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Composed and Produced by:
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David Julyan
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Conducted by:
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Nick Ingman
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Orchestrated by:
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Martyn Harry
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Release Date:
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May 14th, 2002
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Availability:
Regular U.S. release.
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Filmtracks Editorial Review:
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Insomnia: (David Julyan) The works of David Julyan have been most
notably tied to those of acclaimed director Christopher Nolan. Both men
are best known for their collaborations on Following and the
award-winning Memento most recently. For the critically successful
Insomnia, Nolan has produced a murder mystery that takes place in Alaska
during the summer. Thus, the sun never really dips below the horizon, and the
24-hour a day sunlight can cause insomnia for people who are not used to it.
Hence the title of the film and a substantial aspect of the detective/mystery
plot. For the task of scoring Insomnia, Julyan teams with Nolan once
again to produce a low key, relatively quiet musical effort. The score shares
more with the previous collaborations than just a single word title; much of
Insomnia is reminiscent of the hauntingly underscored methodology of
Memento. For the budding fan group of Julyan's work, this will be a
welcome extension of the same talents. Outside of his collaborations with Nolan,
Julyan's filmography is sparse, leading many to consider him as a young wildcard
who could take a career step in any direction from this point on.
Perhaps working against him is the fact that his scores don't draw much
attention to themselves outside of the context of the films. Instead of using
any overt thematic development, Julyan slowly elaborates on a few lengthy
progressions of disjointed chords. The title theme, which engages the listener
only in its end titles performance, takes the full hour of bubbling beneath the
surface before it matures, aiding in the accompaniment of the music with the
film, but drawing several blanks throughout the first half of the score on
album. Despite the title of the third track, the theme suggested in the title is
nothing more than a half a minute wandering of the piano... a move that is
stereotypical of the score for Insomnia as a whole. The music borders on
the non-engaging level of boredom throughout its first half on album, but its
representation of the effects of insomnia grow in the second half. Each cue
becomes steadily more pronounced as the prime detective's wits become more
distorted. There are plenty of synthesized effects to supplement the small to
moderate orchestra in this task, including a use of the horns to sound like an
approaching blast of a train whistle. Other similar electronic samplings are a
staple of Julyan's career thus far as well.
Those same electronic samples provide the suspenseful touches in the score.
Instead of using any crashing or banging orchesral cues, as, for instance,
Christopher Young would prefer to use, Julyan inserts the samples at low
volumes, but with a sudden arrival, and that's what causes the score to maintain
its uneasy edge. Julyan also succeeds in producing eerie music for particular
Insomnia scenes by ensuring that there is never true harmony in the
score. This rule of thumb may seem simply universal for all suspense scores, but
Julyan does remarkably well producing an elevated performance of the orchestra
that would be perfectly harmonious if not for one constantly off key note. This
technique, however, makes the score a burden on album. Insomnia as an
album will appeal to a very small, specific crowd of listeners who become
completely engaged by the mood of small-scale, subtle suspense. It's not a piece
of music recommended to most listeners, not because it is too challenging, but
instead because it is a work that is perfectly tailored for the film and should
be enjoyed in that context instead. There are three or four cues of chasing or
action that show a sneak peek at the kind of edgy music that Julyan could
produce for other genres, and it would be interesting and likely rewarding to
hear him expand upon those ideas in another musical genre. As for
Insomnia, it's a well built work for enjoyment on album by a very small
crowd. ***
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Viewer Ratings and Comments:
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• 1. Opening Titles/Blood Drips (2:47)
• 2. The Glacier (3:02)
• 3. Kay's Theme (3:41)
• 4. Kay's Bag (2:15)
• 5. Fog (5:12)
• 6. Will Hides the Gun (2:11)
• 7. Call to Hap's Widow (3:43)
• 8. Crimescene (2:23)
• 9. The Dead Dog (3:30)
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• 10. Walter's Phone Call (3:22)
• 11. Kay's Funeral (1:19)
• 12. Walter's Apartment (3:36)
• 13. Ellie's Theme (1:50)
• 14. Will Confronts Walter (2:42)
• 15. Will's Confession (2:33)
• 16. Walter's Lake House (5:47)
• 17. "Let Me Sleep" (2:42)
• 18. Closing Titles (4:05)
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Insert includes no extra information about the score or film.
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