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U-571: (Richard Marvin) Despite the popularity of
submarine films amongst the avid following of the war genre, there have
been relatively few of them. The 2000 film
U-571 by director
Jonathan Mostow was based loosely on a true story, but credited
Americans with the theft of the Enigma coding machine in WWII rather
than the British, who were the real life heroes of the capture. Despite
the liberties taken in the adaptation of the story,
U-571 is
still an effective thriller of a film. Abandoning the hard, glittery
technical edges that made
The Hunt for Red October and
Crimson
Tide successful earlier in the decade, Mostow's intent was to create
a throwback to films such as
The Enemy Below and
Run Silent,
Run Deep, the golden age of underwater thrillers that inevitably
involved a lengthy dual between a submarine and destroyer. Without fail,
U-571 follows this equation, but its blatant American patriotism,
extended mostly by its cast and its score, was questionable. Submarine
films have also been famous through the years for their music, not only
in the entries from the Golden Age and Digital Age, but also through the
lesser-followed intermediary years of
Das Boot and
Ice Station
Zebra. For
U-571, Mostow would turn to the relatively unknown
composer Richard Marvin for the score; Marvin had stepped in and
contributed additional music to the second score for Mostow's previous
film,
Breakdown, after Basil Poledouris could not provide a
satisfactory and complete replacement for his own rejected work. Marvin
was a veteran of television films and other and small budget projects,
and
U-571 was an opportunity for mainstream, blockbuster
exposure. While the film would earn quite well and establish a loyal
following, Marvin's career did not receive a significant boost. This
despite a very competent score that provided significant bravado to the
film while obeying obvious, meddling suggestions from the
director.
Many the themes in
U-571 seem to exhibit that
uneasy feeling that they've been adapted from another composer's usage
in the adventure genre before. There is no doubt that Mostow put Marvin
in a difficult position through the placement of high profile temp
tracks in early edits of the film. While Marvin is quite good at
adapting many of these requests from the director into the battle
portions of his score, the title theme alone should raise questions of
plagiarism. In his attempt to provide the blatant patriotism requested
by the director, Marvin almost copies Jerry Goldsmith's theme for
Air
Force One during panoramic scenes. The resemblance is so similar
that even a novice soundtrack collector or film reviewer can identify
it, making
U-571 a hard pill to swallow at times. The bold nature
of this theme was out of place in the film compared to the remainder of
the score, begging questions about whether or not
U-571 could
have benefited most substantially if Marvin had adapted an equally
powerful, but lesser known theme (such as Michel Legrand's outstanding
Ice Station Zebra fanfare). The abundance of snare rhythms in
Marvin's work adds even more unnecessary gloss to the theme. Outside of
this main theme, continued references to the works of Goldsmith, James
Horner, and Alan Silvestri persist, though Marvin eventually hides them
with more skill. A mutation of the title theme for the heartbreaking
"S-33 Sinks" is particularly notable. Secondary themes are effective,
with variations serving the "Finale and Dedication" cue with a touch of
unique development. The mass of suspense and chase cues is somewhat
anonymous, as are the conversational pieces, though Marvin's employment
of consistent motif development keeps them interesting. The film opens
with the score's only overt use of electronic ambience, with a dull,
aquatic sound effect that might have aided action sequences later in the
story if reprised.
A secondary end credits theme is perhaps indicative of
the kind of more subdued, respectful material that Marvin would have
provided if not strapped by the temp-track requests of the director.
Marvin would interestingly make little attempt to provide the Germans
with any kind of viable musical motif, leaving them to the droning in
the bass region that often accompanies their suspenseful presence.
Overall, Marvin's score is effectively exciting, and if you've never
heard any of the scores that were temp-tracked into
U-571 during
post-production, then the score's weaker elements may not bother you.
There is a power struggle between multiple themes in the film that
doesn't go noticed until you analyze the score apart from other
distractions. On its own, the score's flaws may not restrict you from
being entertained by its bombast, and the technical aspects of the
recording are handled well. An album release of
U-571 was
surprisingly neglected, however, bounced around for while and eventually
abandoned by commercial labels. In part due to the score's high profile
impact on the film and partly due to a consequent outcry of demands from
film score fans, the soundtrack specialty label SuperTracks (responsible
also for the much-requested
Galaxy Quest album earlier in 2000)
released the music as a promotional item a few months later. Demand for
the album has remained high through the years, sufficing in turning
attention towards the relatively unknown composer. Given the nature of
its intent, though, Marvin rearranged the cues on the album to provide
its strengths up front. Unfortunately, not all the best cues are
actually placed at the outset, negating the purpose of the rearrangement
and frustrating fans. The 62 minutes of material, while generous in its
length, do leave several sections lacking in the mid-section of the
product. In the end, though, despite its flaws in inspiration and
adaptation,
U-571 was still one of the biggest surprises of
2000.
**** Amazon.com Price Hunt: CD or Download
The insert includes credits and a lengthy note from director Jonathan Mostow
about working with Marvin.
