 |
|
|
|
|
 |
Conducted by:
|
David Snell
|
Piano Solos by:
|
John Lenehan
|
Co-Orchestrated by:
|
Jeff Atmajian
|
|
|
|
|
Release Date:
|
September 23rd, 2003
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Availability:
Regular U.S. release. An album called "The Human Stain: Coleman's Collection" was released by the same label a few
weeks later with the jazz and standards classics featured in the film.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Filmtracks Recommends:
Buy it... if you believe that Rachel Portman can do no wrong with her
harmonic writing for piano and strings.
Avoid it... if you prefer her less troubled and contemplative (and more
outwardly thematic) music for romantic comedies.
Filmtracks Editorial Review:
 |
| | Portman | |
|
The Human Stain: (Rachel Portman) Based upon the 2000
novel of the same title by Philip Roth, the story concluded a trilogy of
dramas by the author and was translated to the big screen by Miramax in
2002. The release date of the picture has been pushed around the year 2003
several times, finally settling upon Halloween as the time at which to woo
Academy members. The film's cast is similarly built for Oscar consideration,
placing several winners of the award in leading roles. Anthony Hopkins
portrays a respected, but tarnished New England classics professor who
battles with a torrid sexual affair (with Nicole Kidman), her husband (Ed
Harris), and various other issues, including race and religion. As a series
of revelations continues to unfold for the audience, the film advertises
itself as a top entry in heavy character dramas. While it was originally to
be an arthouse release, Miramax pushed the film to a widespread release.
This is good news for composer Rachel Portman, another member of the
production with an Academy Award win, who has spent the last two years
branching off into unfamiliar genre territory for her. Portman is the
foremost composer in the genre of romantic dramas and comedies, gaining a
loyal following of hopelessly romantic listeners who enjoy her simple, but
loving orchestral touch. The films which she has scored in the past two
years flew below the radar, with 2000's Chocolat being her last
popular, mainstream score on album. It is likely that her work for The
Human Stain will also cater to her loyal audience, but whether it can
muster the same support as The Cider House Rules and Chocolat
depends likewise on how well received the movie is at awards time. In and of
itself, Portman's score for The Human Stain isn't dynamic or flashy
enough to stretch its legs much beyond the success of the film.
This reliance of the score on the success of the film is
due mostly to the fact that The Human Stain isn't as beautiful in a
larger setting as many of the films that Portman is accustomed to scoring.
This film is intensely personal, and so is the music, refraining from making
too broad of a statement in theme and concentrating instead on the perils
and achievements of singular characters. If you're expecting one of
Portman's upbeat, grand themes, read no further, because The Human
Stain has no such thing. Instead, Portman tones back her scope, as well
as her orchestral ensemble. The performing group is heavy on the strings,
and leaves most of the woodwinds, brass and percussion behind. The
personality of the score is based solely on the shoulders of the piano,
Portman's most familiar instrument. It is almost cliche to use a piano in
smaller, character-driven films. As Elmer Bernstein mentioned when he
composed his awards-contender Far From Heaven, the piano is the kind
of instrument you find in homes both rich and poor, acting as a symbol of
the trials and successes of both small and great people. Portman follows
that line of thinking in every cue, making the piano the omnipresent element
in the score. But despite the obvious use of the piano in these situations,
Portman continues to handle instrument (not personally --while she composes
on a piano, others perform the instrument for her recordings-- in this case,
it is John Lenehan) with class and grace. The meandering piano theme,
sometimes offered in pieces as motifs, is performed at nearly every moment
in The Human Stain, maintaining a consistency that makes for a very
easy listening experience on album (and venturing closely to some of Mark
Snow's style of writing). Strings offer dramatic backing in every cue as
well, presenting the familiar lush sound that Portman fans have come to
expect. The rewrite of the end titles features the only octave-bouncing
strings, however, that are another trademark. The score succeeds in its
intentions at every turn, but it is very introverted and subdued. Fans of
her comedy work should be aware that The Human Stain is a solemn, yet
equally harmonic work... a very pleasant, but slightly troubled and
contemplative score. ***
 |
|
Viewer Ratings and Comments:
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
• 1. Opening Credits (3:11)
• 2. Iris Dies/Library/Coleman Waits for Faunia (2:29)
• 3. It's in the Mail/End Credits (Original Version) (7:03)
• 4. The Two Urns/Father Dies (2:31)
• 5. Navy Recruiting (1:01)
• 6. Steena Rejects Coleman (1:28)
| |
• 7. Audobon Society/The Crow (2:35)
• 8. Coleman's Funeral/Faunia Dances (1:14)
• 9. The Accident (2:46)
• 10. You Think Like a Prisoner (2:05)
• 11. Frozen Lake (1:36)
• 12. It's in the Mail/End Credits (Rewrite) (7:03)
|
The insert includes no extra information about the score or film.
|
