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Filmtracks Recommends:
Buy it... only if you are an avid Elmer Bernstein collector and can absorb the atmosphere of his somber and morbid film noir-style atmosphere. Avoid it... if you expect any sense of lively engagement from the score, including Bernstein's tepid reprise of his trademark themes from previous eras. Filmtracks Editorial Review:
Without a doubt, Bernstein accomplishes a score that fits squarely into the noir category that those filmmakers were hoping to achieve. Everything about the music for Twilight drips with the same atmosphere as the film's photography, and to this end, Bernstein succeeds. But just because the era is right doesn't necessarily mean that this particular score would work well back then or now. Bernstein lifts several mechanisms from Bernard Herrmann, almost as an extension of his re-recording of Cape Fear in 1991. Meandering dissonant strings exist under ominous, muted trumpets. Multiple lines of theme are overlaid without regard to tone or rhythm. Sudden strikes pierce a perpetually tumultuous bed of suspense led by piano, strings, and woodwinds. Much of Twilight is mundane, however, leaving you waiting in your own sense of suspense for the next timpani and piano-pounding moment of fright. The most notable action sequence can be heard in "Betrayal," with terrifying rambling in the lowest ranges of the piano accentuating morbidly alternating rhythms of harsh brass. Bernstein seems undecided about how much noir theme to integrate into the score; he restrains it to the opening and closing moments, with muted brass and light percussion of a 40's band performing the film's subtle theme. Outside of those cues, as well as the full-blown dance hall piece in "Jubilation," little exists to overtly suggest the era. The Ondes Martenot plays a dual role, invoking the mystery of dark streets while also providing that other-worldly sound that had defined Bernstein's late career. The instrument, by 1998, had worn out its welcome with many listeners, and its inclusion in Twilight seems unnecessary. The subthemes that it performs are washed out by the score's droning atmosphere because of very slight mixing. Some people refer to Twilight as a score that successfully proves that "less is more." Sometimes, though, "less is underachieving," and this is the case with Twilight. A few noteworthy tracks break the somber mood, including the source track "Pier Music," which suffers from a likely-intentional imbalance in mix, and "Bye Bye Mucho," the highlight cue that sets Bernstein's easy 40's themes to a Latin/tango-like rhythm. Otherwise, even after repeated listens, Twilight is a bore. **
(track times not listed on packaging) * Different than version in film.
The insert notes include a short paragraph from the director of the film, but has no extra information about the score. The score was recorded in December, 1997. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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