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Amazon: (Alan Williams) The 1997 IMAX production
Amazon was nominated for an Academy Award for its uniquely
beautiful visuals and deference to the cultures of the South American
region. As film music collectors well realize, IMAX films often inspire
the best and most memorable scores from lesser known composers, and Alan
Williams is one such regular to the genre. In the late 1990's, Williams
introduced himself to many soundtrack collections with a pair of scores
for IMAX films in the sub-tropics that both excelled at their task of
providing expansive, melodic music to accompany the stunning visuals.
Between
Amazon and
Island of the Sharks the following
year, Williams brought IMAX music to a level of popularity that he would
struggle to maintain in subsequent years, though the lack of a
continuation of the same recognition for his endeavors does not in any
way cheapen these two earlier entries. As expected,
Amazon
features orchestral, ethnically percussive, and vocal performances of
epic proportions, equaling the grand scope of the film. As would be the
case with
Island of the Sharks, you get an impression from the
finished score that Williams was guided by some obvious temp track
usage. Interestingly, many of the same sources of inspiration guide both
scores, including the expansively melodic sound of John Barry in the
themes and the percussion and electronics of Jerry Goldsmith in the
rolling rhythms in between. The title theme for
Amazon is without
a doubt a variation, in many ways, on James Newton Howard's main title
for
Waterworld, with the entire sequence of the opening theme
from the 1994 score adapted for usage here. A nearly identical bed of
deep percussion leads to a weighty brass and string theme unmistakable
from
Waterworld, even down to the interlude for flute that draws
the theme down from its crescendo. Regardless of its origins, it is a
very effective and encompassing theme, and in many ways, it is an even
better orchestration than that heard in Howard's
Waterworld. Once
you get past that theme, which is performed in full twice more in
"Flight" and "End Credits," the score for
Amazon hides its
influences far better.
A secondary theme for "Mamani" is introduced in
"Mamani" and "Mamani Arrives" before sending the audience off to a noble
conclusion in "Journey's End." This theme shares some of the same
progressions as a typical 1980's John Barry theme, but not in as
distractingly an obvious way as would be evident in
Island of the
Sharks. The role of the percussion in
Amazon would echo the
technique by Jerry Goldsmith in
Medicine Man and
The Ghost and
the Darkness, but recorded here in a vibrant mix that accentuates it
far better. Solo woodwind performances, usually on native instruments of
an exotic sound, are well balanced with the ensemble and contribute
significantly to the middle section of the score. A chorus is used with
greater frequency in the second half, sometimes utilized in traditional
Hollywood fashion as counterpoint to a theme (its use in the title
mirrors Howard's
Waterworld as well until it heads off into a
chant). One such moment of movie magic in "The River" is a highlight of
the score. A somewhat progressive light chant in "The Zoe" almost takes
on a new age ambience in the pleasant progression of "Journey's End."
Even though the score is strictly orchestral, some of the slower
passages are minimal on volume and rely on the woodwind solos to
maintain your interest. With the free-floating percussion and woodwind
passages comes the feeling that
Amazon is what James Horner's
Vibes would have sounded like had it been performed by a regular
ensemble. These softer sequences of purely ethnic material can sometimes
become a bit long, but on the whole, Williams inserts enough interesting
texture to avert boredom. Overall, the majestic parts of this score are
difficult to dismiss, though as a consistent listening experience,
Amazon stands one step behind the more fluid movement of
Island of the Sharks. The best highlights of either album,
however, are indeed contained in
Amazon, despite the clear
evidence of temp track adaptation. Williams repackages these ideas with
great skill, and on a technical level,
Amazon is a superior
effort. Released only through a specialty label, the album was already
difficult to obtain only a few months after its release. For IMAX
enthusiasts, it's well worth the search.
**** @Amazon.com: CD or
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