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Conducted by:
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Geoffrey Alexander
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Produced by:
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The Hughes Brothers
Robert Townson
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Performed by:
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The Academy of St. Martins in the Field
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Release Date:
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October 16th, 2001
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Availability:
Regular U.S. release.
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Filmtracks Editorial Review:
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From Hell: (Trevor Jones) Hailing from a series of popular comic book
adaptations, the hunt for Jack the Ripper hits the big screens by the power of
the Hughes Brothers (Allen and Albert), whose films have typically gravitated
more towards the John Singleton side of contemporary black dramas. To hear a
classical, Victorian score for a Hughes Brothers film is an intriguing concept,
though it should be no surprise either that the popular highlight of the music
for the film is the "Wormwood Remix" of Marilyn Manson's Holy Wood album single
"The Nobodies." Whether the song should receive credit or not, the album is
performing as well, if not better, than the film. The subject matter of the film
is an obvious avenue for a powerful gothic score. Trevor Jones, whose
versitility is beginning to show after an early career during which his "self
rip-offs" were documented more often than not, provides a runaway Victorian
score, with brooding Gothic development of theme and string that will raise the
spirit of any night-dwelling score fan. The talents which Jones employed for
From Hell included both vocal and synthetic, with even an ethnically
bizarre Chinese edge in certain accented spots. Stepping above the realm of the
typical slashing horror score than many thought Jones would produce, the final
From Hell effort on album will likely prove to be a noteworthy career
notch for the continuously more popularized composer.
This score has already been described as "bleak" and "sorcerous." The latter is
an interesting description that I would agree upon based on instrumentation
alone. But the label of "bleak" isn't exactly right. It is a dark and
suspenseful score, yes, and Jones does everything right in order to make this
music brood with malice and fright. It doesn't allow the composer to bust out
with the melodic statements of theme for which he is famous, but to counteract
the consisently tightened sense of uneasiness, Jones refrains from producing
bleak music by nearly always inserting masterful vocals or synthetic distortions
during the slower moments. His integration of Chinese instrumentation, digitally
mutilated in seemingly fashionable ways, creaks and groans like the opening of
an old wooden door, and adds a sharply engaging edge to the From Hell
score that keepss it from ever becoming bleak. The instrumentation, synthetic or
otherwise, when combined with the deep vocals of a full chorus, add the touch of
"sorcery" that much better describes this score. The orchestra of choice for the
recording of this score is equally important. The Academy of St. Martins in the
Field is well known for its masterful string performances of classical pieces,
as well as the occasional film score, and Jones' use of their talents in this
score is superb. It is a score dominated by cellos and bases, with swirling
violins accompanying an often methodical cello and bass motif. The chase
sequences offer brass only as a supplement, with the frantic but deliberate
energy of those strings pushing the action into a very believable setting of
1888. Jones' music for From Hell is, most importantly, very believable in
that setting. He even inserts the distant tolling of the bells that you might
associate with London. It is a score that frightens and impresses all in one,
and its flourishing sense of dark drama makes it a perfect listen for Halloween
night.
The Manson song at the beginning is nothing more than a marketing ploy. Trevor
Jones fans will likely skip past it without a second though, as they should,
since it is the only bleak and barely tolerable aspect of the entire album. Of a
more curious nature is the Hughes Brothers' insertion of a couple of special
audio effects on the album. They take Jones' original music and digitally mix it
to make it sound like it is playing on an ancient gramophone player, with all
the scratches and wobbles that you'd expect to hear with that performance. In
the eighth track, Jones' dominating bass string and choral motif is first mixed
into this antique style, but explodes suddenly into the fully 21st Century
surround sound... a remarkable effect that could alone be worth the price of the
album for fans of explosive Gothic music. The final track is also a modern
manipulation to make the piece sound over a century old. As for the thematic
elements of the score (since that's what many Jones fans are interested the most
in hearing about), From Hell has a subtly powerful theme that may not
encapsulate you at the start. But by the time the eight and twelth tracks pass,
you will be hooked. Give this album a while to build up its thematic stream.
After all, it generously contains over an hour of Jones' material. If you listen
carefully to a sequence two minutes into the seventh track, you'll even hear a
full statement of the Jones' 1999 Cleopatra theme. The melodies are all
there, but they are transformed into the minor key and spiced heavily with an
overbearing string section and creative use of digital instrumentation. Overall,
From Hell may not be a scary score, but it is still one of the best
horror genre efforts to come from a major composer in a long time, and fans of
Gothic music will delight in its persistent sorcery. ****
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Viewer Ratings and Comments:
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• 1. The Nobodies (Wormwood Remix) - performed by Marilyn Manson (4:59)
• 2. In Memoriam (7:03)
• 3. Royal Connections (5:08)
• 4. A Sprig of Red Grapes (5:12)
• 5. Whitechapel Murders (7:23)
• 6. Chasing the Dragon (7:39)
• 7. Portrait of a Prince (6:45)
• 8. The Compass and the Ruler (6:06)
• 9. Marylebone Workhouse (3:51)
• 10. Investigation (4:13)
• 11. Death Coach (3:56)
• 12. Pennies for the Ferryman (6:22)
• 13. Bow Belle (Absinthium) (3:08)
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Insert includes no extra information about the score or film.
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