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| • | Newest Major Reviews: | . | • | This Week's Most Popular Reviews: | • | Best-Selling Albums: | ||
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1. The Dark Knight 2. WALL·E 3. Kung Fu Panda 4. The Incredible Hulk 5. Indiana Jones: Kingdom of the Crystal Skull | . | . |
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1. Varèse Sarabande 25th 2. The Last of the Mohicans 3. Legends of the Fall 4. Schindler's List 5. LOTR: Return of the King (Set) |
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Filmtracks Editorial Review:
Pollock: (Jeff Beal) If you are one of those people familiar with the artwork of Jackson Pollock, you'll know that it is largely spontaneous and obscure in its expression of emotion and thought. When producing, directing, and starring in the (eventually) award-winning film about the artist's troubled life, Ed Harris had a specific sound in mind for the score. He knew that certain aspects of the real life man should play a part in the score, including a slight preference for jazz and an experience which revolves around a banjo. After rejecting the preliminary works of two other composers, Harris finally heard the kind of music he wanted for the film from Jeff Beal. Known throughout the circle of jazz followers as a contemporary performer and composer of that genre, Beal's work in the past has combined jazzy instrumentation and rhythm with classical overtones. As ultimately the chosen match for Harris' project, Beal's score for Pollock would be critically embraced in and out of the industry, even though it has been popularly overlooked by mainstream film score fans. One of the most intriguing aspects of Pollock is the basic fact that the film offers one of those rare opportunities for a composer to paint an aural picture of the mindframe of an artist hard at work. Cinematically speaking, such rare moments in film offer the music to chance to dominate entire scenes of the film during which the artist toils with transfer of thought and idea to canvas. The most successful score ever for such a film was John Ottman's Incognito a few years ago, but that film's frenetic energy was of a much larger and riskier elegance. For Pollock, Jeff Beal was restrained by the introverted nature of the story, it's inherent darkness on a personal level, and, of course, a smaller performing group. On the whole, Beal's score on album ranges from a mood of somber reflection to that of triumphant expression. While its intensity remains low during its lengthy cues of conversational underscore, the score maintains a consistent aspect of uncertainty and fluid motion. Successful in keeping the pace of the score at a minimum rhythm, Beal never loses touch of the artistic motion always --in some capacity or another-- within the title character. Perhaps a manipulation of his experience with jazz, the rhythmic element of the score, even if not performed by an impressive array of players, is what creates the heart of the score. The most impressive single moment of the score, as mentioned elsewhere, is the "Stroke of Genius" cue presented in track five. As to be expected, this cue of flowing art is exactly the sort of rare moment of expression described above. Consisting of mainly strings, solo horn, and a variety of drums, the score for Pollock on album will not by any means overwhelm you. It is a score best suited for its film, where it functions as almost a character in and of itself. Because of this important role in the film, the album is likely to be a fine souvenir for those who appreciate the film's mastery. For the average film score collector, the album may be alienating without the vital context with which it was conceived. The production of the album itself yields a personal and intimate, small studio sound. The sixteenth track has repetitive dialogue over its music (which is significant in that the score's motifs are very repetitive as well). Also of mention is the previously unreleased recording presentation of Tom Waits' song "World Keeps Turning." Overall, a sobering and complex work of contemplation. ***
Insert includes notes by Jackson Pollock, Jeff Beal, and Ed Harris. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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