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The Passion of the Christ on DVD
• "a score with chutzpah!" • DTS Digital Surround More DVD info... |
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The Passion of the Christ on DVD
• "a score with chutzpah!" • DTS Digital Surround More DVD info... |
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Filmtracks Recommends:
Buy it... if you want to hear the full, impressive weight of an intense, hugely orchestral score for the troubled events of Jesus' death. Avoid it... if you either prefer a loving musical celebration of Jesus' life, or have distaste for music that could be considered a Christian propaganda tool. Filmtracks Editorial Review:
Debney received the job in October, 2003 after the previous composer had been dismissed; Debney was so thrilled by the prospect of being involved with the project that wrote some sample material for Gibson that ended up being used in a trailer for the film. "I had no pre-conceived notions about what the score should be," Debney states. "I did know that the filmmakers liked an eclectic approach to the music, not wanting to make the score too literal or conventional. The result, I believe, is a nice blend between some very powerful, more traditional music, as well as some very interesting ethnic and contemporary textures." More than in any case in recent memory, the soundtrack for The Passion of the Christ cannot easily be separated from the film, for the story of Christ is so very well known. Thus, even if a person were to attempt to evaluate Debney's The Passion of the Christ as a piece of music alone, without any regard for the film it accompanies, then that evaluation would sorely miss the intent and context of that music. Many film music fans argue that this is the case for nearly any film, but with The Passion of the Christ, it is a clear reality. Part of this necessity to consider film and score together is caused by Debney's uncanny ability to do his job well, and he has certainly succeeded here. His score is hugely orchestral, with layered choirs, flighty flutes and female vocals, authentic instruments from the era, and an array of electronic instruments to provide accents and bass to the sound. It is large music at every turn, worthy of a lord or god indeed, and the intense passages of rhythm and lyrical statements of harmony carry with them the weight of heavily burdened film. There is seemingly less underscore compared to action, interestingly, with strongly propulsive sequences extending throughout the score, featuring choral statements over broad orchestral sweeps, very bass-heavy synthesizers, and relentless drums. There are parts of The Passion of the Christ that sound like they were inspired by The Prince of Egypt in its instrumentation, although the pounding action cues --and there are quite a few of them-- seem better compared to Hans Zimmer's Gladiator, which also pitted Romans as the evil-doers. In short, Debney's score is immense, even during dialogue-respecting underscore, which often features a distant, powerful beating drum and a rumbling cymbal to accentuate each pivotal statement by Jesus himself. One brief show of lyrical love is the flute work in the center portions of "Crucifixion," a welcome break from the score's constant pressures. One has to make the inevitable comparison to another Christ-related score that will, ironically, be released to theatres at the same time as The Passion of the Christ. Even though it debuted last year, The Gospel of John provides a similar glimpse into the life of Jesus, but with an entirely different intent and focus. The score for The Gospel of John is eloquent and romantic, beautiful and loving in its operatic interpretations of Jesus' life. Debney's The Passion of the Christ has all of the exact same kind of instrumental and choral ensembles, but with a completely different approach. This is where talk about context in Gibson's film becomes necessary; you can listen to The Gospel of John for hours and not associate it necessarily with Jesus Christ or any overtly religious idea. This is not so with The Passion of the Christ. Debney has said that "...restraint was key to this film, so when the music really gets big and emotional, we've earned it." And yet, Debney's score is saturated with troubling and agonizing passages, a mirror reflecting the graphic and upsetting events portrayed on screen. Debney's score has parts that are downright nasty, mean, and oppressive. There is very little love heard in The Passion of the Christ, which is understandable given the horrible events concentrated on by the film. But when you add the intended mass of the sound to the already troubled waters of the composition, you get a final result that sounds like Armageddon is upon us now! Debney's music is larger than life ("I can't imagine a more dramatic story to compose music to," he says), relentlessly pounding its message home, and while musically there are many outstanding and impressive aspects of this score, you can't help but be worn down by its attitude. There are some interesting techniques employed by Debney that lead to a few cues that qualify as downright horror music, especially with frantic strings and woodwinds exploding in every direction at once for poignant moments of betrayal in the film. Aside from thematic development for Jesus' mother, Mary ("I believe that Mary had a hand in giving me her theme," Debney continues), there are no overhwelming, central themes of the film. But the majority of the harmonic statements in the film are appropriately in the minor key as to maximize their dramatic effect. The resurrection cue has a surprisingly huge statement of powerful action in the minor key, a curious approach given that the events of that part of the story don't maintain the same harsh action as those prior. [Editor's Note: My wife has been reading a book in the Filmtracks office while I've been listening to this score and writing this review, and she just exploded with anger at Debney's music. I mention this because she is a student of Christian religion, having obtained her Master's degree in theology from a Christian seminary and working ever since with Christian organizations locally. Her distaste for the score was surprising, but perhaps predictable, because her opinion of the film was one of disappointment from the start. She states, "It's gruesome music that's meant to make you feel guilty... just like the film. It could make someone clinically depressed or suicidal if they care about the good things that Jesus did." She left the office and hasn't returned.] The Passion of the Christ is a score written by a devoted Christian for a devoted Christian film aimed at a devoted Christian audience. If you believe that the film is a propaganda tool and nothing more, then this music could really irritate you. Once again, it's hard to enjoy this music for its grand beauty without thinking about the film's use as an offensive conversion tactic. Mel Gibson seems to have been obsessed with films about martyrdom from the start, including his top titles like Mad Max and Braveheart, and with The Passion of the Christ he has the ultimate martyr's score for the ultimate martyr's film. Had Debney written this music for a Stargate sequel, then it would be magnificent in both execution and enjoyability. As it stands, however, it is a score flawless in execution and yet difficult to enjoy. Everything about it seems aimed at parallel goals with the film, and if you're bothered by any of the issues involving the film, then Debney's score could equally push your buttons with its bloated self-importance. The album was pressed by Christian music label Integrity Music in partnership with Sony Music for distribution. It is a curious album; the cues are a tad out of order so that the listener is struck with the momentous "Bearing the Cross" cue early on. Despite the film's great length, the score is only 54 minutes long on album, and no matter your opinion of the religious intent of the music and film, it would be very interesting to hear additional cues. Overall, it is the best score you'll ever hear for which you'll wish you didn't know the context of its film. There is nothing loving about this music for Jesus. It is built to impress and oppress with its sheer weight. Sometimes, the result is harsh and abrasive, and rarely is it relaxing or understated. For Debney, it is an effort that he must surely wish had been released just prior to the deadline for Academy Award voting, because it would easily gain a long-overdue Oscar nomination for the composer had it not been released a full year away from the next awards. Structurally, the music isn't quite at Cutthroat Island levels (still his crown jewel to date), but it comes awfully close. Melodramatic, controversial, and explosive, this music's fate rests on the shoulders of its film, for there is no better an example of a score that will sink or float with the fortunes of its film.
Music as Heard for Enjoyability on Album: *** Overall: ****
* Contains "Night Sky" by Jack Lenz/Vocals by Tanya Tsarouska ** Traditional *** Composed by John Debney and Jack Lenz **** Composed by John Debney and Shankar and Gingger
Insert includes extensive credits, but no extra information about the score or film. The publicity for the film and score also seems keen on bloating the topic's importance by referring to the film as The Passion of The Christ, incorrectly capitalizing the second 'The'. A heathen English major who puts ketchup on her communion wafers brought light to this error. Full List of Solo Artists:
• Chris Bleth: Duduk and World Winds • John Debney: Vocals & Synth Programmer • Ahmed El-Eshmer: Vocals • Pedro Eustache: World Winds • Mel Gibson: Chants & Vocals • Shankar and Gingger: Vocals and Double Violin • Karen Han: Erhu • Jan Hendrickse: Bamboo Flute • Shannon Kingsbury: Vocals • Aaron Martin: Vocals & Synth Programmer • Levon Minassian: Duduk • Naser Mousa: Oud • Lisbeth Scott: Lyrics and Vocal Coaching • Martin Tillman: Electric Cello • The Transylvania State Philharmonic Choir: Voices • Tanya Tsarouska: Vocal Solos | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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