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The Fifth Element on DVD
• "terrific, operatic soundfield" • Dolby Digital 5.1 More DVD info... |
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The Fifth Element on DVD
• "terrific, operatic soundfield" • Dolby Digital 5.1 More DVD info... |
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Filmtracks Recommends:
Buy it... only if you are fond of the film itself, for Eric Serra's score is nothing more than a frightfully obnoxious and loyal souvenir from an equally insufferable film. Avoid it... if you refuse to own any reggae, techno, opera, rap, pop, and classical film score (all in one) that explicitly mixes the sounds of a female orgasm into its ranks. Filmtracks Editorial Review:
As in most scores, however, the soundtrack for The Fifth Element does feature some highlights. Serra does indeed provide a main theme for the film, though a casual browsing of the album will barely reveal it. This theme is the only truly orchestral idea in the entire effort, representing the concept of humanity (and, to a lesser extent, its savior in the form of Milla Jovovich) that is threatened in the story's barely lucid plotline. This theme is previewed in "Koolen," but finally receives full treatment on strings in "Leeloominai," "Human Nature," and "Protect Life." During a particularly disturbing sequence about the history of war, this theme receives a brief blast of disharmony ("Pictures of War"). The three or four minutes of this theme's statements on the album will definitely not be worth the price for standard orchestral score collectors, because the remainder of the score makes absolutely no sense. Serra flips the pages of every genre during the effort, from the electronic droning of a suspense score to the hip reggae of a romantic comedy in the Caribbean. The historical parts of the plot are handled with heavily cliched Middle Eastern string movements over incongruous pop rhythms while the forces of evil are provided with pounding electronic hits, intentionally harsh and nearly intolerable, and with the occasional help of a chorus. To call The Fifth Element eclectic wouldn't do it justice, with violent mood swings at every turn. Somewhat more consistent is Serra's use of looped drum pads and the incorporation of sound effects, highlighting the theme for "Korben Dallas" (Bruce Willis). The three songs prominently featured in The Fifth Element could not be any more diverse themselves. While "Little Light of Love" is the somewhat standard European-sounding rock piece heard over the end credits, the rap song "Ruby Rap" simply makes you want to throttle Chris Tucker. The opera piece performed on the cruise ship in space ("Lucia di Lammermoor") is beautifully performed by the London Symphony Orchestra and Inva Mulla Tchako. The transformation of the piece into a modern dance bonanza in the following "The Diva Dance" is frighteningly interesting in an exotic way. Serra's expansive use of not only his vast library of synthetic rhythms and sound effects, but also those directly from the film is intriguing and, if it catches you in the right mood, quite funny. The sounds of meowing cats, banging doors, random guitar strumming, and sloshing water are catchy, but their mixing is harsh and bombastic and therefore highly distracting. Serra is sure to make it known that this technique is done for purely humorous reasons by the time you get to "Aknot! Wot?," the concluding track on the album. This recording takes the hip rhythm from the "Korben Dallas" cue and accentuates every musical aspect of it before inserting snippets of spoken dialogue and many more sound effects from the film in synch with its movement. This cue is both hilarious and utterly intolerable, perhaps the most awkwardly unique single track appearing on any soundtrack album in the 1990's. If you need something to drive away potential mates or make nearby drivers flee you at intersections, crank up "Aknot! Wot?." The sounds of female orgasms alone could do the trick. Overall, this score was obviously written to deviate from the norm. Because it matches the careless and flamboyant personality of the film, you can't denigrate Serra for producing it. At the same time, however, it's a nearly impossible score to sit through from start to finish, because along the journey through the genres of reggae, techno, opera, rap, pop, and classical, the album fails to convey any kind of connecting tool with which to identify the whole work. It serves as, in many ways, a promotional sampler of Serra's talents, and while you might be inclined to take three or four tracks off of the album for your own compilation, the entirety of the album fails. Thus, it wasn't surprising to see almost every film score reviewer give The Fifth Element a neutral rating. If you lived in Fhloston Paradise, then it might work, but on 21st Century Earth, it just doesn't make sense. If not for the fact that the album (with several different covers released internationally, all containing the same music within) is out of print and expensive, the "Aknot! Wot?" track alone would be worth some morbid curiosity. You couldn't get a better souvenir from the film anywhere else. ***
Neither insert includes any extra information about the score or film. The American album features Courier "type-writer" font on its packaging that is very difficult to read | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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