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| • | Newest Major Reviews: | . | • | This Week's Most Popular Reviews: | • | Best-Selling Albums: | ||
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Filmtracks Recommends:
Buy it... if you want an occasionally triumphant, but usually solemn score that closely resembles the turbulent mental issues of Howard Hughes. Avoid it... if you are expecting either the thematic fluidity and grandiose bravado of The Lord of the Rings or an influence of high-class 1930's/40's romance. Filmtracks Editorial Review:
A listener or casual movie-goer might assume that the flying sequences, if not simply the elegance of the period, would merit a reprise of heroic brass themes with romantic string interludes from Shore, but his overall approach to The Aviator is far more restrained. Despite its occasional volume on a grand scale, Shore's work for this film is largely restrained, teasing the audience with repeatedly initiated crescendos that suddenly cease or disappointingly fade away with a whimper. If you think about it, that style largely resembles Hughes' life. No doubt, The Aviator is not the most satisfying of scores. It is not the romantic sugar-coated flying music of the 40's like you heard in The Rocketeer. Shore does conjure a heroic theme for Hughes' moments of great achievements in aviation, but he is careful to present the theme with staccato notes and short bursts, even when at its loftiest. Very few --if any-- whole notes from the brass are to be heard, and this choppy effect teases the listener more than anything else... It promises an outburst of fully victorious, romantic flying themes that never come at any point in the score. Due to this anticipatory nature, the theme isn't readily memorable after the score is over, with heroic cues such as "H-1 Racer Plane" and "The Way of the Future" successfully diluted by the plethora of mumbling, brooding string meanderings constantly pulling at Hughes from his darker half. You want the music to break through, especially during the lengthy performances of a six-note rhythm by the bass strings that exist throughout the score (and especially in the entire "7000 Romaine" cue). But several of the defeated cues of despair truly define this score. Very well rendered, the twisted elegance in "The Germ Free Zone" and "Quarantine" is distancing and at times irritating, but Shore's methodology of using the woodwinds --literally lost in the wind-- specifically during these moments of defeat is commendable. Deep bass woodwinds seem to be Shore's primary choice for the most demented characterizations. Some of the more interesting aspects of the album include the Spanish influence upon the score (representing Californian culture at the time), including castanets throughout and a traditional guitar in "7000 Romaine." The use of the theme from Hell's Angels in "Hollywood 1927" and the overlay of a reporter's live account of the "Spruce Goose" test 'flight' over a snippet of Tchaikovsky are welcome diversions. A grand solo piano performance of the theme is restrained to only "America's Aviation Hero." Overall, the lack of a fluid theme and a more surprising lack of 1930's/40's romantic underscore cause the score's more troubled aspects to leave the most lasting impression. A sense of urgency during much of the score never resolves itself, which is likely what Shore and Scorsese wanted, but that lack of thematic breakthrough leaves the listener of the somewhat short album potentially unsatisfied. The more classically inclined opening cue, "Icarus" is ironically the only track to sway the listener's heart, with the solitary remainder of the score leaving you wanting more, or perhaps something different... very similar to Hughes' ultimate lifestyle. A difficult score by choice and necessity. ***
The insert includes a note about the score and film by Howard Shore. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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