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American Beauty: (Thomas Newman) So few character
films about American suburbia have succeeded with the vibrant,
care-free, cynical humor of Sam Mendes'
American Beauty that
critics and audiences launched it to Oscar gold. Superb acting
performances and a script worth dying for brought to life six extremely
well-rounded characters that each represents a facet of the society on
which
American Beauty comments. Explorations of identity rarely
stir up religious conservatives with the effectiveness of this film, and
for its smart and deprived sense of humor alone, the production deserves
significant respect. Composer Thomas Newman provided a score for
American Beauty that would become an icon in the music industry,
despite failing to win the Golden Globe or Academy Award for which it
was nominated. Much fun has been poked at Newman, in fact, for his
outward disgust and associated facial contortions at the moment of this
Oscar loss (as seen on the split-screen format of the televised event),
one of no less than eight times he has lost without winning a statue (as
of 2008). Still, the funky rhythms and instrumentation of his music for
American Beauty have inspired an entire generation of television
commercials with a similar sound, many of which related to the
automotive industry, oddly enough. There are, from time to time, film
scores that are an absolutely perfect match for the content of their
overarching production, but which, for whatever reason, largely fail
when heard on album.
American Beauty is perhaps one of the most
vivid examples of such a score. Its unconventional style, often
summarized by the words "eclectic" and "eccentric," is extremely well
suited for the disposition of each character in the film. It would seem,
on the surface, that a movie about the everyday characters of American
suburbia would merit a score closer to Elmer Bernstein's
The Deep End
of the Ocean, a heartfelt expression of disillusion and loss. But
the tone of
American Beauty demanded something different,
something as distinctively defiant as its main character. Newman's score
embodies that sound so well that the music is an absolutely necessary
souvenir for fans of the film.
For the average film score collector, however, there
will be some head-scratching involved. No matter how brilliant its
individuality,
American Beauty is a score that simply doesn't
translate to album unless you have a keen appreciation (or at least a
clear memory of) the film's story. Alone, it risks becoming a dull and
unremarkable listening experience outside of the catchy marimba and
xylophone rhythm (heard in the opening and closing tracks) that remains
so famous. To understand the score's unique appeal, all you have to do
is recall Newman's ability to conjure affable, almost-jaunty rhythms and
populate them with a variety of bizarre instruments. There are a few
cues with hints of a traditional orchestra (mainly in the form of
strings and flute), but for the most part,
American Beauty is
defined by the marimba, xylophone, tablas, bird calls, dulcimer, banjo,
ukulele, detuned mandolin, phonograph, steel guitar, ewi, and, of
course, Newman's own piano performances. The tone of these instruments
is often harmonic and surprisingly relaxing, and the overdubbing of
these elements is often very well handled. The score has the
characteristics of new age world music, which effectively conveys the
alienation that suburbia inflicts upon the film's characters. With the
touch of each instrumental deviation carrying the score, it's easy to
get the feeling that the music requires several listens at a high volume
to fully appreciate. Many won't make it throughout the first, however.
That's because the score has no outward expression of theme to tie its
parts together. There is no
American Beauty theme, which makes
sense in the context of the film. But Newman's clunky rhythmic scores
live or die on how well the instrumentation and pacing can function as
the necessary glue. In some cases, as in the composer's small-scale
character dramas of the early 2000's, the lack of identity is a killer.
In other cases, from
American Beauty all the way to the
appropriately mechanical
WALL·E, the lovability of the style
alone carries the experience.
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The shifting marimba and xylophone rhythm in the
opening and closing moments of the score doesn't really have a distinct
thematic construct, but Newman does provide one on piano for the young
love affair between the characters of Jane and Ricky. Even here, the
cues "Mental Boy," "Structure & Discipline," "Any Other Name," and
"American Beauty" are minimal in stature and could easily pass by a
casual listener without notice. As such, the marimba and xylophone
rhythm really does steal the show. Luckily, it makes a few other
appearances in slightly different form on album, including "Lunch w/ the
King." Like many of Newman's similarly rendered scores, there are
individual tracks that stand out. None is more intriguingly awful than
"Choking the Bishop," which treats the ungodly topic to a chaotic,
detuned mandolin performance (is it out of bounds, at this juncture, to
speculate about whether a person could actually masturbate, or, for that
matter, fornicate to this music?). The "Root Beer" cue merges an
obnoxious tubular bell effect with sound effects that imitate a cordless
drill and bird calls... a truly sick representation of suburban life.
All of the fantasy scenes involving Kevin Spacey's character are, in
fact, accompanied by frenzied metallic percussion and tubular effects
that are difficult to tolerate on album. In the end, this album will not
be appealing to the Newman fans who define their love affair with his
music by pointing to
Shawshank Redemption,
The Horse
Whisperer, and
Little Women. This isn't even a crossover
effort to the degree of
Fried Green Tomatoes. The contemplative
moments of
American Beauty may have shades of
The Green
Mile and
Meet Joe Black, but they are not developed enough to
matter. On album, the score-only product with 37 minutes of Newman's
material makes you nostalgic for the hype over the quality of the film,
but it's not readily listenable. This is one of the rare occasions when
a score collector might be better off purchasing the popular song album
for
American Beauty and hearing seven of the very best minutes of
Newman's score along with a more enjoyable collection of songs. You have
to admire Newman for this score, and one could sympathize with his Oscar
disappointment, but let's face it: scores as eclectic and eccentric as
this on album could lead to madness.
Amazon.com Price Hunt: CD or Download
Music as Written for Film: ****
Music as Heard on Album: **
Overall: ***
| Bias Check: | For Thomas Newman reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating
is 3.17 (in 29 reviews)
and the average viewer rating is 3.11
(in 53,867 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
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