Filmtracks Recommends:
Buy it... if you find the blending of traditional Eastern instruments with Western symphonic sensibilities to be intoxicating in every dramatic variation. Avoid it... if you demand depth to your passion, for Shigeru Umebayashi's score is impressive in its technical precision but may often be too sparse to fully address the tragic spirit of the concept for many Western ears. Filmtracks Editorial Review:
House of Flying Daggers: (Shigeru Umebayashi) Even if you have no interest in the genre of martial arts romanticism of historic China, the stylish films of the early 2000's that launched the topic to international acclaim are worth beholding simply for their visual splendor. The success of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon yielded a variety of similar explorations of this tragic genre, and hot on the heals of Hero in 2004 was Zhang Yimou's House of Flying Daggers. These films thankfully are simply stunning to view in their cinematography and application of colors, because if you seek them for satisfying love stories, you're in for a nasty surprise. The tale of House of Flying Daggers is about as predictably depressing as they come, a love triangle destined for a bloody end after two young police captains infiltrate a rebel group (of the film's title) that is resisting the declining powers of the Tang Dynasty in the year 859. A series of betrayals and revelations involving the characters is anchored by the captains' shared affections for a supposedly blind woman thought to be a member of the group. As their commanding general pursues them later in the film, they must fight together before the final confrontation over the woman. There is no "happily ever after" in House of Flying Daggers, but with a visual presentation as intoxicating as any the genre has produced, the film remains highly recommended. It fared well with critics and fans at film festivals and was given a wide release by Sony, producing outstanding global returns. Composer Tan Dun had been the voice of this genre of films throughout the previous five years, but for House of Flying Daggers the assignment went to Japan's Shigeru Umebayashi, who was already a veteran of over 50 film scores after his notable participation with a Japanese new-wave rock band ended with its disbandment. Like Dun, Umebayashi's recognition outside of Asia has been largely limited to this specific genre of historical drama, with neither man able to use these memorable scores to step into American cinema, a topic of much disgruntlement for fans of this music. Their approaches are basically similar in the application of Eastern instrumentation and stylistic mannerisms to Western symphonic norms and synthetic accents of film scoring, though Umebayashi exercises far more restraint in his employment of the Western elements. In terms of accessibility for average collectors of Hollywood film music, Dun's music is typically more attractive, despite the equally effective techniques used by Umebayashi for House of Flying Daggers. Comfortable for anyone will be Umebayashi's employment of a dynamically layered orchestral string section for House of Flying Daggers, but the expected highlights of the genre are produced by the traditional instruments of the Orient. The bulk of the solo work is handled by the usual erhu and dizi, the violins and flutes most often associated with the region. Joining them are papa lute and yangqin dulcimer, along with a few intriguingly international accents ranging from Japanese percussion to crisp saxophone. A few passages for electronic manipulation and wordless female vocals also lend color to the score, culminating in a pair of songs by the composer that vary greatly in performance aspect. The erhu and dizi are the main attraction, however, intoxicating as always in their refreshing tone. Like the film, it's the combination of these disparate sounds that attracts you. But the weakness of the score is Umebayashi's refusal to follow a cohesive narrative flow, instead handling each scene as its own piece within a larger opera. This lack of consistent development is assuaged by the final four cues, but prior to this impressive finale, the score exhibits the same disregard for the overarching narrative as a typical Vangelis work. Also reminiscent of Vangelis is the incredibly sparse nature of many of these cues, sometimes allowing one instrument to very precisely convey the entire emotional spectrum of a scene. As such, until the melodramatic conclusion, there is a lack of depth to the music that will alienate many Western listeners. For those who do not need resounding depth of a full ensemble to denote a sense of gravity (a technique completely ignored by Umebayashi; the bass region is very weak in this score), however, there is considerable beauty to be heard in these performances. It doesn't help, though, that Umebayashi made the love theme for House of Flying Daggers the primary identity of the film; as such, it doesn't really begin to pull the score together until the end. Fans will casually note that this theme opens with the same six notes as Nino Rota's enduring love theme from The Godfather, likely a coincidence. After debuting in "Flower Garden," the theme gains momentum until it finally receives layered performances by the full ensemble in "Lovers (Mei and Jin)" and "Farewell No. 2." It also serves as the basis for soprano Kathleen Battle's striking, English vocal rendition in "Lovers." Overall, there is much to appreciate in House of Flying Daggers, but Umebayashi's score risks being too distantly sparse for those expecting depth of character in the music. With deliberate restraint comes respect and distinction for each solo element, but also a sense of introversion that betrays passion of this magnitude for the Western ear.
Music as Heard on Album: *** Overall: *** Track Listings:
Total Time: 49:37
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