Buy it... if you wish to hear a subdued and prolonged mixture of anonymously vague musical representations of suspense and religion.

Avoid it... if you prefer your suspense and religion scores to be vibrant, active, and interesting in texture and the development of consistent structures.

The Statement: (Norman Corbeil) Originally predicted to be an Academy Award powerhouse from the arthouse film venues in late 2003, The Statement turned out to be both a critical and popular flop. A contemporary political thriller based on a novel by Brian Moore, the story of an aged Nazi collaborator in modern day France (and the chase to arrest and/or kill him), is loosely based on factual events. With Michael Caine playing the war criminal on the run, utilizing his faith and the structure of the Catholic Chruch in the south of France to protect himself, the film advertised itself as a tense thriller with a distinct message. Director Norman Jewison has had his fair share of cinematic success, but with The Statement he created a film universally criticized for its muddling of that message, poor plot progression, and, worst of all, the lack of truly convincing suspense. The director was keen on producing an atmosphere of one prolonged chase, much in the mould of a Hitchcock film, and the score was to understandably follow the lead of some of Bernard Herrmann's best work for such thrillers. Jewison chose newcomer Norman Corbeil to write the music for The Statement, citing his ability to balance the suspense of the lengthy, often subdued chase while also capturing the religious spirit behind the film (not only is Catholic absolution a central theme, but the film is dedicated at its end to the many French Jews killed in World War II). Corbeil had been nominated for an Emmy award in 2003 for his work for the television series "Hitler: The Rise of Evil," featuring a score with many of the same elements needed to make The Statement a success. Also in Corbeil's resume to that point were Screamers and Double Jeapardy, both functional scores though nothing spectacular. Creating the drawn out suspense for The Statement would be easy enough with a traditional orchestra, but for the religious tones of the film, Corbeil recorded the score in a London church that had been converted into a studio, with even a lofty women's chorale employed to add an extra angelic touch when necessary.

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Interestingly, the result of Corbeil's labors is remarkably closely tied to Jewison's efforts in placing a message into the film itself. His work, when studied cue by cue, is sufficient, if not impressive, but after hearing several cues, you begin to wonder about the general intent of the music. The score doesn't contain the same kind of character contradictions that the film does, but Corbeil nonetheless fails to build steam for either of the causes of suspense or religion. Protracted scenes of contemplation in the film lead to elongated cues of single whole notes by the orchestra, pulsating with an emphasis on each of its sections in rotation. The outright chases feature solid strikes and crashes of the ensemble, but never is a coherent rhythm established. The moments of horror are scored with an extremely heavy timpani, bass string, and brass mix of harsh, broad notes. Perhaps on album, the score for The Statement might have been saved by the ethereal nature of the religious performances, but even these are muted and dampened by an intentional distance between the performers and the listener. Part of this phenomenon is due to the very low mixing volume of the choir with the orchestra, minimizing the effectiveness of the womens' voices. Also plaguing the album for The Statement (and this is the primary complaint against the product) is the lack of vibrancy in its recording. Even in the score's highlight, "C'Mon Let's Go," the choir sounds three blocks away. A dull sensation of withdrawn sincerity thus hinders the score at every moment. As a composition, Corbeil's only noteworthy instrumental use is an accordion for "The Massacre" and the "Finale" cues, but even this is underplayed. The music is harmonious in parts and conversely tries very hard in places (such as "In the Mountain") to utilize frantically alternating strings and troubled brass in ways that Herrmann did many years ago. But outside of the historical interest a person could have in hearing this adaptation of character, the score for The Statement falls flat. Short cue structures hinder the flow of the presentation on album as well. It's hard to say if the blame for this sour taste comes from the composer or Jewison's flawed project as a whole, but Corbeil did continue to show talent that had the potential to explode with greatness if given a good film and a superior recording environment. **   Amazon.com Price Hunt: CD or Download