Filmtracks Recommends:
Buy it... if you are specifically looking for the many vocal and piano performances of Ivor Novello's music that were prominently featured in the film's story. Avoid it... if you expect Patrick Doyle's mellow score, which struggles to maintain character identity amongst those songs, to establish much overarching personality of its own. Filmtracks Editorial Review:
Gosford Park: (Patrick Doyle) If you consider yourself allergic to what you deem the "period talking head" film genre, then Gosford Park is likely your worst nightmare come true. Robert Altman's character rich dramas often receive their acclaim for their outstanding direction, screenwriting, and acting. For Gosford Park, he assembled an absolute all-star cast of British actors, though the whirlwind pace of the extravagant plot caused each character to be rather shallow. The story is constrained to a theatrical stage-like bubble of action, with the murderous who-done-it story played out in the lavish confines of a mansion in a century past. For those not informed about 1930's culture, both in Britain and America, many of the conversational references and characters' reasoning will fly over their heads and likely lead to immense boredom. The intensely intimate manner by which Altman typically concentrates on the story and its characters rather than anything with more flash can cause the scores for his films to fade away into obscurity. In fact, when one thinks about an Altman film, the original score isn't the first thing that comes to mind and, in many cases, his films don't even need a score. This wasn't the case, however, with Gosford Park, which was a musical-like diversion for Altman. One of the characters is based on composer Ivor Novello, who is portrayed by actor Jeremy Northam well enough in the film that he performs all of his own piano and vocal duties. It's not uncommon for the film to spend ten minutes delving into a deep discussion of culture theory and then loosen its environment with one of Northam's lengthy performances (which dominate the soundscape during almost every moment). The period and decadent style of the setting in Gosford Park necessitated a score to accompany the songs, and Altman looked no further than Patrick Doyle for the assignment. The composer, heaving just finished Love's Labour's Lost and a veteran of several British period dramas, was a very logical choice by Altman. The musical approach to Gosford Park, however, is nothing like Love's Labour's Lost. Because it still holds true to the tight grip of the director, Gosford Park was a project for which Doyle needed only a small ensemble and a swaggering sense of style. For a composition devoid of even one flashy moment, Doyle recorded the score with only an ensemble of a dozen or so primary instruments. Because it is a part of the film's story, the piano is the center of both the songs and the score. Minimalistic by Doyle's standards, Gosford Park has its moments of jazzy flair and rolling piano cues, but the mass of it tinkers along with a light percussive beat and the meanderings of a solo instrument of choice. The story's dual settings within the mansion caused Doyle to tackle the upstairs extravaganza of wealth with a different set of instruments than the seedy downstairs of the estate, where dirty kitchen gossip reigns. The former, rich with high society conversation and snipes, is addressed with the same kind of stately piano attitude that you'd expect upon walking into a fashionable department store. The latter, where the workers cut to the chase, is portrayed through a lower class accordion and a slower tempo. The duality is effective, though not particularly inspiring in the restraints placed on them by the story. The best cues of the score are caused by Doyle's infusion of jazz, which is highlighted by the "Inspector Thompson" cue of almost sleazy sax style. The score's downbeat finale (from "Carpe Diem" to "Your Boy's Alive") is a major detraction. The Ivor Novello songs in Gosford Park mix surprisingly well with the score despite their often disparate genres. Altman gives credit to Doyle for this cohesion, since the songs were selected before hand and it was Doyle's job to connect them with a compatible score. Despite Northam's competent performances, those songs, however, aren't particularly clever or refreshing. Their simple construction sometimes betrays the fact that Altman's attention was on the story rather than the musical accessories. Abigail Doyle contributes two song performances to the film, both of which smoother to the ear. Together, all of these elements form a functional, albeit lightweight album. There's nothing new or fantastic about the music for Gosford Park, though the album initially sold well because of the production's critical success and the obvious role for the music in the film. For Doyle collectors, there may be some disappointment with the constraints of the ensemble and subsequently mellow personality of the recording. It's a pleasant, though mundane listening experience on album. *** Track Listings:
Total Time: 51:07
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