject matter, the score is soothingly atmospheric and achingly classical in tonality. Thick arrangements of strings, echoing chorale, and sinewy mysterioso abound, punctuated by surges of engorged orchestration and not a few moments of stunning musicality(the lyrical ascension of "The Queen's Story," emphasized by choir and echoed percussion, is one of the score's many high points). The score emphasizes the brooding darkness of the Grimm legendary tales, playing it straight opposite Gilliam's frequent humorisms, and lending a coherent and consistent level of fascination to the myriad textures and atmospheres of the score. This is a thoroughly marvelous film score; arguably one of the finest of the year; witness the cue, "The Forest Comes to Life," a wonderfully progressive cue that, even without seeing the film, paints patterns and pictures of potent peculiarity a dazzling, magical cue, and a dazzling, magical score.

Milan has also released Steve (STEAMBOY, TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, AMITYVILLE HORROR) Jablonsky's expansive score for Michael Bay's futuristic thriller, THE ISLAND (M2-36132). That the score is produced by Bay's previous musical partner, Hans Zimmer, should say much about what you'll here in this score. If you like Zimmer, you'll most likely enjoy THE ISLAND. If you don't, well.... I, for one,

admire the sensibility that Zimmer's hybrid rythmatics bring to action scores, and his protégé Jablonsky serves the film well with a highly textural, rhythm-based collection of multi-layered atmospheric cadences that make sure pretty nice listening to off screen as well. Opening with a compelling chorale motif called "The Island Awaits You," the shimmeringly chorus invites the listener inward; a motif that will recur in "Sector 8," "You Have A Special Purpose in Life," and elsewhere. Bolstered by a rumbling percussive base, the music contrasts the sensual attractiveness of the island with its less pleasant and more dangerous primitiveness. Not every cue is a winner away from their visual counterparts; some tracks, like the tenuous "Starkweather," aren't very interesting pieces on their own, but for the most part the score is an effective aural stew that simmers well on home stereo systems. www.milanrecords.com  

Varese Sarabande's release of Edward (REIGN OF FIRE) Shearmur's music for the Iain Softley's voodoo thriller, THE SKELETON KEY, is a mixture of underscore and accompanying songs ranging from Delta blues by Robert Johnson and Mississippi Fred McDowell, to '60s oldies like The Dixie Cup's neat interpretation of an African folk

tune, "Iko Iko," and a modern prog rock classic from Blackbud, "Barefoot Dancing." The songs are scattered liberally about the score cues, requiring a bit of hardware programming to skirt around them and listen to the score on its own; but the songs do fit in well with the oeuvre of the sonic atmospheres derived by the music and its film. Shearmur's layered ambiences are mostly all frightening, spooky and solidly scary, such as the piercing "Ben Escapes," which rotates from a furtive atmosphere into an all-out, frantic chase cue. The music is a hybrid of samples, orchestra, and synths, often featuring textures like steel guitar ad other elements that suggest the film's steamy southern setting. The score swelters and softens, lingering liquidly until erupting, as in "Ben Escapes" or the frantic pulse of "The Conjure Room," into a frenzied nightmare of flight, finally culminating in the graceful relief of "Thank You Child." www.varesesarabande.com  

George Fenton (A COMPANY OF WOLVES, MARY REILLY, DEEP BLUE) has composed a rollicking, swashbuckling score for Disney's latest animated adventure, VALIANT. The score, performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, has been nicely preserved on CD by Disney (61388-7). The score features a rousing, theatrical

march that is both an homage to the granddaddy of all Hollywood military marches, Elmer Bernstein's THE GREAT ESCAPE, and a strong statement in its own right. The score could have come right out of 1944 featuring Glenn Miller/Big Bang Swing inspired cues like the splendid "Arrival At Camp" and plenty of muscular, demonstrative cues like "Von Talon and the Bastian," the opening of which ripples and seethes with stalwart musicality. Much of the score is very like any number of World War IIera movies, and intentionally so. The score reaches its pinnacle of triumph in the honorable end victorious fanfare of "Winged Heroes." The music is so strenuous and stimulating that you almost forget these are all pigeons we're watching, not the brawny-hewn men of the 101st Airborne. The score brilliantly brings life to these feathered forces much as the Gregson-Williams/Powell score for CHICKEN RUN did for the barnyard POWs. The CD is rounded out with the song, "Shoo Shoo Baby," performed by vocalist Mis-Teeq and produced by Phil Ramone. www.disneyrecords.com  

Roque Baños' (SEXY BEAST) score for THE MACHINIST, Brad Anderson's fantastical mystery thriller, has been release on CD by the new label, Mellowdrama (MEL100). The music is a gloomy Herrmannesque mysterioso, adopting very distinctive Herrmannlike string figures and orchestral chords to build a profound

tonality of madness and mystery. A theremin is even at hand or at least a synthesized rendition of one, crafting a very similar spookiness. This is a small score but a very good one, dark and disturbing, provocative and often haunting, its atmospheres resonate long after the CD has stopped. The score's effectiveness overcomes its stark reliance upon derivation; the score manages to make a musical statement and become its own entity in spite of or perhaps because of its incarnation as a very straightforward and honorable Bernard Herrmann pastiche. The music fumes with Herrmannesque vibrancy, respectful in its adoption of the past master, pleased with its ability to carry on a similar effectiveness through its simple progressions of chords, texture, tonality. Fordeboding and awash with dark undercurrents, the music is excellent. www.mellowdramarecords.com  

FILM MUSIC NEWS

Robert A. Moog, whose self-named synthesizers turned electric currents into sound and opened the musical wave that became electronica, died August 21st at his home in Asheville (NC) at the age of 71. He had suffered from an inoperable brain tumor,

detected in April. For more details, see our Music News post for August 26th

The Los Angeles Times reported the sad news that Clifford McCarty, author and coauthor of several books about film (including volumes on Errol Flynn and Humphrey Bogart movies and another on American film composers, died Aug. 13 at his home in Topanga at the age of 76. McCarty had suffered from emphysema. The writer was a founder of the Society for the Preservation of Film Music (now the Film Music Society) and editor of its quarterly journal, The Cue Sheet, in the mid-1980s. McCarty was born in Los Angeles in 1929 and graduated from what was then Los Angeles State College. For many years, he operated the Boulevard Bookshop. The store on Pico Boulevard in West Los Angeles closed in 1980. He later ran a mail-order book business out of his home. I had the great pleasure of meeting McCarty during those early formulative days of the SPFM, of which I was a very small part, and he struck me as a wonderful man, so informed and so enthusiastic about honoring the composers of films and their work. Clifford was the bedrock of the SPFM - he will be missed severely, but his legacy is carried on in the ongoing interactions of the modern FMS. rdl For more information and Clifford McCarty, and a photo, please see: www.filmmusicsociety.org/news_events/news_events.html  

Film Score Monthly's classics of the month lead off with Russell Garcia's expressive and aggressive score for George Pal's 1960 classic, THE TIME MACHINE (FSM Vol.8 No.13). The score was previously available on a GNP Crescendo release of a Talking Rings Record, recorded specially by Garcia in 1987; the FSM edition is the premiere release of the original soundtrack recording from 1960 (actually, however; as noted in FSM's CD booklet, three tracks on the Talking Rings CD were, in fact, licensed from the original soundtrack; four original soundtrack tracks were also included on La-La Land's The Fantasy Film Music of George Pal collection). FSM includes 15 tracks (Talking Rings mostly re-recorded CD had 20 tracks, although many cues separately indexed there were combined on FSM's recording at 52:54 mins (including a 7:33 outtakes suite; versus Talking Ring's 43-mins of TIME MACHINE Music) the new FSM should be considered the definitive recording of Garcia's timeless score. As usual, very thorough notes are featured in the CD booklet including a track-by-track analysis.

FSM's other release for the month is Maurice Jarre's campy swashbuckling score for CROSSED SWORDS, Alexander Salkind's 1978 interpretation of Twain's The Prince and the Pauper. The FSM CD is a straightforward reissue of the original soundtrack LP hitherto unavailable on compact disc. www.filmscoremonthly.com  

A notable analysis of the music and sound recording of the entire 6 STAR WARS movies has been posted online at www.users.on.net/~jennychris/starwars.htm - written by sound recording fanatic and film music aficionado Chris Malone, Recording the Star Wars Saga-A Musical Journey from Scoring Stage to DVD is a thoroughly fascinating article on the subject of STAR WARS music there's also an additional elaborate article on Recording Engineer: Eric Tomlinson.

Music from the Movies reports that Julian Nott's original score for WALLACE AND GROMIT: CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT, the Hollywood full-length feature starring the beloved dog and his cheese-eating master, will be released on CD by Varèse Sarabande. The score, produced by Hans Zimmer, is written for orchestra and choir

and combines elements of Nott's music for the original shorts and influences of modern Hollywood style movie music. The CD will be released on 11 October.

Varèse Sarabande has also announced a couple of reduced price re-releases: a 3-CD package featuring the OMEN trilogy, that is Jerry Goldsmith's brilliant scores for THE OMEN (which won the 1976 Oscar), DAMIEN: OMEN II and THE FINAL CONFLICT, all of them are the 'deluxe editions' released by Varèse Sarabande a couple of years ago. The label will also rerelease the two FLY scores - the first one, composed by Howard Shore in 1986, together with the sequel score by Christopher Young written in 1988, on two discs released at reduced price. Finally, Charles Bernstein's score for the 1984 horror hit A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET will be available again, it has been out of print for many years. www.varesesarabande.com

Soundtrack.net has ported a report on award-winning composer Bruce Broughton's new score for the Disney sequel to BAMBI, one of the most beloved Disney animation classics. The new film is described as a 'midquel', the story taking place in the middle of the first Bambi movie, dealing with Bambi coping with his Father, the Great Prince, and his finding of a new mate while an orphaned Bambi comes to terms with his Mother's death. The film, currently titled BAMBI II, is slated for a February 2006 release. Dan Goldwasser reports that Broughton's musical style is a combination of the old-school score (he's even using themes from the original 1942 BAMBI film), and modern orchestral action. "There are also plenty of softer emotional cues as well," he wrote. For the full story and session photos, see: www.soundtrack.net/news/article/?id=645  

J.A.C. Redford (GEORGE OF THE JUNGLE 2, D2, A KID IN KING ARTHUR'S COURT) has completed recording his score for the new (provisionally titled) Disney feature, LILO AND STITCHES, second sequel to the 2002 animated hit that Alan Silvestri scored. Redford recording the music with a 90-piece orchestra in Prague. www.jacredford.com  

Rachel Portman (CHOCOLAT, THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE, first-ever female composer to win a music Oscar for EMMA) has scored Roman Polanski's new film, based on Charles Dicken's classic novel, Oliver Twist. Sony Classical will release the original soundtrack CD on September 20th; the film opens from TriStar on Sept 30th. Portman's music is sublime, harmonious, and richly full-blooded the kind of affecting symphonic melodies she constantly excels at. For more information on Portman, see the fan web site at www.filmmusic.dk/rachel2.html  

La-La Land will release John (FANTASTIC FOUR, X2, SUPERMAN RETURNS) Ottman's score to the upcoming comedy-mystery KISS KISS, BANG BANG. The film, starring Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer, is the directorial debut of screenwriter Shane Black. For Ottman's thoughts on this score, see his web site at: www.johnottman.com/projects/features/kisskissbangbang/index.html) 

The label has also announced forthcoming releases of soundtracks to EFFECTS, featuring John (CREEPSOW, DAY OF THE DEAD) Harrison's never-before-released score from cult horror-thriller; Brian (CONSTANTINE) Tyler's otherworldly score to the wild sci-fi comedy/drama, THE BIG EMPTY, and a second limited edition volume of FARSCAPE Classics, featuring two more complete episode scores by Guy Gross. www.lalalandrecords.com  

Intrada Announces its Special Collection Volume 24, the original soundtrack music to HEART LIKE A WHEEL, composed and conducted by Laurence Rosenthal (YOUNG INDIANA JONES, CLASH OF THE TITANS, ROSTER COGBURN). The 1983 20th Century-Fox film traces famed race car driver Shirly Muldowney (Bonnie Bedelia) through her entry into racing as an amateur and eventually as a major contender in the NHRA circuit. Muldowney's greatest acheivement, however, and the focus of the film is her triumph over the sexism and prejudice against women participating in the male-dominated racing scene. A zesty score by Laurence Rosenthal gives Muldowney winning musical support, providing stylish music ranging from a swinging jazz-from-the-forties title theme to sumptuous romantic music for full orchestra. In between, Rosenthal makes pit-stops with vivid musical displays of tragic accidents and behind-the-scenes drama. This edition, to be released later this month, is limited to 1200 copies. For cover art, track listing, and sound samples, please visit http://shopping.netsuite.com/s.nl/c.ACCT67745/it.A/id.4449/.f  

GAMES MUSIC NEWS

Inon Zur, an internationally acclaimed music composer for film, television and videogames, provides the original musical score for Warhammer® 40,000: Dawn Of War Winter Assault, the expansion pack to THQ Inc. and Relic Entertainment's real-time strategy hit Warhammer® 40,000: Dawn Of War. Zur has composed music for well-known game titles such as Prince of Persia: Warrior Within (cinematics), Starcraft: Ghost (cinematics) and Champions of Norrath: Realms of EverQuest. His film/TV credits include Power Rangers, Escaflowne and Digimon, and his powerful orchestral scores are featured in promotional trailers for Hollywood movies such as FANTASTIC FOUR and THE NEW WORLD. Zur's music can also be heard in the television series INTO THE WEST from Executive Producer Steven Spielberg and DreamWorks Television. More details on today's Music News posting elsewhere on Cinescape's Music + Audio page. For more information on the composer, see www.inonzur.com. 

Former editor/publisher of CinemaScore magazine, Randall Larson was for many years senior editor for Soundtrack Magazine and a film music columnist for Cinefantastique magazine. He is the author of Musique Fantastique: A Survey of Film Music in the Fantastic Cinema (Scarecrow, 1984) and Music from the House of Hammer (Scarecrow, 1995). In addition to Soundtrax and Music News for Cinescape.com, Randall reviews soundtracks Music from the Movies, writes for Film Music Magazine, and in many other fields.

Recommended Soundtrack sources:
www.buysoundtrax.com  
www.intrada.com  
www.screenarchives.com  
www.footlight.com  
www.arksquare.com/index_main.html  (Japan)
www.intermezzomedia.com  (Italy)
www.moviegrooves.com  
www.moviemusic.com  

For questions or comments, contact the author at Soundtrax@cinescape.com