Filmtracks Traffic Rank: #340
Written 8/16/00, Revised 6/26/08
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Buy it... if you typically avoid Gabriel Yared's melancholy music
for dramatic tragedies, because this score (along with Message in a
Bottle) has a warmth and lyricism that transcends the film's many
ills.
Avoid it... if you expect the chilly and detached character of
Yared's more popular works for The English Patient and The
Talented Mr. Ripley.
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| Yared |
Autumn in New York: (Gabriel Yared) Everything
about Autumn in New York beckons a few drops of tears, from its
story to its production failures, its music to its ultimate dysfunction.
The story itself is a tear-jerker of the highest order. Winona Ryder's
career had been stifled by unrealized potential (and eventually problems
with the law), while Richard Gere's career was threatening to be defined
by egotistical relationships with women half his age. Together, they
made a disastrously awkward screen couple. The studio used the fear of
spoilers released by critics to withhold early screenings, recognizing
more likely that the product was awful. Actress-turned-director Joan
Chen could not translate her success of Xiu Xiu into Hollywood
terms. The script never wraps up key loose ends despite its
predictability. And then there's the musical score by Gabriel Yared,
which is so tragic itself that it could be an elegy for the entire
production rather than an accompaniment to the actual story on screen.
After his Academy Award win for The English Patient, the European
composer had been typecast as the master of burdensome dramatic lament.
Between Message in a Bottle, City of Angels, and The
Talented Mr. Ripley, Yared tackled one tragic mainstream assignment
after another, which is partly why his controversial involvement with
Troy in 2004 was so interesting (even before he was fired). The
disaster of Autumn in New York came at the end of this string of
mainstream dramas (the Golden Globe and Oscar-nominated Cold
Mountain in 2003 really didn't fit into the same mould), and it is
undoubtedly the most solemn and bittersweet of the lot. Ironically,
however, it gives Message in a Bottle a run for its money in
terms of being a listenable product apart from the film, for Autumn
in New York has a more well-rounded personality than some of the
opaque entries in the series. Yared's packaging of sadness and beauty
for Autumn in New York follows the same template he applied to
the previous works, but his execution is more sophisticated here. Its
melancholy spirit contains a warmth that is often absent from Yared's
other dramatic tragedies. That, and a thematic heart, makes for a
winner.
The score, while maneuvering to accommodate the film's
tragic nature, succeeds in illuminating the spark of life created by the
romance between the characters Charlotte and Will, even if the actors
couldn't accomplish the same. With a lonely step of jazz reminiscent of
Elmer Bernstein scores of the past, Yared portrays the dying shades of
the autumn season. The title theme of usual Yared sensitivity is
surprisingly upbeat and contemporary, with the urban setting accentuated
by the performances of a sax and piano throughout. The first four score
cues on the album for
Autumn in New York introduce all of the
themes and instrumental colors that not only try to salvage the on
screen romance, but also assist New York City in becoming a three
dimensional character itself. While the score can still be
overwhelmingly depressing in its sum, Yared employs two key elements
that keep the music interesting and listenable on album. First, while an
orchestra with decent strings provides needed depth, solo performances
by the woodwinds add a touch of flavor. In their wandering paths, the
fluttering whimsy of falling leaves is conveyed. On top of the sax, a
clarinet and oboe shine in this role. Secondly, Yared enlists the
alluring voice of Mariam Stockley to perform the elegy theme for the
Charlotte character. From
Great Expectations to
The 10th
Kingdom and
Rob Roy, Stockley's unique tone is always an
asset, and she offers a softer, more appropriately beautiful alternative
to Sinead O'Connor's "Lullaby for Cain" in
The Talented Mr.
Ripley. Stockley performs two lyrical passages of about six minutes
in total, with a few very slightly mixed wordless vocals incorporated
into three traditional score cues. Fans of Stockley's performances on
the "Adiemus" albums will especially appreciate the layering effect used
here. An hour in length, the album features two songs from the film and
two additional entries, all soft in their impact. The song "Turn This
World Around" by Amy Grant, as heard in the credits of the film, is
unfortunately absent from the product, however. Yared's score is among
the more consistently listenable during this period in his career. By
this point, the approach was predictable, but without a single moment of
agitation,
Autumn in New York is a lovely continuation of the
idea. The lack of Oscar nominations for this and
Message in a
Bottle, given all of Yared's others, is quite a shame.
**** @Amazon.com: CD or
Download
Bias Check:
For Gabriel Yared reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.11
(in 10 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.17
(in 19,486 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
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