 |
|
| Portman |
|
|
The Manchurian Candidate: (David Amram/Rachel Portman)
John Frankenheimer's original film, based on Richard Condon's 1959 novel and
adapted in George Axelrod's 1962 screenplay, remains a Hollywood classic and
a historically fascinating glimpse into the imaginative fears of America in
the height of cold war anti-Communism. It raised possibilities terrifying to
the average American in the 1960's, but all too real in current times: a
group of American soldiers, captured by an enemy of war during distant
battle, is brainwashed and one of them is falsely decorated by the
illegitimate memories of his comrades and goes on to eventually become a
vice-presidential candidate. That candidate, once in office, will become
president after a planned assassination, and the faceless enemy that
brainwashed him would activate a controlling device that would make him
their drone. For Frank Sinatra and Angela Lansbury, the enemy was the Red
Chinese government, but today, the villains in the Denzel Washington and
Meryl Streep remake by Jonathan Demme are, more believably, corporations.
While the basic elements in the two films are identical, Demme has reworked
the equation to better suit the modern political landscape, tightening the
focus on the attempted coup and leaving behind some of the more cool and
humorous elements thrown into the first film to accentuate its horror.
Critics have been entertained by the remake, although learned fans of the
Frankenheimer version have rightfully commented that the technology and
drugs used for the brainwashing in the new version is far less
intellectually stimulating than the straight psychological brainwashing
(and, more specifically, the rotating scene of the ladies' club at a
horticultural lecture) in the original film. Demme's hardened approach to
the task would have a distinct affect on Rachel Portman's score for the
remake.
David Amram's 1962 score was a much more varied, diverse,
and dynamic orchestral effort, including elements of jazz and Latin
influence. Portman's effort is one of a distinctly singular emphasis on
suspense, with none of Amram's stylistic or creative reach. Many critics
have inevitably compared the 1962 and 2004 versions of the film --as they
should-- and the packaging of both scores together by the Varèse
Sarabande label in 2004 begs the same comparison of Portman and Amram's work
as well (the Amram score was previously unreleased officially). As mentioned
before, the 1962 film featured a wider range of romance and leisure, which
was part of why the film's effect was so overwhelming. Amram responded by
utilizing jazz, blues, and Latin variations on his title theme to offset the
more suspenseful cues beneath the dialogue. Amram also took advantage of a
handful of plucking string motifs to tingle our senses when the brainwashing
was in effect on screen. The brute force of his martial/political motif
("John Birch Lurch") remains a hair-raising snare-driven cue of patriotism
at its confused height, and along with his masterful handling of the
unnerving strings and woodwinds in the underscore, Amram succeeds in making
the music sound almost right, but not quite there. As a listening
experience, its successfully troublesome nature causes a somewhat uneasy
reaction, especially if you attempt to enjoy it without any context. It's
easy to hear in the music that Demme's version wasn't going to establish any
new ground with the premise, but was instead concerned with taking the
concept of
The Manchurian Candidate and proposing it at a time when
it could be even more outrageous while maintaining its believability. Rachel
Portman, whose choice for this assignment (given her overwhelming career
tendencies towards romance and comedy) was intriguing, writes her most
ferocious and/or disturbed score, but by no means her best.
Devoid of centralized themes and making no attempt to
broaden the scope of the score as Amram had done, Portman's take on
The
Manchurian Candidate is one of very predictable, brooding suspense that
is understandable, but disappointingly common in modern films. She does use
her strings to waver at high ranges to represent the brainwashing aspects of
the story, but the majority of the score boils and stirs in the low string
ranges. A deep, resonating bass string note is nearly a constant. The piano,
as usual for Portman, is a central piece, meandering in her typical
octave-friendly fashion underneath this action. The highlight of her work is
"I am the Enemy, Major Marco," in which she combines a rolling and
determined piano and string rhythm with a choral and forceful brass motif.
Other small moments of interest include a distant electric guitar in "What
if All This is a Dream?" and a rumbling timpani climax in "There are Always
Casualties in War." The Wyclef Jean song "Fortunate Son" in the remake is an
awkward and disjointed piece of the puzzle, not fitting to any degree with
either score and perhaps necessary only because of the pop sensationalism
that comes with post-9/11 "feel-good" Americanism. Hearing both the Amram
and Portman scores back to back tells all you need to know about the
different directions taken in the films, and despite their ability to suit
their own projects well enough to suffice, it's easy to say that Portman's
score lacks the emotional punch of Amram's original. From Varèse
Sarabande's perspective, the relatively short running time of both scores
made the duo-album seem like a good idea, and if you are a fan of the
original film, this album arrangement is a treat. But the scores
--especially with the Jean song in the remake-- can't be further apart in
their sounds, and the album therefore doesn't function well as one lengthy
listening experience. You either buy it for the Amram score or the Portman
one, for there is no common ground between them. Remember that neither of
these scores stands as well alone as they do with their finished projects.
Overall, Portman's job was fulfilled by her straight suspense underscore,
but --just like the films themselves-- you can't help but continue to admire
the original.
The 1962 David Amram Score: ***
The 2004 Rachel Portman Score: **
2004 Album Overall: ***
The insert includes a note from David Amram about both films and scores, as well as a list of musicians.
