Filmtracks Recommends:
Buy it... if you enjoy Jerry Goldsmith's similar L.A. Confidential score or are a fan of robust timpani action. Avoid it... if you prefer Goldsmith's lighter drama or ridiculous comedy music, or are seeking his positively straight-forward action scores. Filmtracks Editorial Review:
City Hall: (Jerry Goldsmith) A political thriller penned in part by Nicholas Pileggi, a New York investigative reporter, City Hall tells the rather gloomy tale of how one side of the law helps the other, and does it without anybody knowing it. The tough workings of an inner city, and all of the unsavory handshakes that exist without the public's knowledge, are the setting for a clash between two characters' ideals. The city here is New York, and the primary characters are the mayor, deputy mayor, and a handful of cops, mafia sorts, and attorneys. Directed by Harold Becker, City Hall exposes the dealings of an administration at its best and worst, with intriguing concepts that the film delivers in one of its many fascinating scenes. But the plotline also sinks the film in the end, between the inclusion of unnecessary story threads and the equally needless addition of a chipper ending on an otherwise darkly realistic picture. Even the strong cast could not salvage City Hall from the depths of box office despair in the early winter months of 1996, although the film would mark the start of a very strong year for composer Jerry Goldsmith. Having awakened from the slumber of light dramas and ridiculous comedies in the early 1990's, Goldsmith began returning to the action and fantasy genres in 1995, and 1996 would prove to be one of the composer's finest years of production. Of his five projects that year, City Hall is likely the more scarcely remembered entry, although it is better than at least two of his better known, later scores of that year. Suspense and political mayhem is not a foreign idea for Goldsmith; he had scored Becker's Malice several years earlier and would be widely recognized for his work on L.A. Confidential, the score that most closely resembles City Hall among Goldsmith's other modern works. To distinguish this score from others in the genre, Goldsmith takes two creative routes to achieve a distinct result: a bluesy twist to his themes and an unusual choice for a dominating primary instrument. While Goldsmith would employ the timpani again in L.A. Confidential, nothing in the composer's career compares to its total and complete dominance in City Hall. Goldsmith seems to use the instrument as the driving heartbeat of the big city and to establish the importance and weight of the office in which the film exists. In several action-oriented cues, the timpanis are allowed to roam freely with other percussion, placing all other sections of the orchestra at a disadvantage. Even in the lighter character and contemplation cues, the timpani accents each measure or bar of music to remind the listener of its presence. In "The King Maker," Goldsmith utilizes a light jazz ensemble of piano and bass to much of the same degree as in other works, but once again, the timpani rumbles in the background. The highlight of its performance is the monumentally robust "The Meet" cue, in which the drum quite literally challenges the other sections of the orchestra to battle, prevailing in the end. It's accompanied by tapping cymbals, rambling piano, and ripping snare, with staccato strings and solo trumpet alternating over the top. The other element of note in City Hall is the bluesy spirit of many of the score's thematic interpretations. Goldsmith has rolled big city jazz and reduced it down to a level of sleaze that only subtle blues effects and twists of theme can convey. Imagine all the spirit of the Love Field theme sucked out and constricted to its most minimal form. The final two cues, with a sense of resolution only hinted at in the opening minute of the score, throbs with crescendos that end on a twist of blues, and even in its dying moments, the score reminds you of its depth by allowing the timpani to be mirrored by a piano in low octaves. Electronics exist as per usual, and a ringing bell (electronic or otherwise) lends a sense of urgency to "The Cabin." Overall, City Hall functions well as cohesive whole, though the softer character theme moments are so strongly overshadowed by the timpani-rolling action pieces that the score becomes a "three cue wonder." If you enjoyed L.A. Confidential, then you will definitely be impressed by City Hall. Becoming difficult to find, the album is recommended for Goldsmith collectors and/or fans of robust percussion. *** Track Listings:
Total Time: 30:14
All artwork and sound clips from City Hall are Copyright © 1996, 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 6/3/98, updated 3/12/05. Review Version 4.1 - PHP (Filmtracks Publications). Copyright © 1998-2005, Christian Clemmensen. All rights reserved. |
