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American Beauty on DVD
• "Haunting Sound" • Dolby Digital 5.1 More DVD info... |
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American Beauty on DVD
• "Haunting Sound" • Dolby Digital 5.1 More DVD info... |
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Original Review, by Christian Clemmensen
Part of this bewilderment stems from the fact that I love Thomas Newman's styles in general. The majority his scores, such as Shawshank Redemption, The Horse Whisperer, and Fried Green Tomatoes, each offers an interesting orchestral element. Even The Green Mile and Meet Joe Black have very enjoyable parts. Then again, this is the same composer who gave us the wretched Up Close and Personal, so I have the knowledge in the back of my mind that Newman's scores of "unique instrumentation" can sometimes backfire. In the film, the American Beauty is leagues apart from the spirit it possesses here. Instead of an orchestra, Newman utilizes the arthouse combination of tablas, bird calls, dulcimer, banjo, ukulele, detuned mandolin, phonograph, steel guitar, ewi, and, of course, his own piano performances. Together, they create a rhythmically complex and relaxing effect when used together in ensemble. The almost new-age world-music result is interesting, if not alienating in a certain way. It's a score that would require many listens at a high volume to fully appreciate, and yet, for some, I'm afraid it might not provide enough on that first listen to warrant even one more. Aside from the opening and closing ensemble performances (as well as a sort of reprise in the fourth track), the album features half and hour of extremely subdued, thematically devoid underscore. The tenth track is completely unlistenable. Very brief performances by strings, flute, and piano will be the only sounds you can likely identify easily. I don't knock Newman for creating this collection of raw rhythms and inventive/experimental combinations of sounds, but nor would I ever want to sit and listen to it repetitively. Of course, the score's untraditional approach is a lovely and intriguing addition to the film itself. On album, however, I'd actually recommend --and you don't hear me saying this too often-- picking up the song compilation album instead, on which you get seven of the very best minutes of Newman's score along with a more enjoyable collection of songs. *** Review #2, by Joseph Toscano
American Beauty: (Thomas Newman) The best word to describe this score is eccentric. In that, it's the perfect score for the film, which has been hailed as one of the oddest but most effective films made recently. Newman's score to American Beauty is practically interchangeable with this year's The Green Mile, seeing as how he employs just as many funky instruments as he did in the score for the Darabont film. Save the rather interesting xylophone/marimba riff, this score is typical Newman schtick; light string permutations, soft piano wanderings, nothing too heavy in the theme department. Newman, as usual, focuses on the atmosphere more than recurring themes. The extremely memorable xylophone/marimba riff that Newman uses in tracks 1 (Dead Already) and 19 (Still Dead) appear in other tracks in softer forms. A very unique and interesting sound that I myself will remember for some time. And, when combined with the film, it makes a powerful connection. If we put aside, for the moment, that we're listening to a Thomas Newman soundtrack, this score is quite astounding. It's got a very different sound to it in comparison to traditional soundtracks, and it's something that I'm sure director Sam Mendes was pleased with. However, if we're aware of the fact that the score is by Newman, it's nothing all too new from him. Thomas Newman is one of the most important composers in the film-scoring business at the moment. With American Beauty, he's proven that his style of composition is his own; it's fresh and new, something that nobody else has yet to really cover. But if he would add a bit more variety between each score, it would make a world of difference, in my opinion. American Beauty is quite functional as a score during the film, but as was the case with The Green Mile, this score isn't one which can be listened to over and over aside from the film. **** Review #3, by A.C. Stewart
American Beauty: (Thomas Newman) Upon viewing this film and listening to the score, I have found myself torn. This score worked in so many ways for me yet fell short in areas I consider to be important. The film itself was incredibly powerful. It achieved its complexity and depth in rather unconventional ways, however. Unlike most movies no one character is the center of focus. Instead, this vague story lent to the audience four principal characters and possibly three secondary characters; all of which were so well written and acted that these numbers are highly debatable. The stories of these richly unique characters culminate in a surreal ending that begs you to find its meaning. Albeit powerful, this oddly crafted film feels very eccentric. Thomas Newman's score for American Beauty is exactly that. Eccentric. This score parallels the film remarkably. On a very superficial level one can relate the orchestration of very unique sounding instruments to the sundry assortment of distinctive characters. The distinct orchestration, although out of the ordinary, is not rare; many composers utilize peculiar instrument combinations. But Newman's sonorities are very curious. Most abnormal instruments combinations yield a single sonority; one that is created through the absolute blend of those instruments. With Newman's amalgamation, however, no sole sonority is achieved. Instead, each individual instrument longs to be heard within the complete picture Newman paints on the staves; a quality equivalent to the characterizations in the film. In respect to affect and mood, Newman has truly realized the disposition of this film. In my opinion Newman excels at linking tone colors, mode, and musical idioms to the emotions surrounding a character or scene. Here again, he pulls off several notable sections. Of particular merit is track four, Mental Boy; the piano cues associated with the Ricky Fitts character are terribly ominous and introspective. Aside from the aforementioned, however, (and typical to Thomas Newman's compositional style) these sections are realized in, what some might call, thematically lean cues. Herein lies the fault in this score. I consider myself an open minded individual with decent musical knowledge. Yet, I cannot make myself enjoy a score that is so meager in terms of thematic material. Unless you are fond of harmonic droning and seemingly unrelated instrumental interjections, or have elevated yourself to genius status and can hear some complex structure within the majority of cues throughout this score, American Beauty will only provide a displeasing and, possibly, painful listen. As a stand-alone score, American Beauty fails. Miserably. I am not discounting the merit in this score. As I stated before, Newman conveys emotions through his music remarkably. Now it's time to take the next step. We know he can write a nice melody and many of the leitmotifs he invents display ample potential for development. But not once have I heard direction or fruition in a Thomas Newman score. The raw emotion and promising motifs must be combined and then developed within a score so as to give it some sense of growth and fulfillment. The story and characters of American Beauty displayed intense growth and evolution in the film --while the emotions surrounding these aspects were somewhat realized, thematic development would have been far more impressive.
Score as Heard on CD: ** Overall: **
The insert includes extensive credits, but no extra information about the score. Individual performances:
George Doering: mandola, appalachian dulcimer, lap steel guitar Rick Cox: banjo ukulele, bass tin whistle Steve Kujala: flute George Budd: processed bass flute, phonograph Chas Smith: pedal steel guitar Steve Tavaglione: flute, ewi Bruce Dukov: arpeggiated violin Bill Bernstein: detuned mandolin Thomas Newman: saz, piano | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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