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Filmtracks Recommends:
Buy it... if you are not bothered by romantic compositions that need strong orchestral performances but are instead electronically rendered. Avoid it... if you are expecting to either hear Hans Zimmer at work or if you prefer a collaboration with Harry Gregson-Williams that produces something more consistent, such as Smilla's Sense of Snow. Filmtracks Editorial Review:
The influences of Zimmer's styles are clearly evident in this Gregson-Williams music, with pieces of Crimson Tide action motifs appearing throughout the score. There are essentially three sides to The Whole Wide World: the internal world of each novelist and their combined love theme. That love theme opens and closes the album, with one magnificent performance in "The Telegram." While the theme's construction has a sincere heart, its performance is one of those that greatly needed a strong orchestral presence to convey that heart, but received synthetic treatment instead. A sense of authenticity is missing from much of the score, and despite the restraints naturally existing on a film like this because of its budget, the score does suffer in its attempts at grand thematic statement. The romantic underscore for Ellis runs for lengthy sequences throughout the score, and is never less than pleasant. Here, we get woodwinds, pianos, and acoustic guitar accompanied by light strings with a more convincing orchestral result. Contrasting these fluffy cues are the dark side of Howard's imagination, with bass-heavy synths and deep mock choruses pounding Conan from pen to paper. These cues are unfortunately too spread out and harsh in tone compared to the romance to really satisfy fans of Zimmer's action influences. The score further feels the effects of its schizophrenia with cues such as "...Let Go of Your Mother" (which features layers of female and deep male choral vocals) and "Sombrero" (which comes out of nowhere with a short burst of Latin rhythms). At the very end of the album, after a reprise of the title theme, a minute of silence is followed by a hidden reprise of "Conan Emerges," with an even wilder violin performance tearing into the quiet room. Despite good intentions, and excellent compositions in individual sections of the score, the overall package is lacking in cohesion and orchestral authenticity. Poorly rendered electronics are the true villain here. Be aware that the first printing of the album for The Whole Wide World was faulty and would not easily play; these copies often had Zimmer's name misspelled on the front packaging. Approach with caution, and be sure to remember that this is not a Hans Zimmer score. ***
(1:12 of total time is silence)
The insert includes a note about the score and film from director Dan Ireland. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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