Filmtracks Recommends:
Buy it... if you appreciate the melodramatic power of Patrick Doyle's solid classical style of grand thematic structures and immense orchestral harmony. Avoid it... if that same power and consistency from Doyle begins to lose its edge because all of his like-minded scores sound similar to you. Filmtracks Editorial Review:
Indochine: (Patrick Doyle) In late 1992, theatres around the world were buzzing with the French film Indochine, a love story set during the dangerous final years of the French occupation of Vietnam. The film won the Academy Award for "Best Foreign Language Film," gaining a substantial audience in America as well. Director Régis Wargnier's vision for the film was one of immense visual and aural beauty, with the drama of the story serving alongside an overwhelming artistic canvas for the senses. The wide-ranging depiction of Vietnam in the 1930's was so thorough that the setting was both the film's greatest strength and its most problematic weakness, at times distracting from the love story that remains the production's most compelling attraction. The director had heard Patrick Doyle's grand score for Henry V and was interested in a similar sound for Indochine. When Wargnier showed up at Doyle's door to hear a sample of what the composer could provide for the film, the funny circumstances of the day had required Doyle to record his ideas on a Fisher Price children's cassette recorder; despite Doyle's embarrassment over the situation, Wargnier and the producers were impressed and the composer was set to go. The director and the studio were so concerned about the appropriate sound for the film that they had set aside one of the largest music budgets ever for a French film. With that money, Doyle was able to boost the number of musicians from a typical recording by expanding the string section for greater resonance during his statements of melodramatic theme. A total of 120 musicians would eventually contribute to the score for Indochine, creating a depth in drama that very much pleased both Wargnier and audiences. Following the success of the score, Doyle's effort was nominated for a César award that year (though despite its strong chances, it failed to pick up the Academy Award nomination that many suspected it could earn). On album, the score would be distributed separately in Europe and United States, and for Doyle, who was still relatively fresh onto the scoring scene in 1992, Indochine was an excellent addition to an already promising resume. The success of this score was due, as expected, to Doyle's usual sense of romanticism that dominates the work. Indochine is a fine example of everything that defines Doyle's trademark sound in the dramatic genre. It is saturated with passion and harmonic brilliance, inspiring a rich and enthusiastic performance from the oversized orchestra. The score's title theme is sweeping and rooted in Western classicism. Broad orchestrations feature the strings but provide outstanding solo performances for every section during the course of the score. Highlighted are an adult chorus and a powerful percussion section. Scenes of the impending French retreat from Vietnam are scored with an unyielding rumbling of revolution, including striking brass tones. The percussion and brass, often emphasizing Western power, do exist in the minority compared to Doyle's meandering and lovely string themes for the predominant love story. The difference between the height of passion and the periods of conversational material is minimal, though a cue with as much strong emotional reach as "End of the Journey" does attract attention. Unlike Doyle's other weighty efforts, such as Great Expectations, Quest for Camelot, or even his Shakespeare scores, there is a constant level of intensity (and at times, tension) that is maintained from beginning to end in Indochine. Thus, the romantic title theme can, at times, be absorbed into the rest of the score so that it is less obvious in its development. But such is beauty of Doyle's style; Indochine is a consistent listening experience from beginning to end, offering a lovely, classical romance for enthusiasts of large orchestral ensembles. The one weakness of Indochine, and it could be a major flaw, depending on your position on scores that don't entirely represent their location, is the plain fact that Doyle utilized no theme, style, or instrumentation with which to properly match the location of the film. This was reportedly the composer's choice, though without any ethnicity at all, the score's heart is slightly out of place. Still, as Doyle would likely argue, the effort is still a success because of the primary characters' roots in European culture. The score was immediately released in America by Varèse Sarabande and fell out of print not long after. Even more difficult to find is the French Warner album with identical contents. Both products finish with elegant Doyle source pieces performed by smaller ensembles or a single piano. Overall, Indochine is a lush score that Doyle collectors, among all enthusiasts of classical stature, should appreciate. **** Track Listings (Both Albums):
Total Time: 52:25
All artwork and sound clips from Indochine are Copyright © 1992, Varèse Sarabande, Warner France. 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 7/1/03, updated 4/3/09. Review Version 4.1 - PHP (Filmtracks Publications). Copyright © 2003-2013, Christian Clemmensen. All rights reserved. |
Varèse Album