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In the Bedroom: (Thomas Newman) One of the most
powerful and critically praised films to come from the independent arena
in quite a while, Miramax's release of Todd Field's
In the
Bedroom stirred up so much positive hype in its showings at film
festivals that it was streamlined to a wide release in hopes of shoring
up Academy favor. The extremely engaging tale of a Maine family pushed
to its limits by a crime was universally applauded for its ensemble
performances and its outstanding sense of realism. Field had distant
hopes that he could acquire the services of composer Thomas Newman for
the film and, despite having almost a non-existent budget, the composer
agreed to do what he could to muster an adequate sound for the dramatic
environment. In the early years of his career, Newman filled a lengthy
resume with small budget projects, for which he gained the recognition
necessary for him to eventually assume the lifestyle of Alfred Newman.
He then, however, gained his largest following by creating expansive
orchestral scores for mainstream films, catapulting him into several
Academy Award nominations. But then, at the turn of the century, though
still landing blockbuster scoring assignments, Newman made a sudden and
enormously contrasting change of style, returning to a minimalistic,
small ensemble approach to his big name projects. With
American
Beauty and
Erin Brockovich shedding every resemblance of the
scoring technique he had employed at the popular height of his 1990's
career, Newman acquired an entirely new fans base. The definition of
exactly what this "minimalism" is had been fiercely debated, with some
referring to it as "modernism" and others as a "less-is-more"
approach.
Unfortunately, some of Newman's early 2000's scores
employed the "less-is-less" approach, with each one getting
progressively less interesting. Perhaps it should have come as no
surprise, therefore, that he accepted the scoring assignment to
In
the Bedroom in 2001. Without the kind of funds he was accustomed to
receiving at the time, Newman (as he usually did with enthusiasm) took
on the challenge of creating a functional piece of music on pennies.
Newman received a fair amount of praise for taking on such challenges,
as well as critical acclaim for the resulting music he produces for
them. But there comes a time, outside the score's basic functionality in
the film, when the music becomes so constrained in volume, rhythm, and
construct that it loses all the attributes that make it what it is
supposed to be: music. As much as traditional orchestral film score fans
may dislike the
American Beauty style of electronic and
percussive quirkiness, at least that style obeyed the basic rules of a
film score's employment as music rather than ambient sound design.
In
the Bedroom, on the other hand, reached a level of minimalism so
stark that it abandons even those attributes. It is, unfortunately, a
victim of its own extremely limited soundscape. Newman doesn't help the
situation by choosing a road of atmospheric string phrases as the
foundation for the work. The string performances take on the style of
sound design, droning in a seemingly mindless meandering of barely
connected progressions. There is actually a recurring progression at
work, but its application is so slight, slow, and soberingly dull that
the character of
In the Bedroom is defined by the extremely
melancholy and drab tone it creates rather than any particular motif or
instrumentation.
In many ways, the hopeless and muddled personality of
the work, even at the height of its two scratchy title performances
(which pluck and strike without harmony or reason), created one of the
least inspiring scores of the decade. What's frustrating about scores
such as this is that many people argue that "it's brilliant for the
budget he was given." No, it isn't brilliant. It barely even qualifies
as music, for the most part. Those who adore this score likely do so
because of the strikingly powerful atmosphere of the film itself, in
which the score is a minor player. There have been countless other films
of challenging dramatic plots and no music budget, for which composers
have created stark, realistic scores that effectively extend that
conflict onto album. The score for
In the Bedroom has no engaging
element whatsoever. It's cold, heartless, and uncaring. The handful of
vocal performances by the Newark Balkan Chorus would be out of place
except for the fact that they are equally unlistenable in their often
off-pitch performances of deluded harmony. The album also seemingly
contains sound effects or dialogue from the film, mixed obviously in a
few places and with subtlety in others. The start of "Thirteen" uses a
piece of dialogue that says "okay, go ahead," but it is partially cut
off by the placement of the track break on the product (before rugged
engine noise competes with the string section of the orchestra for the
rest of the cue). The "End Title" seems to conclude with muddled sounds
of sloshing water. The sound quality of the recording is consistent with
a few of Newman's other efforts from the era, which means the music
sounds as though it was recorded underwater. Its dull, lifeless
atmosphere helps define the wandering and lost personality of the
composition. Is it music or is it sound design? Either way, it'll put
you to sleep.
*
| Bias Check: | For Thomas Newman reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating
is 3.2 (in 20 reviews)
and the average viewer rating is 3.3
(in 50,023 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
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The insert includes a list of performers in the partial Hollywood
Studio Symphony and a note from the director of the film.
