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The Stoning of Soraya M.: (John Debney) While the
timing of the American release of Cyrus Nowrasteh's
The Stoning of
Soraya M. in the summer of 2009 is noteworthy because of the popular
uprising against the religious hierarchy of Iran concurrently dominating
the news, the film actually dates back to 2008. If anybody outside of
the ancient world of Islam has any doubts as to why the youth of Iran
are in the process of stoking a simmering revolt against the country's
ruling clerics, then
The Stoning of Soraya M. is the account of
one reason why. It is no secret that the fundamentalist movement of
Islam over the past thirty years has caused widespread oppression of
women in Iran, Saudi Arabia, and other nations in which strict Islamic
law still lingers, but what's unnerving about tales such as the one
depicted in this film is the fact that barbaric behavior such as stoning
is today still in existence in remote regions of these parts of the
world. It's hushed and it's frowned upon, but it still exists. One could
say that the entire existence of
The Stoning of Soraya M. is
based upon an extremely graphic 20-minute stoning sequence at its
conclusion, and certainly the popularity of
The Passion of the
Christ opened the doors to the acceptance of grotesque violence for
the purpose of illuminating religious persecution. So graphic and
disturbing is this film that critics have been split along lines
delineated by their ability to stomach such blood-splattering realism.
The story is relatively simple, recounting the reportedly true 1986
death of a woman in a remote part of Iran simply because her husband
wanted to trade her in on a child bride. The inaction of her entire town
is largely the outrage of the story, though an undercurrent of quiet
remorse is a prevailing factor in determining the personality of
The
Stoning of Soraya M. outside of the violence. It is this spirit of
lamentation and suffering that is addressed by John Debney in his score
for the film. After researching the musical tones of Iranian culture for
the assignment, he not only researched the practice of stoning, but now
openly advocates for its abolishment.
Given the similarities in the depictions of life and
death between this film and
The Passion of the Christ, despite
the obvious differences in scope, it is perhaps no surprise that Debney
rejoined with the producer for this assignment. The score is often
described as "
The Passion of the Christ-lite," which is accurate
in the most basic sense, but sells short the engaging reach that
The
Stoning of Soraya M. achieves despite its less ambitious stature.
While most of the press about
The Stoning of Soraya M. has
concentrated on the brutal killing scene, the score does not dwell upon
the power of that sequence. In fact, Debney handles that scene with only
a minimal amount of dissonant disruption of the otherwise harmonic
beauty of the remainder of the score, albeit sparse. It is not often
that Debney reaches such intimate levels of the soul in his music.
Assignments like
Cats & Dogs and
The Tuxedo don't exactly
give him many such opportunities. But from
Not Since Casanova in
1988 to
The Passion of the Christ more recently, the composer has
offered gems of subtle, but glorious personality. His ability to produce
evocative environments with solo instruments, balancing beauty with the
stark ambience of reality, is one that is explored extensively in
The Stoning of Soraya M.. Listeners expecting only the most
powerful appeal of the rhythmic portions of
The Passion of the
Christ will be satisfied by only the "Main Title" cue here. But this
score's outstanding performances on cello, oud, violin, and flute,
joined by the solemn voice of Tehran-born Sussan Deyhim, present a
convincing and bittersweet environment without intrusive pomp. The
primary melody is as powerful as any Debney has ever conjured, and it is
through the remarkable solo performances (especially by voice and
Persian violin) that this idea smoothly and subtly wafts into your
heart. A significant orchestral backing (of 80 members) is often
present, but is mostly limited to a string section for needed depth in
the lower regions (as heard effectively in "The Gentleness of
Passing").
The authenticity for the region is convincingly
conveyed in a lightly slapping percussion section, highlighting the
score's only outwardly dramatic cue, "The Escape," a piece that
challenges with the tone of its vocal accents as well. The tender flute
and cello performances are reminders of humanity's underlying yearning
for good and justice, and it is no surprise that these two elements
close out the album presentation. Debney's handling of flute
counterpoint has always been one of his greatest strengths. The overall
experience of
The Stoning of Soraya M. on album is one of
underplayed respect, demanding higher playback volumes and the
willingness of the listener to be enveloped by the experience rather
than thrilled or impressed by it. The score first received positive buzz
when clips of its most impressive cues were published on Debney's own
website, and a promotional album of eighteen tracks (amounting to 48
minutes) was very sparsely distributed during the first six months of
2009. In June of that year, the Varèse Sarabande label published
those identical contents on the first of a series of very limited CDs to
accompany commercial download availability of the same material. The CD
option of 1,000 pressed copies, only sold through the company site and
soundtrack specialty outlets, sold out within days, stirring significant
debate about the role of speculators and bulk resellers who use such
products as an opportunity to turn significant profits at eBay. While
audiophiles will continue seeking CDs until lossless versions of film
music (which requires the highest quality of sound more than most other
genres of music) becomes the standard for purchase, the download option
for
The Stoning of Soraya M. will suffice for most listeners who
aren't interested in padding the pockets of the private resellers. The
"Main Title" piece in particular will be the only cue to recommend to
casual masses, though there is enough intelligently designed beauty in
Debney's work here to merit an investigation of the entire score by any
collector of his music. As long as you don't expect it to rival
The
Passion of the Christ,
The Stoning of Soraya M. will be a
most pleasant surprise, a lovely score intentionally meant to contrast
the brutality of the film's controversial message.
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| Bias Check: | For John Debney reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating
is 3.23 (in 49 reviews)
and the average viewer rating is 3.01
(in 42,775 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
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The insert includes a note from the director about the score and film.
