CD Reviews Far From Heaven and Re-Animator

Far From Heaven ****

ELMER BERNSTEIN

Varèse Sarabande 302 066 421 2

22 tracks

In an interesting example of missing the forest for the trees, we've managed to gush all over Elmer Bernstein's great score to Todd Haynes' Far From Heaven without ever actually reviewing the soundtrack album. So here's to correcting two errors on my part (the other was saying that Elmer had never won a Best Original Score Oscar -- he did, for Thoroughly Modern Millie, which I inadvertently identified as an Adaptation award). Bernstein deservedly won an Academy Award nomination for scoring Far From Heaven, and if there's any justice he'll have nabbed the award itself by the time you're reading this.

The assignment was a challenging one: scoring a film shot, written and acted from the perspective of 1950s cinema, specifically the lush "women's pictures" of Douglas Sirk. Hiring Bernstein was a stroke of genius: Here was a man who was actually working in the period that Far From Heaven references. The resulting score is less a throwback than simply an honest application of principles Bernstein has always championed, but in recent years have been increasingly marginalized in film scoring.

Bernstein's main title is the closest thing in the score to a retro approach, mainly because of his application of a crashing cymbal to Edward Lachman's swooping establishing shot of the Connecticut town in which the action takes place. After its delicate To Kill A Mockingbird-like piano solo prelude, the main theme reveals its lush, romantic and troubled qualities. Bernstein adds an insinuating, subtle jazz quality to Dennis Quaid's early "Prowl" into a '50s gay bar (one of Far From Heaven's interesting aspects is the way it paints homosexuality as a social disease on the order of drug addiction or alcoholism and Quaid as essentially the antagonist in the story), and establishes a dire mood of domestic unrest as Quaid and Julianne Moore attempt to confront a marital problem they don't even have the vocabulary to discuss.

The emotional core of the score is "Turning Point," a literally sunlit melody that underscore's Moore's growing friendship with her black gardener (Dennis Haysbert), a relationship that eventually allows her to begin moving on with her life after she and Quaid separate. Bernstein's development of this melody and the way in which he contrasts it with the more uncertain material for Quaid shows the composer at his finest, and illustrates a craft and artistry that's rarely allowed for in the movies any longer.

It's not exaggerating to say that Bernstein usually concludes his scores in a way that puts most other musicians to shame; his denouement to Far From Heaven is as sublime as anything in his canon: graceful and intensely moving.

Far From Heaven may face a tough road in nabbing Elmer another Oscar [it sure did]: the film's biggest buzz came last fall and Haynes' frequent strategy of building a wall between his characters and the audience has so far prevented the movie from achieving the wide appeal of films like Chicago or even Gangs of New York. But the fact that Bernstein can achieve this kind of recognition at an age when most people in his profession have long since retired is an incredibly hopeful sign, not just for him, but for film composition in general.  -- Jeff Bond
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Re-Animator: The Definitive Edition (1985) * 1/2

RICHARD BAND

La-La Land LLLCD 1002

16 tracks - 52:43

What more can be said about Re-Animator that hasn't already been said? What? Nothing's been said? Okay, I will say a bit then. Beware. This classic (!?) '80s horror flick was given a score by Richard Band that is part synthesizers, augmented by The Rome Philharmonic Orchestra (which sounds remarkably like an ensemble of synthesizers), further augmented by more synthesizers. Band says the score is 99% orchestral, but to say the sound is tinny and pinched is an understatement.

The score famously (amongst '80s horror flick fans anyway) riffs on Bernard Herrmann's classic Psycho, to some controversy. In defense of Band, I would say it falls into the realm of homage, not plagiarism. But Band doesn't bring anything new or interesting to the material that the master didn't already use in 1960, other than a funny, rising bass line and a dated 1980s sound. And I don't mean that in a good way, as a dated sound can often be very good.

This score is dull. I imagine it has some degree of a cult following behind it though -- probably made up of fans of the film. The best track, however, is a 15-minute discussion of the score by Richard Band, who has some funny things to say about his detractors from the Bernard Herrmann Society, who called his score an abortion. It's not a good score, but it doesn't bastardize Herrmann to that degree. The liner notes feature glowing praise of the score and film by Harry Knowles of Ain't It Cool News, who goes on to diss Psycho. If his opinion is one you respect, you may just like this CD. Otherwise, it's for die-hard fans of the film only.  -- Darren MacDonald
 

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