Filmtracks Recommends:
Buy it... if you can appreciate subtle rhythms and exotic vocals in a restrained performance from the world music genre. Avoid it... if you only have a passing interest because of the score's Oscar nomination. Filmtracks Editorial Review:
The Constant Gardener: (Alberto Iglesias) Brazilian director Fernando Meirelles brings one of John Le Carre's most angry novels to life in The Constant Gardener, a tale with all the fragmented clues of a usual Le Carre story but with a vicious side of distrust against the pharmaceutical industry. A murder mystery and possible love triangle is a front in The Constant Gardener for a larger commentary about the actions of drug companies that test products on people in Africa without much respect for their lives. The setting here is Kenya, the drugs are HIV related, and the characters are a British diplomat and a medical activist who marry without really getting to know one another first. When the activist is killed at a roadblock, her husband searches the lurid and confusing cues with relentless focus, attempting to determine exactly why she had been killed (and learning more than he probably wanted to know in the first place). The film was critically praised almost across the board, despite its slow movement at times, and it was rewarded with several Academy Award nominations. One nomination came for the score by Spaniard Alberto Iglesias, who is best known for his ongoing collaboration with director Pedro Almodóvar (his many works with the director have led to some of his half a dozen Goya Awards). One entry in that pairing was Talk to Her a few years ago, widely praised and a strong seller as a soundtrack. Offering a glimpse of Spanish classical music for the 21st Century, Iglesias seamlessly merged elements of classical chamber music with Latin flavor in Talk to Her, and his works have more than shown the industry that he is capable of composing across multiple world genres. For The Constant Gardener, Iglesias would take familiar elements from a Western orchestra and merge them with the worldly instruments of East Africa, providing a score heavy on texture and authenticity. Iglesias received his first Oscar nomination for his work on The Constant Gardener, and though his recognition in the industry has been picking up steam since Talk to Her, it's not surprising that score like this would be nominated nowadays. Largely devoid of theme and overarching structure, Iglesias' score relies on its distinctly stylish attributes to succeed. Instead of providing a blanket of suspense (something that suits most Le Carre stories), Iglesias maintains a low level rhythmic progression dominated by instruments such as an Africa lyre called a nyatiti, a kawala wood flute, the South American ronroco, and raw African vocals that will sound as foreign to Western ears as ever. With such diversity in the ranks, Iglesias's music prevails most when in heavy activity, including the rhythmically interesting "Roadblock" cues (the highlights of the album) and "Raid" action cue. Compared to American composers, this music resembles Thomas Newman's recent rhythmic world-music styles more than anything, and those styles attract attention simply through their exotic nature. A baritone sax and various woodwind instruments lament in the background of certain lightly rhythmic cues in an almost noir fashion. Mournful cues that employ the orchestral ensemble are heavily restrained; both "Funeral" and "Kindergarten" pass without much notice to their barely audible solo mixes. Two vocal songs written in part and performed by Ayub Ogala are among the highlights, mostly because they break the monotony of the lightly flowing underscore. It's difficult to see exactly how Iglesias took all of these elements, from the chopping cellos of "To Germany" to the exotic vocals of the "Roadblock" cues, and produced a score that remains so anonymous. A similar fate fell upon Alexandre Desplat's Syriana this year, and while music of such ambiguity may be functional in the film, it fails to define a mood or sustain interest on album. With only ten minutes of truly enticing stylish, rhythmic, and vocal music, The Constant Gardener is a disappointment in Iglesias' career despite its Oscar nomination. ** Track Listings:
Total Time: 74:13
All artwork and sound clips from The Constant Gardener are Copyright © 2005, Higher Octave/EMI. 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 2/11/06, updated 2/12/06. Review Version 4.1 - PHP (Filmtracks Publications). Copyright © 2006-2013, Christian Clemmensen. All rights reserved. |
