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Filmtracks Recommends:
Buy it... if you prefer your Batman score to better reflect the morbidly tragic sensibilities of Danny Elfman's dominant style in his early career. Avoid it... if you expect the same heroic power and resonance of the vastly superior orchestral performances (and their recording) you heard in Batman. Filmtracks Editorial Review:
Instead, Elfman takes one step forward and four steps back, reverting to a less powerful style of action scoring more similar to Scrooged and Nightbreed than that he had established in Batman. The first backwards step in Batman Returns is Elfman's total abandonment of the classically rich orchestral construction of the original, allowing the primary theme and the presence of its hero to be dominated by the musical personas of the two villains. As such, the score lacks conviction for the title character. The wild ambience that had been restricted to the Joker in the first score now permeates the entirety of the score, with some of the weight of the action shed by the use of a lighter chorus, less conventional themes, more bizarre orchestration, and less linear rhythms. In essence, the spirit of Batman Returns returns to that of Beetlejuice, which is understandable given Burton's (and thus Elfman's) broad creative control over the sequel. But that spirit detracts from the power of the original score's approach to Gotham and therefore reduces its effectiveness by comparison. The chorus used in the first film was a mature, deep, adult one, assisting in identifying Gotham City as a serious, gloomy, religious, and spiritual kind of haven for the contrasts of good and evil. Compare that resonance to Elfman's "la-la" style chorus, carried over most prominently from the aforementioned Scrooged and Nightbreed, and that gothic image is deflated. A more forceful choir with an enhanced male bass would have been just as welcomed in the title theme performances, continuing the established Gotham spirit and still capturing the holiday season. Another step backwards is the Penguin's thematic representation, for which Elfman never seemingly decides if he should apply the brush of classical lyricism or one of cartoonish tragedy. Unfortunately, he tried to use both, composing cartoonish themes for the character and then suggesting them in a classically melodramatic fashion. In a few cases, this combination worked, especially in the opening introduction to the character's origins. From there, however, the score suffers from a personality crisis that the original never had to contend with. The Catwoman theme, on the other hand, is purely ingenious in its employment of high-pitched strings to represent a cat's finicky personality. The violins in such whining, high ranges are often tough on the ears, but that's the entire idea behind mimicking a cat's voice. The transformation cues are fascinating in their layering, and Elfman keenly uses the repeating two-note rise or fall of the violins as a motif to represent the character well throughout the score (and costume party song). Only in the finale of the film, from Selina Kyle's electrocution through the very end (at which she is seen perched like Batman on a rooftop), does her theme true mix in the middle tonal ranges with the surrounding underscore. Because Selina and her alter-ego don't have massive armies of freaks and animals, the mass of action material in Batman Returns unfortunately relates to the Penguin. The pompous bombast that accompanies his marching armies of fluffy, tuxedoed killers suffers from the same problem as the primary theme for their leader. Elfman provides a ripping snare rhythm as compensation for the cartoonish tragedy of their ascent, but in reality, that tragedy is not convincing in such a carnival atmosphere. Lacking completely in the score is the elegance of the thematic treatment for Bruce Wayne, and this is yet another step backwards. He contemplative and troubled motifs are absent. There are no flourishes of the title theme in the middle portions Batman Returns that can compete with the original. The title theme performances sound like Elfman forced the freaky atmosphere of Nightbreed onto them, especially with the funky drum work at the very outset of the opening titles. All the mystique of the character is gone, muddying the waters with the style of the villains to such an extent that you never get the impression from listening to the score that Batman ever proves victorious. The finale, for instance, is so concerned with Selina's continued lives (which doesn't really make sense given that Michelle Pfeiffer's role would never return in the franchise) that the hero is sold short at a time when audiences need to be reminded that Batman is indeed the focus of the stories. All of these shortcomings could likely have been excused, however, if not for the one most fatal flaw in this sequel score: a poor performance and recording. This final step backwards is the most painful, for the original Batman score was performed with extremely robust energy under the direction of Shirley Walker in London, and its sheer power was enveloping and awe-inspiring. The sequel score, due to reasons unknown (though probably monetary), was the product of a regular studio orchestra at Sony's scoring stage, and the difference between London and Los Angeles has never been more evident. In Batman Returns, the timpani do not resound, the chimes are distant, the gong does not impress, the piano is not sharp, and the brass are completely flat. Take, for instance, the sixteenth-notes performed by muted trumpets throughout the battle sequences in Batman. Due to a combination of uninspired playing and more deliberate pacing in Batman Returns, the heralding trumpets are a valuable asset lost. Along these lines, incidentally, all discussion about the influence of Bernard Herrmann on the original score goes out the window with the sequel. Emphasized in Batman Returns is a lighter chorus, the continued heavy presence of the organ, and a different array of medium-range drums to spice up the mix. And, unfortunately, without the depth of the original ensemble's sound, this alteration doesn't convince. The mix of the score is extremely dry by comparison to Batman, reducing the effectiveness of the metallic percussion particularly (what happened to the wicked combination of gong and cymbal crashes that provided the first score with so much grace?). Ironically, the mix of the song "Face to Face," co-written by Elfman and the performing group Siouxsie and the Banchees for the costume ball scene, is a highlight if only because it features a far more dynamic range than the score. There is simply no substitute for power, and no dull studio orchestra on a poor day --no matter how brilliantly mixed and rearranged-- can compete with a superior singing and playing force. In its shallow soundscape, Batman Returns sounds, for lack of a more precise word, lame. Fans of this score --and there are certainly many of them-- will contend that Elfman's changed direction with Batman Returns suits the film well. In regards to the fact that film was a far more accurate reflection of Burton's sensibilities, the score is thus a product closer to the true heart of Elfman's writing. There are many pieces of Edward Scissorhands, Nightbreed, and other popular early scores by Elfman in Batman Returns, and there is no doubt that this music resided closer to the comfort level of the composer. This isn't an insult, for the score would have seemed average, if not quite good, had Elfman not established the franchise with a completely different and incredibly successful sound in the previous film's score. The score for Batman is often mentioned as the best superhero music ever recorded for cinema, and if that's truly the case, then the sequel was destined to disappoint. To aggravate the situation even further at the time, Warner Brothers pumped out an incomprehensible album for Batman Returns. While significant in length, the cues are left merged together without distinction, and with the track breaks occurring at odd moments, the packaging offers absolutely no help in distinguishing the cues. In fact, the only track listings on initial pressings existed on the CD itself, and Warner (probably in a panic after realizing the blunder of its designer) slapped a sticker with the name of every other track on the outer plastic wrap of the product. The listings provided below at Filmtracks have been expanded to give a more accurate representation of the cues' placements. Even aside from the packaging of the score on album, the Elfman's music is simply a major disappointment. The song at the end is inconsequential (Elfman fails to integrate its theme into the score as he did with Prince's material in the first entry) and the score, like Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle, suffers from an obvious identity crisis. Overall, the score gains a point for its loyalty to the original Batman theme, but loses many more for its total disrespect towards the personality and power of its predecessor. Even Elliot Goldenthal's Batman Forever, while providing only a faint mutation of Elfman's title theme, better captures the grand essence of Gotham and its hero. **
Track titles on the packaging are incomplete. The ones offered by Filmtracks here expand upon those on the packaging for more accuracy.
The insert includes no extra information about the score or film. Many of the best portions of this score appear on Music for a Darkened Theatre, Volume II. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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