Filmtracks Recommends:
Buy it... if you are prepared for a sobering and uneasy work of moody contemplation that compliments the mentality of the title artist in its shifty tones. Avoid it... if you expect an undemanding listening experience that expresses itself clearly and consistently. Filmtracks Editorial Review:
Pollock: (Jeff Beal) Actor Ed Harris worked for an entire decade to produce a film about 1950's artist Jackson Pollock, a flash in the pan sensation in New York before his death in car crash. Portraying the manic depression-suffering artist was Harris' original goal, though he eventually decided to attempt to direct the film as well. If you are one of those people familiar with the artwork of 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 award-winning film about the man's troubled personal life, Harris had a very 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 that involved 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. An entire score had been recorded by Donald Rubinstein for the picture (eventually released on limited CD in 2007), and while there has never been a confirmed published report about the identity of the other composer, some believe it was Tom Waits. Known throughout circles of jazz followers as a contemporary performer and composer of that genre, Beal's work had previously 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 inside and outside of the industry, though it was largely overlooked by mainstream film score collectors. One of the most intriguing aspects of Pollock is the basic fact that the film presented one of those rare opportunities for a composer to paint an aural picture of the mind frame of an artist hard at work. Cinematically speaking, such rare moments in film offer their music the chance to dominate entire scenes during which the artist toils with the transfer of thought and idea to canvas. Arguably the most successful score to ever accomplish this was John Ottman's Incognito a few years prior, but that film's frenetic energy was conceived from a much larger and riskier sense of elegance. For Pollock, Beal was restrained by the introverted nature of the story, accompanying its inherent darkness on a personal level. That, of course, entailed a smaller performing group consisting of a limited string section, banjo, piano, solo horn, and a varied percussion section. With these elements, the tone of Beal's score 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 rhythmic pace of the score at a minimum volume, 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 music. There may not be warm or easy thematic development in Pollock, though the slightly dissonant nature of Beal's layers in the composition serves the artist's mentality well. The most impressive single moment of the score, as mentioned elsewhere, comes in "Stroke of Genius." As to be expected, this cue of flowing artistic creation, jumbled slightly in a haphazard fashion, is exactly the sort of rare moment of expression described above. Even at these heights of engagement, the score for Pollock on album will not by any means overwhelm you. It is a score best suited for the context of 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 Harris' production. For the average film score collector, however, the product may be alienating without the vital context in which it was conceived. The mixing and arrangement of the album presentation yields a personal and intimate small studio sound. Two unique aspects of the mix worth mentioning are the repeating source dialogue heard over the score cue "The Mural Goes On & On" (which doesn't hinder the music because it fits in like another instrumental element), and a previously unreleased recording of Tom Waits' song "World Keeps Turning." Overall, this score is a sobering and uneasy work of moody contemplation. *** Track Listings:
Total Time: 44:41
All artwork and sound clips from Pollock are Copyright © 2001, Unitone Recordings. The reviews and notes contained on the filmtracks.com site may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of Filmtracks Publications. Audio clips can be heard using RealPlayer but cannot be redistributed without the label's expressed written consent. Page created 4/2/01, updated 2/7/09. Review Version 4.1 - PHP (Filmtracks Publications). Copyright © 2001-2013, Christian Clemmensen. All rights reserved. |
