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| CD Reviews: Sky Captain and Vanity Fair |
| Posted By: Andrew Granade, Cary Wong on January 30, 2005 - 10:00 PM |
CD Reviews: Sky Captain and Vanity Fair
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
*** 1/2
EDWARD SHEARMUR
Sony Classical – SK9293
18 tracks – 57:40
Edward Shearmur has been waiting in the wings for way too long. When he
scored a well-made indie (Wings of
the Dove), few people heard it, and when he landed a Hollywood
hit (Charlie's Angels), few
even realized there was a score between the Destiny's Child songs. I've
been a huge fan of Shearmur's wonderful efforts on K-PAX and Johnny English, so I was thrilled
to see him attached to Sky Captain
and the World of Tomorrow. The movie was one of the most
anticipated of the year, with its retro noir look, big budget and
stellar cast. The question was: "Would Shearmur be up to the challenge?"
The answer is "Yes." To say that the movie itself is all effects is an
understatement. More or less an animated film with the occasional live
actor thrown in for good measure, Kerry Conran's Sky Captain is a retro movie that
couldn't have been made until now (due to technological requirements).
Shearmur could have created a more futuristic score, but instead opts
for a traditional orchestral approach that effectively grounds a movie
that's constantly in flight.
Although he doesn't put his own personal stamp on the '40s spy
drama/sci-fi action (!) genre, Shearmur does a good job of creating a
rousing atmosphere. His music is reminiscent of John Williams' Superman and James Horner's The Rocketeer, but more as
references than quotations. "The World of Tomorrow" is a great anthem
to begin the CD, and from there Shearmur starts spinning music for the
claustrophobic yet expansive world uncovered in the film. The bulk of
the score is heroic action music, and this will likely make it popular
with film music fans. From the exciting "Calling Sky Captain" to the
impressive finale of "Totenkopf's Ark," Shearmur's music is never
ironic or cloying; it's full-steam ahead, old-fashioned writing. The
album's only real stain, a syrupy cover of "Somewhere over the Rainbow"
by overrated jazz vocalist Jane Monheit, is thankfully at the very end
of the CD.
Whatever you might think of the movie itself, the Sky Captain album is a fun ride.
Shearmur's stock just went up, so hopefully some A-list directors are
listening. -- Cary Wong
Vanity Fair *** 1/2
MYCHAEL DANNA
Decca B0003076-02
25 tracks - 46:13
In a move reminiscent of Columbia's hiring Ang Lee to direct Sense and Sensibility in 1995,
Focus Features turned to Mira Nair to helm its adaptation of William
Thackeray's masterful Victorian novel, Vanity Fair. Nair, an Indian not
known for directing English period pieces, in turn called upon composer
Mychael Danna, with whom she had worked on Monsoon Wedding.
In Vanity Fair, Danna appears
to be channeling Patrick Doyle's Sense
and Sensibility, along with some occasional Mozart. The music is
extremely classical in orientation, the orchestration open, with
strings and woodwinds taking the bulk of the melodic lines. Consider
the instrumental cue "Becky and Amelia Leave School": The 3/4 melody
enters in straight forward four-bar phrases and is passed between
strings and woodwinds. This is a standard classical structure handled
beautifully throughout, even down to the embellishments and
ornamentation. Elsewhere on the album there are delicate piano solos
and simple songs that sound as though they could have come directly
from a Victorian lady's parlor (or from any Jane Austin adaptation).
However, even within these rigid styles, Danna's personality shines
through. The title sequence is underscored by a setting of "She Walks
in Beauty" performed by soundtrack veteran Sissel. The melody of that
song quickly asserts itself as the score's main theme, appearing
whenever the heroine, Becky Sharp is making her move up the social
ladder (or back down again). There are also two Indian popular
music-inspired tracks, along with hints of Indian music elsewhere on
the album.
My one complaint with this album is that many of the cues stop
abruptly. These pieces cry out for proper cadences, (largely because of
the style in which they were composed), and without such the score's
faithfulness to the era is somewhat comprised. This minor quibble
aside, Vanity Fair is a
delight from beginning to end. Even coming from a composer known for
delivering well-executed surprises, this score stands out as one of his
most successful. -- Andrew Granade
MailBag@filmscoremonthly.com
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Today in Film Score History:
December 6 |
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| Dave Brubeck born (1920) |
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| Hans Zimmer begins recording his score for Broken Arrow (1995) |
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| Lalo Schifrin begins recording the original soundtrack LP to Bullitt (1968) |
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| Lyn Murray born (1909) |
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| Maury Laws born (1923) |
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| Morgan Lewis died (1968) |
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| Mort Glickman born (1898) |
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| Patrick Williams records his score for The Streets of San Francisco episode “Bitter Wine” (1972) |
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| Piero Piccioni born (1921) |
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| Recording sessions begin for Sol Kaplan’s score for Destination Gobi (1952) |
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| Richard Markowitz died (1994) |
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| Roberto Pregadio born (1928) |
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| Willie Hutch born (1944) |
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