 |
|
| Ottman |
|
|
The Usual Suspects: (John Ottman) Few films offer
the superior level of intelligence in writing as
The Usual
Suspects, a 1995 crime thriller and mystery that grips you in its
ambiguity from beginning to end. Its surprisingly deep cast, remarkable
writing, and frightening sonic ambience all make for an ultra-creepy
film that continued to achieve cult status more than a decade after its
release. Jokes about the character Keyser Sšze are a delicious part of
modern movie culture, and the performance of actor Kevin Spacey earned
him a ticket to the forefront of the industry. The film remains one of
the most deceptively manipulative in its age, incredibly concealing its
surprise ending with effective obscurity until its fantastic moment of
realization in its concluding scene. The film was the second
collaboration between director Bryan Singer and composer/editor John
Ottman, with their first project being the largely unknown film
Public Access just previous to
The Usual Suspects. The
composer/editor hybrid is very rare in the professional industry, mostly
because the two tasks traditionally required different sets of skills
and a whole lot of time. On the other hand, having a single composer and
editor for a film allows that individual to produce a perfect fit
between film and score, avoiding the usual difficulties with awkward
score cuts and butchering at the hands of the film editors. Ottman was
also the composer and editor for
Public Access, and he would
continue to serve in such a dual role for projects eventually as large
as
X2: X-Men United. In the case of the music for
The Usual
Suspects, despite its ultimate success in context, the score was
really a strong example of how not to attempt to record the music for
your film. With the film on a strict budget, Ottman couldn't afford to
record the performing sections of the ensemble all at once.
Facing these constraints, the strings, woodwinds,
brass, harp, and various percussion for
The Usual Suspects all
had to be recorded separately in a room that could barely fit the 38
string players by themselves. The studio had no screen with which to
coordinate the performance with the scenes, either. Then, Ottman had the
Herculean task of putting all of these elements in sync, verifying that
their tempi met the requirements of each scene. To everyone's relief and
amazement, it actually worked. In the process of performing this task,
however, Ottman became accustomed to using the method of
multiple-passing in editing that masks the small size of an ensemble by
simply overlapping the same performance over itself multiple times.
Other composers in Ottman's position (including Mark McKenzie) have
brilliantly used this technique for years, especially for situations
involving inadequate string sections. The resulting effect gives the
score a more robust sound, indeed, but it also adds to the harmonic
nature of the score's romantic appeal because the ensemble sounds as
though it's playing in remarkably tight union. The use of
instrumentation and editing in
The Usual Suspects, and
particularly in its creative implementation for the thriller genre, was
not as mature as it would be by 1998's
Incognito. And yet, Ottman
still managed to pull off a highly lyrical score, matching the
waltz-like movements of the unpredictable plot and presenting a film
noir angle on the story's intrigue. The suspense in the score isn't
entirely riveting, for its volume is rarely heightened in a particularly
tense position for very long, but it works in an unconventional sense by
twisting themes, construing strings in unusual performances, and
offering percussive elements in seemingly illogical places. The piano's
always alluring performances offer a stylish sophistication to the
environment, sometimes trickling like water in the background.
Some passages translate better to album than others,
and yet, analyzing
The Usual Suspects is difficult to do without
characterizing the successful merging of its individual elements into a
cohesive whole. For collectors of Ottman's matured work, the two
performances of the piano-inclined title theme at the beginning and end
of the score offer a delightfully wicked and elegant theme (which has
been performed in live concert). A secondary motif is used a few times
in the middle of the score for moments of grand revelation, and this
crescendo of orchestral power represents the memorable music you likely
heard in the film. The two highlight cues, "The Killing of a Rat" and
"The Greatest Trick" accompany vital scenes in the film with a dark
spirit of vigor. Slight electronic effects contribute to the cloudy
atmosphere at times, and the octave-descending effect in "A Gift" is
chilling. Starting in "Payback Time," Ottman uses a metronome effect
much like John Williams' for
JFK to propel the narrative. The
recording of solo woodwinds, while only contributing in a minor role, is
well handled by the composer. The album finishes with a solo piano
performance of the Claude Debussy piece "Sounds and Perfumes Whirl in
the Evening Wind." Overall, it's a remarkable package even if you don't
stop to consider the adversity that Ottman faced when producing this
music in the first place. There is no single thematic or instrumental
moment in the score that alone gives this work its appeal; rather, its
extremely consistent sense of style in all of its moments, represented
by its opening and closing thematic statements, create a whole that very
effectively accompanies the picture (and provides a balanced listening
experience on album) without imbalanced or undue attention to any part.
The Usual Suspects had a long-lasting effect on Ottman, who would
continue to utilize unconventional recording techniques thereafter,
often with impressive success. No collector of his music should overlook
this fascinating mainstream debut for the composer.
**** Amazon.com Price Hunt: CD or Download
| Bias Check: | For John Ottman reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating
is 3.22 (in 32 reviews)
and the average viewer rating is 3.03
(in 17,523 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
|
The insert includes a note about the score from director Bryan Singer.
