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Release Date:
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August 1st, 1995
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Availability:
Regular U.S. release, however becoming difficult to find in stores as of 1999.
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Filmtracks Editorial Review:
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Picture Bride: (Cliff Eidelman) One of the biggest disappointments in the
career of Cliff Eidleman was the rejected score for Picture Bride,
replaced in the final version of the film by an equivalent score by Mark Adler
(who remains best known in the film score genre with 1988's The Unbearable
Lightness of Being). The Adler score for the film (a film which went on to
win awards) was released on album at the same time as Eidelman's unused effort,
and both scores would have worked just as well in the film. While some sources
of information indicate that the post production scheduling conflicts of
Picture Bride caused Eidelman to be unable to finish the score, other
accounts of the collapse are less kind to Eidelman's composition. In any case,
the film's location required a flavor of the Far East while also catering to the
ears of Western audiences. Both scores accomplished this task, but they went
about doing so from different directions.
The final Adler score was a much more ethnically precise in its percussive and
woodwind instrumentation, producing a more genuine score for its surroundings.
Adler's themes, however, are not as compelling as Eidelman's, who incorporates a
moderate amount of the same instrumentation, while swaying more heavily towards
the thematic development that would appeal to Western audiences. As much as I
enjoy and endorse Eidelman's works, the Mark Adler score for Picture
Bride is also a very strong and listenable score, and I do not doubt that
some would argue as to the ethnic superiority of Adler's interpretation of the
story. Eidelman's composition was handled by an adequate, although ethnically
lacking Seattle Orchestra, with one soloist responsible for most of the ethnic
performances on two instruments. The pan pipe and bamboo flute offer some of the
best moments in Eidelman's Picture Bride score, with the suite at the
beginning of the album containing the best of those performances. It is
interesting, however, to acknowledge that Eidelman's best use of unusual
percussion and woodwinds on album is still Star Trek VI, which causes me
to wonder why he did not approach Picture Bride with the same ethnic
power and emotion. Perhaps this is why Adler's score is considered superior by
some.
Where Eidelman's score may be lacking in its ethnicity, this fault is
compensated by the lush and often intense themes that the composer incorporates
into nearly every cue. A similar motif to the opening of John Williams' theme
for Born on the Fourth of July appears, especially in the seventh track
on the album, but the themes are otherwise a refreshing burst of power compared
to the often subdued nature of Eidelman's other scores on album at the time.
Once again, it's a short score and a short album, most likely due to the fact
that Eidelman never finished the score (the Adler album, which is bady out of
print, is much longer). Without the suite of themes presented at the start, and
Eidelman's typical piano solo at the end, the score would run barely over twenty
minutes. The piano plays a role in the Picture Bride score, which is no
surprise given the fact that Eidelman works it into nearly every dramatic score
he does, but it sounded slightly out of character for this particular score.
This is a very good score if you are an Eidelman fan --above the average
underscore for comparable efforts-- because its themes are strong and the
performances up to par for most cues. Otherwise, I am afraid that this score may
simply bore the average film music listener, perhaps with the exception of the
vibrant "Running for the Ocean" cue, which lights up the entire score. ****
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Viewer Ratings and Comments:
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• 1. End Credits (Suite) (7:15)
• 2. Running for the Ocean (2:23)
• 3. Rebirth (4:15)
• 4. A New Life (1:24)
• 5. A Long Day (1:11)
• 6. Picture Brides (2:38)
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• 7. Tragic Loss (2:29)
• 8. Wind God (1:24)
• 9. Aftermath (2:10)
• 10. Final Love (1:39)
• 11. Working In The Field (0:50)
• 12. Picture Bride (2:43)
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The insert includes notes about Eidelman, the score, and the artwork of M.J. Peak.
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