Filmtracks Recommends:
Buy it... if you specifically enjoyed what you heard in the film, and especially if you seek James Newton Howard's exotic material for Afghanistan and his memorable adaptation of Handel's "The Messiah" into a battle cue. Avoid it... if you have difficulty with eclectic scores that have no clearly cohesive direction, because the Handel piece so dominates the rest of this score's disjointed parts that it's not a particularly fluid listening experience. Filmtracks Editorial Review:
Charlie Wilson's War: (James Newton Howard) It seems impossible to imagine that any Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts film with an overwhelmingly positive critical response could slip through the theatres without much notice, but disappointing box office returns were the destiny for the outstanding 2007 dramatic political comedy Charlie Wilson's War. The amount of talent assembled for this production was deep with Academy Award nominations and wins, living up to expectations with its smartly written, entertaining, and well paced examination of an American congressman's role in diverting countless millions of dollars to the cause of the Afghan mujahaddin's fight for freedom against occupying Soviet forces. Anyone looking for an intelligent and mostly accurate picture (in all the major details) about how America contributed to the socio-political landscape that preceded the Taliban in Afghanistan will be surprised by how witty Charlie Wilson's War can be. The machinations of backroom lobbying and deal-cutting in America's appropriations process and interesting portrayals of life on the ground in Afghanistan are told through the story of this titular congressman, a Texan who just happens to also enjoy women and parties. A decent acting performance from Hanks (and a merely passable one by Roberts) is overshadowed by the widely praised supporting role for Philip Seymour Hoffman as a CIA operative. Charlie Wilson's War represented the first collaboration between accomplished director Mike Nichols and equally experienced composer James Newton Howard (replacing a Ry Cooder rejected score in this case), whose schedule of assignments coincidentally caused a sudden burst of notable releases at the end of 2007. The role of the music in Charlie Wilson's War was likely conceived as one meant to accompany the picture in a distantly supporting role rather than take center stage; a variety of source usage and a concentration on conversation rather than melodrama placed this score in a conservatively secondary role from the start. That is, however, with one monumental exception that got the attention of many critics and mainstream movie-goers. Whereas the majority of Howard's contribution to Charlie Wilson's War is carefully mundane in its rendering, the composer's alteration of the Overture from George Frideric Handel's "The Messiah" into an action cue was controversial in its ironic placement. Outside of this genuinely funny (and, for those not privy to the connection between its choral lyrics and the battles on screen, likely curious) application of a famous classical theme, there isn't much to write home about in the rest of the soundtrack. Largely an organic score, Charlie Wilson's War is primarily built upon a traditional orchestral ensemble but branches off in two different directions depending on locale. For the Texas congressman, slight country elements in the form of twangy guitar and light percussion accompany easy-going orchestral passages of harmony. A title theme of restrained nobility graces several cues in the score, most notably performed by the full ensemble in "Charlie Wilson" and "Honored Colleague." The woodwind and guitar solos in the filler cues often reference this theme but do not really develop much depth in its overarching personality. The other half of the score concerns itself with the location scenes in Afghanistan (the Soviets are handled with source performances of their anthem), and although these cues are a bit predictable in the larger scope of Howard's career, they are arguably the highlights of this work. In "Refugee Camp" and "The Belly Dancer," as well as parts of "Turning the Tide" and "Honored Colleague," Howard merges the primordial percussive spirit of Waterworld with the deep bass, rhythmic movement, and wailing vocals of Blood Diamond. Ethnic accents will remind of the "Montage" cue from Hidalgo as well. Performer Gingger Shankar takes the rhythmic motif of this material and gives it a truly exotic spirit in the co-written cue "The Belly Dancer." Similar music opens "Turning the Tide" before Howard launches into the score's only group choral performances in the striking rendition of the Handel piece. The battling female and male portions of the ensemble forcefully sing "He shall purify the sons of Levi, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness" to almost humorously accompany the scenes of the mujahaddin's use of American weaponry to destroy the Soviet helicopter gunships that had dominated the invasion thus far. This cue pits the stately harpsichord and choral tones against the rhythm of the primal percussion, creating a juxtaposition that approaches the realm of parody. Lasting for five minutes, this adaptation simply overshadows every other piece of music in Charlie Wilson's War and is, despite being clever, a relative distraction from the overall listening experience on album. Those who vocalized their offense regarding this cue are missing the point of it and likely the spirit of the film. Outside of this distinctive moment, and the "Refugee Camp" cue that will find its way onto compilations of Howard's smoother exotic material, Charlie Wilson's War doesn't remain in your memory very long. The redeeming theme for strings and horns that bookends the album isn't dramatic enough to merit repeated visits. A very short album is highly eclectic and better serves as a souvenir for the film's enthusiasts rather than a coherent standalone experience. *** Track Listings:
Total Time: 33:13
All artwork and sound clips from Charlie Wilson's War are Copyright © 2007, 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 10/7/10, updated 10/7/10. Review Version 4.1 - PHP (Filmtracks Publications). Copyright © 2010-2013, Christian Clemmensen. All rights reserved. |
