Filmtracks Recommends:
Buy it... if you're tired of mundane period scores and seek an alternative that takes the same ingredients and beautifully merges them with a slight touch of contemporary style. Avoid it... if you were not impressed by Lee Holdridge's similar music for the television film The Mists of Avalon and once again can't fathom ethereal female vocals in this genre. Filmtracks Editorial Review:
The Affair of the Necklace: (David Newman) The lavish and dramatic production of the true 18th Century controversy of countess Jeanne de la Motte Valois, titled The Affair of the Necklace, was an ill-fated attempt by Charles Shyer to insert both intrigue and romance into a setting just prior to the French Revolution and make the combination appealing enough to overcome the countless copies that came before. He failed in that task, partly due to the ludicrous circumstances of a script that can't decide who the audience should sympathize with and partly due to the arguable miscasting of Hilary Swank in the lead role, and Warner Brothers' hopes of awards consideration for the picture evaporated from the heat of steamed critics. The romantic, mysterious, and decadent film experienced only a limited theatrical release in 2001, attempting in vain to gain better chances with the awards by opening fully in early 2002. Often overlooked because of the past and current achievements of the other famous Newmans of his family (Randy and Thomas), composer David Newman continued to produce some of the most varied music for films in the 2000's. From urban pop rhythms to orchestral action and adventure bombast, David Newman's music had gone sorely missed in the commercial album scene throughout the 1990's, mostly because of the diminished quality of the films to which he was assigned. With so many of his best works unavailable on album (or existing only in promotional form), he remained one of the most active composers to be overlooked by the majority of film score collectors. A surprising turn in his career, The Affair of the Necklace offered yet another side of Newman's compositional skills to shine. Like the film, the score was also initially mentioned for award consideration, for Newman's music is a grand and memorably stylish orchestral and choral accompaniment for a marginally compelling story. The score may, at first, seem like a typical harpsichord and string period piece, but Newman creates a much more modern atmosphere than you might think. In fact, the harpsichord itself may be one of the few weak elements in the entire effort, with the rich themes and other diversity in instrumentation stealing this score away from the usual realm of 18th Century European stereotypes. Newman deserves significant kudos for a marvelous composition that, in its more intimate portions, is breathtaking. The work's only major flaw exists, unfortunately, in the lack of massive scope in the full ensemble performances. While a smaller version of the usual Hollywood Studio Symphony did an adequate job performing Newman's work, the writing for The Affair of the Necklace deserved a far more robust existence with, perhaps, a London group. Newman compensates for the lack of sonic muscle, however, by introducing just enough exotic and unusual instruments for the genre (in addition to the lovely harmony that exists almost continuously throughout). Over half of the score's cues are accented by an impressive choral array, sometimes deep in chant, sometimes wordless and ethereal, and sometimes echoing with distant solo female tones. The chorus carries The Affair of the Necklace in nearly all of its best cues, punctuating surprisingly gothic action sequences and those of mystical romance with little problem maintaining a cohesive whole. In these regards, the score is very stylistic similar to Lee Holdridge's music for the television film The Mists of Avalon earlier in 2001. The female vocals offer a curious ethnic twist on the score, Celtic in some parts and almost East Asian in others. They're often inserted in short bursts to accent a thought or action by the main character of the film and are sometimes even more compelling in their sharp and rugged edge (through electronic manipulation, likely). A layering effect in some places gives them a new age feel. Newman's touch for a romantic theme is not lost in The Affair of the Necklace, either. The enchanting "Jeanne's Theme" introduces and finishes the score in the form of elegant and soft piano performances, which is appropriate given the countess' goal of reacquiring her childhood home. Its consistent presence in the bulk of the score brings a more contemporary appeal to the scenes of romance between the countess and her lover. The softer cues are among this score's most engaging; aside from the longer cues of piano, female vocals, and the occasional burst of a full orchestra, the mysterious and haunting choral passages will bring back memories of Danny Elfman's excursions into the same emotional realm. Perhaps more intriguing about the score is its Middle Eastern style of intense rhythm in parts. The gothic, drum-pounding "Rohan's Arrest" yields to an exotic counterpart in a later courtroom scene, further displacing this score from the usual style for the setting. Harmonic resonance isn't neglected either, and the combined material of "Cagliostro Leaves Town" and "Going Home" provide some of the most beautiful orchestral and vocal music of 2001. Overall, Newman's success in producing both an uneasy score of mystery and choral romance in a single package is why his achievements for The Affair of the Necklace are among the best from any composer for the entire year. The score features frightening moments of despair, sharp individual vocals for ethnic flavor, delicate and heartbreaking themes of romance, and extended choral performances that range to all levels of emotional power. It reaffirms its place in the period while also reaching towards the guilty pleasures of contemporary romance. No one section of this score will unilaterally impress; in fact, it takes a while to gather its steam. The album release includes only forty minutes of music, though the sound quality (especially in the layering of vocals) is crisp. The all too close mixing of the harpsichord is the only detractor. Otherwise, this score is the definition of a diamond in the rough. **** Track Listings:
Total Time: 41:09
All artwork and sound clips from The Affair of the Necklace are Copyright © 2002, Varèse Sarabande. The reviews and notes contained on the filmtracks.com site may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of Filmtracks Publications. Audio clips can be heard using RealPlayer but cannot be redistributed without the label's expressed written consent. Page created 1/26/02, updated 2/18/09. Review Version 4.1 - PHP (Filmtracks Publications). Copyright © 2002-2013, Christian Clemmensen. All rights reserved. |
