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| CD Reviews: The House of Flying Daggers and Finding Neverland |
| Posted By: Ian D. Thomas, Cary Wong on March 6, 2005 - 10:00 PM |
CD Reviews: The House of Flying Daggers and Finding Neverland
The House of Flying Daggers ****
SHIGERU UMEBAYASHI
Sony Classical – SK 93561
20 tracks – 49:48
It's not my habit to begin a favorable review of a score by gushing
over a song, but I have to make an exception here: "Lovers," the love
song from Zhang Yimou's martial arts film, House of Flying Dragons, is
beautiful, haunting and absolutely necessary. By "necessary," I mean
that while the song does play during the end titles, it comes just
after an exhausting, thrilling battle sequence. And this is not your
average pop-song that's plopped at the end of a movie. In fact, it may
be a difficult song for some to embrace, given its classical
aspirations. It is the nearest I have ever heard an English language
song sound like Chinese opera. As sung by the luminous soprano Kathleen
Battle, it is as close to perfection as any film song since "Moulin
Rouge."
This is Zhang Yimou's follow-up film to Hero, the successful Jet-Li movie
that was made in 2002 but released in the U.S. in 2004. As far as the
films go, I prefer Hero's
lyrical beauty and craftsmanship over Daggers'
messier, plot-heavy storyline concerning unstable Chinese dynasties,
love triangles and rebellions. But Daggers
is more emotionally stirring than Hero,
most notably in terms of Shigeru Umebayashi's raw score. There is
little of Tan Dun's elegant restraint here; Umebayashi is not ashamed
of aiming for the heartstrings.
Japanese composer Umebayashi followed a similar path as Danny Elfman
and Mark Mothersbaugh, starting in an '80s new-wave band EX before
beginning his career as film composer. He has mostly scored Asian
films, including the last two by Wong Kar-Wei, but this should be his
big break-out score in the west. Umebaysahi's wonderful score doesn't
deviate too much from the standard Asian score, incorporating
instruments like the bamboo flute, the pipa and the erhu. What makes it
more effective than the typical kung-fu score is its intensity, both in
the battle sequences and the love scenes. The standout action sequence
doesn't even involve weapons; it's the echo dance that Zhang Ziyi
performs with drums and a pebble. The love theme, on which the "Lovers"
song is based, is played throughout the movie in different
incarnations. It never ceases to be effective, from the simple erhu
solo version or the full orchestra version. The Farewell theme is
equally satisfying.
Some have accused Zhang Yimou of violating the sanctity of the martial
arts genre, since his earlier films were dramas like Raise the Red Lantern and Ju Dou. (It's as if Woody Allen
decided to make science fiction movies.) While I understand the
concerns, what Zhang has actually done is lift the martial arts movie
from the cult world into the art world. This recent tradition, started
by Ang Lee with Crouching Tiger,
Hidden Dragon will only enrich the genre.
-- Cary Wong
Finding Neverland ** 1/2
JAN A. P. KACZMAREK
Decca B0003429-02
23 tracks - 58:33
Jan A.P. Kaczmarek's gentle score for Mark Forster's Finding Neverland is chock full of
familiar sounds and textures. For the sentimental story of the film, it
offers its accompaniment with lush strings, plinky glockenspiel and
celeste, full sweeps on wind chimes, and of course, a children's
chorus. Are you intrigued?
Now there's nothing wrong with that particular instrumentation, as
Danny Elfman has proven time and again. But the painfully light
melodies and easily digested harmonies of the score leave one wanting
more. It's not that it is bad music, actually it's quite pleasant --
perfect for a Sunday brunch. But will that alone have hungry film score
fans racing to the store, fighting over the last copy? Probably not, is
my guess.
As there are always at least a few things worth noting in any
half-decent score, here are my picks:
"The Marriage" is one of the few melancholy tracks and features sad
strings, sorrowful woodwinds and solo guitar -- which makes me think
that this marriage probably didn't work out. "The Pirates" adds a
military touch with a highly tuned side drum adding a marching rhythm
to the festivities. "Dancing With the Bear" introduces a mandolin to
the palette and adds a refreshingly welcome exotic touch. But the
overall vibe on this soundtrack is light -- really light, with most of
the instruments playing in their upper registers. You won't find a
10-person French horn section in this crowd.
Regretfully, there are also a couple of tracks that feature solo piano
improvisations with the themes from the film. These cuts instantly
transported me back in time to that one horrible night when I was
forced to sit at a piano bar with a date. Enough said.
Despite my reluctance to give this pleasant collection of tracks a more
enthusiastic recommendation, please be aware that there will be people
who will love this album. They just aren't the people I hang out with.
I mean, would you really want to buy a soundtrack with a track called
"Why Does She Have to Die?"? -- Ian D. Thomas
MailBag@filmscoremonthly.com
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Today in Film Score History:
January 17 |
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| Charles Bernstein begins recording his score for Love at First Bite (1979) |
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| Harry Robinson died (1996) |
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| John Williams begins recording his score to Return of the Jedi (1983) |
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| Rolf Wilhelm died (2013) |
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| Ryuichi Sakamoto born (1952) |
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