Filmtracks Recommends:
Buy it... if your nostalgia for Rachel Portman's broad strokes of romance from the 1990's sends you searching for every new variation of that sound in existence, even if it only lasts here for a few minutes. Avoid it... if you expect Portman to challenge herself with any deviating stylistic exploration in this highly predictable, but still affable work. Filmtracks Editorial Review:
Grey Gardens: (Rachel Portman) Few in the younger generations will recall the fascinating story of Edith Bouvier Beale and her daughter Little Edie, relatives of Jackie Kennedy Onassis whose lives of codependence and nostalgia left them as one of the most lasting memories from America's tale of Camelot. From their impressive Hamptons estate, the Beale family was a foremost part of aristocracy in the first half of the 20th Century. But as that estate fell apart in the 1960's and 70's, the surviving mother and daughter lived a life of desperate isolation in their decaying mansion, hassled by health inspectors and living in absolute squalor even as Jackie Onassis continued to financially support their ghostly lifestyle. Two documentary filmmakers stumbled upon them while investigating Onassis' family, and after much coaxing, the women allowed themselves to be the subject of an entire 1975 documentary film. Hailed as a classic, this documentary has inspired several books, a stage play, and even a Broadway musical through the years, and it is the subject of a highly acclaimed HBO production that aired on the channel in April of 2009. Director, producer, and co-screenwriter Michael Sucsy painstakingly recreated the circumstances of the documentary, even including the filmmakers as characters and re-shooting the older footage as faithfully as possible. Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange are aged through 40 years of the story, earning significant praise in the process. In fact, there has been speculation that had Grey Gardens been released theatrically instead of on television, it could have earned a few Oscar nominations. Another high profile name attached to the project is Rachel Portman, whose productivity in feature film scores has diminished throughout the 2000's as she has concentrated on raising her family. In the second half of the decade, she has primarily taken assignments that may seem odd on the surface but do actually have feminine undercurrents in their plots (stories concentrating on strong or at least intriguing female characters seem to lure her to her piano to write). None of the material she has produced during this time has been particularly groundbreaking for the composer. After a few ventures into more varied genres in the early 2000's, Portman has fit comfortably in a place that reminds listeners of her most familiar stylistic tendencies of the height of her career in the 1990's. Undoubtedly, Grey Gardens can be classified as a film that reflects Portman's trademark sensibilities perfectly. The score consists of the strings and woodwinds of the City of Prague Philharmonic joined by solo piano and soprano sax, with rarely any other element playing a role. Not surprisingly, the strings are relegated to the usual Portman position of serving as broad backing for the endeavors of the piano and woodwind performances prominently placed on top of them. The thematic structures will be recognizable as well, with pleasant string ostinatos and piano rhythms carrying free-floating harmonic progressions of hopelessly optimistic character. The most robust theme is called "Love is Devine," and it is in these cues on the album presentation that Portman allows for the bass strings to bring truly dramatic depth to the soundscape. Other themes follow the women as well, the most lovely being a romantic idea conveyed by full ensemble in "Wedding Jewels." Most of the other performances of the thematic identities are restrained to soft solo levels. The grim portions of the score (which naturally become more numerous as it progresses) present stern bass string explorations that will remind of Oliver Twist in parts. The overarching style of the score is frightfully consistent with Portman's prior work, including the waltz-like movements that have often defined her most actively engaging works. That use of the slow waltz rhythms is a bit more pronounced here, however, and it is completely appropriate. The score mingles with source songs by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II and others, featuring performances by the cast principles over solo piano that has a hint of high times of wealth and style from Gosford Park. A scratchy reprised version of Lange's "We Belong Together" is effective though breaks up the flow of the album in its midsection. For Portman enthusiasts, the affable character of Grey Gardens will make a predictable, if not unnecessary extension of an already representative collection. It is an ultra-easy listening experience, but at 30 minutes it's understandably redundant. Somewhere between five and ten minutes of this score's most evocative moments will suffice, led by a "Wedding Jewels" cue that is the only true reminder of the deep, rumbling beauty of Only You and Addicted to Love to be heard here. Otherwise, the score is efficiently pretty but largely unremarkable. *** Track Listings:
Total Time: 39:55
* performed by Jessica Lange & Malcolm Gets ** performed by Jessica Lange *** performed by Drew Barrymore All artwork and sound clips from Grey Gardens are Copyright © 2009, Varèse Sarabande. 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 7/5/09, updated 7/5/09. Review Version 4.1 - PHP (Filmtracks Publications). Copyright © 2009-2013, Christian Clemmensen. All rights reserved. |
