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| Barry |
Across the Sea of Time: (John Barry) Among the more
creative IMAX films of its decade is 1995's
Across the Sea of
Time, which tells of the history of New York City through a series
of scanned stereoscopic photographs taken at the turn of the 20th
Century. The nature of the technology behind these dual-photos allowed
filmmakers to make a 3D film out of them, showing scenes from the city's
past alongside their 1990's incarnations. To help their flow, the film
tells of the simultaneous story of the immigrant Russian boy who took
these photos and whose real-life collection was used for these
depictions. The live-action story isn't really the point of
Across
the Sea of Time, and it was met with some negative responses from
critics. The IMAX format display of the 3D photos and modern vistas of
skyscrapers are the real star of the 52-minute show. Despite being an
Englishman, composer John Barry had established himself as a master of
full orchestral grandeur for cinematic vistas, whether they be in the
African safari or America's West. He had a romantic relationship with
the States generally, his young son at the time of the 1990's an
American himself and the composer enamored with the country's history
and scenery to much the same degree as John Williams. His hiring for
Across the Sea of Time was a perfect fit, as the Barry's rather
inert style had largely run its course for original dramas by the
mid-1990's. His sweeping music for
Raise the Titanic's closing
New York scene also supported his credentials, and his broad symphonic
strokes were seemingly made for IMAX documentary viewing. This project
represented the last truly sweeping and romantic Barry drama of
significant scope, written like a concert for America generally and
partly inspired by a concept album called "Americans" that Barry had
recorded in 1975. He scored over 80% of the IMAX picture, but some of
that material was sadly replaced by inoffensive contemporary pop and
other source music for transitory moments in the story.
Barry's music for
Across the Sea of Time is an
evenly smooth accompaniment to the story, the brief suspense in "Scary
Night in the Park" being the only cue not to sound like a concert piece.
(That statement assumes that the jazz in "Times Square and Broadway" is
considered an outright source usage.) Otherwise, listeners are treated
to slow Barry orchestral sways of the most predictable fashion from his
1980's inspiration, layers of strings carrying the melodic lines with
occasional flute solos and noble horn counterpoint and minimal
percussive involvement. Enthusiasts of the composer's use of piano will
find a few attractive moments of accompaniment by that instrument, but
it doesn't really take the lead. Shifting bass harmonies under whole
notes in the treble remain a common technique as well. Several themes
weave through the score for
Across the Sea of Time, though only
two of them could be considered primary. The melodic phrases repeat per
usual, a mild annoyance by this point but an inherent reality in Barry's
writing. The main theme is a whimsical idea highlighted by lofty flute
solos and a yearning interlude sequence on strings. It has all the
components of a love theme from a Barry score in the James Bond
franchise, albeit at a very slow tempo. Heard immediately in "The Wonder
of America" on flute and then strings, this theme is reprised on the
flute at the start of "Ellis Island" and becomes more romantic on
strings late. It returns again to its initial form in "A New Day Will
Come," elegantly swaying with a wet piano mix in the conclusive "Welcome
to America, Welcome to New York." The other primary melody in
Across
the Sea of Time is Barry's freedom theme, a more immense presence in
an
Out of Africa style and featuring the work's best counterpoint
lines. This idea enjoys a sizable rendition for the whole ensemble over
timpani in "Never Have I Felt So Free," where it debuts its secondary
phrasing of similar immensity. Barry continues to explore similar lines
in "The Lower East Side" and dissolves it to ominous tones with
anticipation in "The Subway."
The freedom theme soars in the highlight cue, "Flight
Over New York," with definite
Out of Africa personality and helps
inform the remarkably different lounge jazz diversion in "Times Square
and Broadway," in which the saxophone performances and blues are far
warmer than Barry's usual 1980's and 1990's use of those sounds in his
sultry thrillers. This theme is restrained a bit on strings in
"Searching" and flows fully one more time in "Across the Sea of Time,"
again exploring its secondary lines. Among the lesser themes in the
work, an immigrant theme is darker and more serious, with ascending
lines tentative at their outset. Its relatively gloomy nature
contributes on strings at 0:23 into "Into New York" but does build hope
throughout the cue. It likewise offers more suspense in "Up to the Sky"
but emerges positively at the end of its scene. A leisure theme borrows
the main theme's chord progressions to form the basis of the light
carnival waltz in "Coney Island," and this mode continues intact in the
equally pleasant "Central Park." Finally, an advancement theme is a more
rhythmically oriented identity with simple melodic phrasing over
shifting harmonies. Churning inspirationally in "The Automobile, the
Telephone, the Skyscraper" with rambling piano, this theme explodes into
the score's one (still rather restrained) action cue in the snare and
xylophone of "The Subway Ride," and the horn lines over the rhythm in
this cue are impressive. Each of these themes is extremely comfortable
in Barry's recognizable methodology of the era, and listeners may very
well treat this album as an extension of his "Moviola" and other
compilation recordings. One of the work's main attractions is its sound
quality; being the last of the composer's own scores of this grand
romantic scope,
Across the Sea of Time provides this trademark
sound from his own baton about as crisply as one will find. It's a very
relaxing experience overall, but one that will live or die depending
upon your appreciation of the composer's late-career style in general.
Regardless, it's a wonderful coda to the unashamedly melodic side of
Barry's writing for broad vistas.
**** @Amazon.com: CD or
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| Bias Check: |
For John Barry reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.86
(in 28 reviews)
and the average viewer rating is 3.54
(in 28,732 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
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The insert includes a photo of Barry with his son at the
recording studio but no extra information about the score or film.
