 |
|
|
|
|
 |
Composed and Produced by:
|
Norman Corbeil
|
Orchestrated and Conducted by:
|
Nicholas Dodd
|
|
|
|
|
Release Date:
|
January 13th, 2004
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Availability:
Regular U.S. release.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Filmtracks Recommends:
Buy it... if you wish to hear a subdued and prolonged mixture of vague
musical representations of suspense and religion.
Avoid it... if you prefer your suspense and religious scores to be
vibrant, active, and interesting.
Filmtracks Editorial Review:
The Statement: (Norman Corbeil) Predicted to be an
Academy Award powerhouse from the arthouse film venues, 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 Catholic structure in the
south of France to protect himself, the film advertised itself as a tense
thriller with a message. Director Norman Jewison has had his fair share of
cinematic success, but with The Statement he created a film
universally criticized for its muddled message, poor plot progression, and,
worst of all, lack of truly convincing suspense. The director was keen on
producing an atmosphere of one prolonged chase, much in the mold 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 score 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 thus far are
Screamers and Double Jeapardy, both functional scores,
although nothing spectacular thus far. 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 would record the score in a
London church that had been converted into a studio, with even a lofty
women's chorale to add an extra angelic touch when necessary.
Interestingly, the result of his efforts is remarkably
closely tied to Jewison's efforts in placing a message into the film itself.
Corbeil's work, when studied cue by cue, is sufficient, if not impressive,
but after hearing several cues, you begin to wonder about the 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 a 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, minimalizing the womens' voices. Also plaguing the album
for The Statement --and this is the primary complaint against the
product-- is the lack of vibrance to 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 solo 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 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. It's hard to say if the blame for this sour
taste comes from Jewison's flawed project as a whole, but Corbeil does
continue to show talent that could explode with greatness if given a good
film and a superior recording environment. **
 |
|
Viewer Ratings and Comments:
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
• 1. The Statement (1:02)
• 2. Be Careful (1:05)
• 3. The Massacre (2:54)
• 4. Assassin #2 (2:31)
• 5. C'mon Let's Go (1:38)
• 6. Conversation (1:59)
• 7. In the Mountain (2:13)
• 8. Goodbye Letter (1:16)
• 9. Assassin in the Washroom (1:26)
• 10. Church Map (1:35)
• 11. Flashback (1:39)
• 12. Give Me a Lift (2:36)
| |
• 13. The Church (0:57)
• 14. Confession (1:05)
• 15. Repentance (1:24)
• 16. Advice for Anne-Marie (1:44)
• 17. Bobby's Doing Well (1:42)
• 18. Candle Lighting (3:05)
• 19. The Chase (3:04)
• 20. Are You a Chevalier (1:32)
• 21. God is Good (2:21)
• 22. The Book (1:05)
• 23. Finale (1:19)
|
Insert includes a note from director Norman Jewison about the score and film.
|
