had been made
when director and screenwriter Caroline Thompson brought the children's
story to the screen in the summer of 1994. That story is narrated by
Black Beauty himself, anthropomorphically using the voice of Alan
Cumming to tell of the horse's various owners, romances, cruelty, and
relocation throughout its lifetime in 1870's England. The original novel
was considered an important factor in raising awareness about animal
cruelty issues at the time, and after numerous adaptations of its basic
premise to inferior variations throughout the 20th Century, Thompson,
who was well-versed in horsemanship and had written a number of highly
emotional scripts at the time (including
),
was certain to bring authenticity to the project at last. Thompson
didn't have to look far for a good composer for
; she
happened to be dating fellow Tim Burton collaborator Danny Elfman at the
time. The project unfortunately would be the last of the composer's
early ventures into the realm of blatant sentimentality and orchestral
classicism, choosing to return to his rock roots for a while in the
1990's. It was one final opportunity to jerk the tears before venturing
out into more experimental genres of film music thereafter. As he said
in his 1996 memoirs, the score is "happy and sad to the extreme. Finally
a chance to really turn on the sentimental vale up to maximum..." That
statement is interesting in its seeming disregard of
as both superior expressions of
tragedy, but you have to take Elfman at his word that
was intended to be the most emotionally charged score from
that period of his career. For fans, it would be a bittersweet goodbye
to the dark and heavy melodrama of Elfman's developing career, only
touched upon in
in 2000 and absent for upwards of
a decade after even that. Perhaps the most disappointing aspect of
Elfman's choice to steer towards electronic or minimalist works
thereafter, while still intelligent in places, is that by 1994 the
composer had achieved the kind of experience to produce truly gripping
orchestral works with regularity, scores that often could tell the
compelling stories by themselves.
Undoubtedly,
Black Beauty shares the most
characteristics with the stunningly rich score for
Sommersby from
the previous year. The similarities between the two scores include the
progressions of the title themes, the spirited explosions of rhythm for
the countryside, and the incorporation of Irish specialty instruments
and tones with the traditional orchestral ensemble. The use of Celtic
instruments like the fiddle and penny whistles may not entirely make
sense, but there's no doubt that they provide another dimension to an
already dramatic soundscape. Elfman eventually admitted that he paid no
attention to the location or time of the story and simply chose that
ethnic tilt because it sounded right. The piano (or celeste) has always
been an important element in Elfman's creation of delicate rhythms, and
it continues in that role (as well as the infusion of classical style)
here. In
Black Beauty, the instrument is used with outstanding
creativity, especially in the scherzo movement that underlines the title
theme in "Frolic." The latter half of the same cue offers the piano in a
rolling rhythm that runs contrary to the mixed chamber strings
performing the score's secondary theme on top. Elfman alternates the use
of these two themes almost constantly in
Black Beauty, the first
dedicated to the horse itself and the second for the horse's heartfelt
relationships, whether in romance with other horses or in spirit with
kind humans. He introduces them in succession in "Opening Titles,"
arguably the most enjoyable rendition of both themes on the albums. The
delayed performances of the low strings for the bass accentuation of
early statements of the primary theme are exquisite, slowly maturing
from a violin solo to a heavy bass string statement of natural and
slightly ethnic power. This delicate combination of style and seasoning
results in a score that is basically conscious of its period (whether
Elfman admits it or not) but not overwhelmed by its classical roots. The
composer's loyalty to his two interchangeable themes is an invaluable
asset in
Black Beauty, providing a very consistent harmonious
listening experience outside of a few suspense and action interludes.
The "Wild Ride" cue is the only horrifying entry of the lot, while both
"The Rescue" and "The Fire" present a more robust action side of the
themes. By the final two cues, the melodies closely resemble those of
the incredibly morbid
Sommersby in their slightly brooding but
elegantly progressing mannerisms.
To Elfman's credit, due to the children's aspect of the
somewhat mythical story, the composer doesn't allow the score to become
drowned by its own intensity, as
Sommersby tends to do. He does
insert quirky, percussive imagination from
Sommersby into
Black Beauty for some romps during the active riding scenes as
well. The upbeat brass and woodwind performances accompanying the
children's adventure scenes represent the closest Elfman would ever come
to sharing styles with James Horner in his early years, the latter
scoring equivalent scenes with similar bounciness. The brief "Beauty" is
a prime example of this lighter character, relying on rotating solos for
a touch of comedy. Elfman's unique instrumentation, however, especially
in the tingling, light percussion (including a large role for harp),
assures that this score is distinguishable from all others in its genre.
Overall, the most remarkable aspect of
Black Beauty is Elfman's
lyrical approach to the film. The score is poetic and graceful,
meandering without fear or hesitation through its two main themes,
leaving a lasting and pleasant impression on the listener. The original
1994 album was a very much out of print product in extremely high demand
with Elfman collectors before long, and this presentation of 45 minutes
of music was arguably strongest at the start and digresses in integrity
as it nears its end. For years, listeners sought the highlights of the
score in a spectacular suite of tracks from
Black Beauty on
Elfman's second "Music for a Darkened Theatre" compilation from late
1996. Fortunately, in 2013, La-La Land Records issued a limited,
expanded edition of the score featuring another twenty minutes of music
from the film and a dozen minutes of bonuses in the form of alternate
takes. While the most obvious benefit of this album is the
reintroduction of the score to the market on CD, its supplemental
material demands consideration as well. While many of the shorter
additional cues are not of much value to the listening experience, the
duo of action cues, "The Rescue" and "The Fire," amount to six minutes
of extremely engaging, melodramatic material. These cues offer muted
trumpets and muscular piano lines in largely tonal expressions of panic
and perseverance, the latter using bombastic horn counterpoint and snare
accompaniment that vaguely resembles John Barry music at its boldest.
This great material is essential to your appreciation of
Black
Beauty and cements it as a solid, well rounded score from the height
of the composer's early period of success. In many ways, this was Elfman
at his finest.
**** @Amazon.com: CD or
Download
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