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Release Date:
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December 19, 2000
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Availability:
Regular U.S. release.
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Filmtracks Editorial Review:
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| | Zimmer | |
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An Everlasting Piece: (Hans Zimmer) It's hard to be stuck in the middle
of any spat between Steven Spielberg and Barry Levinson, though that's exactly
where Zimmer found himself when he received a call about scoring An
Everlasting Piece. The film, a flighty political satire about the men who
run a toupee company in Northern Ireland during the 1980's, was originally
approved by its studio, Dreamworks, for production last year. But after seeing a
partial cut of the film, the producers of Spielberg's company got cold feet on
the politically-charged project because of their ties to the British government.
Director Levinson continued with his edit of the film, in spite of growing
pressures leaked from the ranks of Dreamworks. Ironically, the project turned
sour publically when Dreamworks refused to hire Levinson's composer of choice,
Hans Zimmer, with whom he had created his Academy Award winning Rain Man
over a decade ago. Declining employment of Zimmer to the project was an even
greater curiosity when considering his blockbuster score for the Dreamworks
juggernaut Gladiator last summer. As a solution to the problem, Zimmer
agreed to compose a small score for the comedy as a favor to Levinson. Upon
doing this, Dreamworks jumped to retain the rights to the music by paying Zimmer
the minimum amount to establish legal title over the score... $1.
So for just $1 (and after the success of Gladiator in the stores, he
certainly isn't short on cash), Zimmer collected a group of musicians ultimately
known as "The Jigs" and recorded an intimate, wacky score. The music is as zany
as the arthouse film, with Irish and Scottish flavor mixed with pop rhythms of
the 1980's. The score's short cues jump between the two attitudes required by
the action in the film. First, the funky music for which the Jigs perform to
their name provides the comical element in the score. A band of authentic and
synthesized percussion, with a heavy emphasis on drums, begin with a rapturous
performance at the start of the score and meld into more traditional rock
rhythms. For the ethnic flavor, a fiddle, viola, and/or synthesized strings are
complimented by an occasional bagpipe for the instrumental effect, though most
of the ethnicity of the score is established with Zimmer's rhythms. The flip
side of the score is the more serious, character building element of the film.
Drawing the music closer to the listener, Zimmer leaves the funk behind for a
number of cues and provides and understated and yet noble theme for the film's
primary characters. Performed by singular strings or a duo of guitars, the heart
of these moments is genuine, while still a tad underplayed because of the
comical nature of the film. From listening to the score and keeping the
controversy in mind, perhaps Dreamworks had anticipated more of the wacky jigs
and less of the reflective attitude in the film and its music.
The title theme, which developes into a strong statement by tracks fourteen and
fifteen, is a spin-off of the Horner dramas of similar ethnic influence. Themes
from both Titanic and Legend of the Fall seem woven together into
the satirical mix --I don't know if this move was intentional, but the
resemblences exist. The score will likely be remembered for its outbursts of the
jigs and rock performances, however. For the final track, Zimmer lets the dozen
man crew of the Jigs rip with impromptu performances of background vocals and a
completely insane pianist. To be sure, if anyone doubts the diversity of
Zimmer's talents --talents which are often overlooked because the mainstream
public only pays attention to his big budget action scores-- then An
Everlasting Piece is clear evidence of the kinds of things that Zimmer has
floating around in that head of his. Some of the basic elements of the ethnic
reflection in this score were introduced in his convoluted score for
Toys, though in An Everlasting Piece, their purpose is clear and
the score is more effective. It's the type of music that will be a riot in the
film, and it may even be a great kick on screen, but the album, shifting between
the funky and reflective, is more difficult to grasp. If Gladiator was
the first Zimmer score you've ever purchased or heard, then prepare yourself for
a shock. **
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Viewer Ratings and Comments:
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• 1. Repo Man (3:57)
• 2. The Demon Barber of Dublin (0:55)
• 3. One Hundred and Ninety (3:52)
• 4. Day Job (2:08)
• 5. You Gotta Lose to Win (2:23)
• 6. Toupee or Not Toupee (2:18)
• 7. The Rant (1:08)
• 8. Glass Slipper (0:46)
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• 9. I'm a Dick (2:12)
• 10. Takes a Woman (2:05)
• 11. The Piecemaker (1:25)
• 12. Piece on Earth (1:54)
• 13. The Piece People (1:31)
• 14. F**kin' Genius (4:59)
• 15. Piece Offering (6:05)
• 16. Jiggy's Last Jam (4:09)
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Insert includes no extra information about the score or film.
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