: (Patrick Doyle) Escaping to new territory
was Pixar Animation Studios for their 2012 offering,
. Not
only did the story represent the first fairy tale for the acclaimed
studio, but Pixar also used the project to revamp their animation system
for its only major overhaul in decades. The movie also placed the first
female in the director's chair for Pixar, though Brenda Chapman, who had
written the story, was eventually replaced for the dreaded reason of
"creative differences." The subject matter of
is darker and
more adult-oriented than its predecessors, the plot outline criticized
for functioning as an odd merging of
. A rebellious princess living in a kingdom of the
highlands of Scotland in the 10th Century decides to assert her
independence and throws society into chaos in the process. Her attitude
as stubborn as her hair is orange, Merida disrupts a traditional archery
contest and runs away in the consequent controversy. When she enlists
the help of a witch to help her mother "change" in order to understand
her, the wish actually turns the queen into a bear. Together, princess
and bear must fight to break the spell and restore their kingdom. It's
derivative, indeed, and there will undoubtedly be critics who roll their
eyes at the liberal, feminist undertones of
. The new
technologies employed for the picture, including an enhanced version of
Dolby sound, are a counterweight, and iGadget enthusiasts will
appreciate a tribute to Apple founder Steve Jobs at the end of the film.
Perhaps the least surprising move made by the filmmakers of
was the hiring of Scottish composer Patrick Doyle to provide the score
and some of the movie's songs. While not a musical in a traditional
Disney sense, the movie utilizes two songs as contemporary accompaniment
and another two performed by the characters (along with the obligatory
end credits song). Doyle was responsible for writing the score and the
two contextual songs so that these elements could be melodically
coordinated. Alex Mandel wrote the two other songs for use in the story,
both performed by Scottish singer Julie Fowlis. The end credits song is
a more detached affair, written by the British folk group Mumford & Sons
and performed by teenage British sensation Jasmine van den Bogaerde
(otherwise known as "Birdy"), though Doyle's crew did record some
orchestral backing for this entry.
Doyle's career has experienced a renaissance in the
2010's, striding into a mainstream blockbuster spotlight that had only
sporadically illuminated his impressive efforts over the previous two
decades. He becomes only the fourth composer to write for a Pixar film
(and the first to have a bit acting role on screen as well), and there
is no doubt he is qualified for the subject matter of
Brave. He
has dabbled in Scottish and Irish tones throughout the years, his work
for the long forgotten
Quest for Camelot in 1998 serving as a
clear precursor. A more traditional musical,
Quest for Camelot
was a project doomed for reasons not relating to its music, Doyle and
his associate songwriters overachieving for the wretched film. As
always, it would have been preferable to hear Doyle write the totality
of songs for
Brave, though in an improvement over
Quest for
Camelot, the composer manages to introduce and nurture five
recurring themes in his score, two of which the melodic basis for his
own songs. The tone and style of his contribution is what the filmmakers
most clearly sought, and without a doubt, Doyle has utilized every
Scottish instrumental element available to him to saturate the score
with the authenticity sought from his involvement. There will be
listeners for whom the specialty instruments will be too obnoxious to
tolerate, especially by the time an ensemble of bagpipes lets loose. But
aside from the sometimes abrasive bagpipes and uilleann pipes, there are
the smoother and often lovely Celtic fiddle, whistles, and harp, joined
for rowdy sequences by familiar regional percussion as well, including
bodhran. The London Symphony Orchestra contributes the symphonic backing
for these performers, Doyle utilizing electronically manipulated
dulcimer and cimbalom to represent the scarier portions of the score
with tones surprisingly reminiscent of Hans Zimmer's
Sherlock
Holmes music. There is no choral element to
Brave outside of
the cast performances of Doyle's two songs, including one reprise in the
background mix of the finale's score cue. The overall tone of the music
absolutely bleeds Gaelic sensibilities, especially in the earlier
portions. There are outbursts of rhythmic enthusiasm and percussive
force in several cues that sound like a literal expansion of Doyle's
"The Quidditch World Cup" cue from
Harry Potter and the Goblet of
Fire (minus the chanting). The composer traveled to Scotland to
research one of his two songs, a rowdy drinking piece that extends into
the score's humorous moments. As the film progresses, its music becomes
increasingly softer, focusing on the two themes of lament and character
resolution.
One of the interesting aspects of Doyle's approach to
Brave, and arguably its greatest detriment, is the period of time
that passes before the composer really establishes his main themes. It
takes the full length of the picture for listeners to hear these ideas
flourish, leaving the opening third a bit unfocused melodically and
instead tasked with the duty of simply establishing the overwhelming
Scottish flavor. Doyle is extremely proficient at achieving the right
tone in the early cues, sometimes to potentially irritating levels, but
his most important thematic constructs are largely absent from these
expressions of zeal and foreshadowing. In this regard, the initial "Fate
and Destiny," although including the drinking song theme, does little to
clearly suggest the main theme or family lullaby that dominate the score
later. In fact, in its last minute, it meanders through a pretty
exploration of melodic lines that are orphaned in the overall work.
Likewise, "I am Merida" doesn't introduce the girl's theme at all. To an
extent, this choice is understandable, given that both the two main
identities accompany her acceptance of her home and relationships at the
end and the character obviously has different ideas at the outset, but
some maturation of the theme throughout the score could have been
expected. The primary theme is hinted (with only its first phrase) at
0:23 into "Remember to Smile" before finally stretching its legs late in
"Legends Are Lessons," featuring a lovely trumpet solo of its interlude
sequence. A pretty rendition at the start of "In Her Heart" features the
fiddle and whistle in their typical beauty, and the melody is translated
into an action environment later in "Not Now!" After a sentimental
statement at the end of "We've Both Changed," Doyle highlights the
entire score with his final, suite-like rendition of the theme in
"Merida's Home," 90 seconds of whistle-led bliss featuring an
outstanding layering of orchestral elements as the performance
progresses. It's a fabulous theme, and to hear it relatively confined to
just a handful of statements is a tremendous shame, especially given its
role in bringing the fiddle and whistle to the forefront of easily
accessible harmonic expressions of affection. Instead defining the
picture early on is the drinking melody in "Song of Mor'du," the jovial
jig that extends out of that song and tears through the score for the
festivities and humor in "Fate and Destiny," "The Games," and "Through
the Castle." Fortunately, the role of this song is diminished as the
movie moves along, though its performance in the opening track does
feature some impressive percussion and plucked string backing that may
remind of John Williams'
Far and Away. By the time the bagpipes
get a hold of the theme in "The Games," though, be ready to skip to the
next track.
The other primary theme in
Brave is the lullaby
written by Doyle to develop as the girl and her mother bond. Performed
over harp and fiddle and in Gaelic words in "Noble Maiden Fair," an
opportunity to hear Emma Thompson and Doyle extend their long
collaboration, this theme is a lovely tribute to yesteryear in its
folksy progressions and unashamed simplicity. Suggested late in "Legends
Are Lessons" and in the first half of "Mum Goes Wild," this lullaby's
rendition in "Noble Maiden Fair" sounds intriguingly similar to Charlie
Mole's "The Willow Song" from his forgotten 1995 score for
Othello, in part due to shared descending phrases and the
repetition of the structures. After the victorious action translations
of the idea in "Get the Key," a ghostly reprise of the song is
gloriously performed over increasingly resounding bass strings in "We've
Both Changed." Two secondary themes are less obvious in
Brave,
including the mysterious motif for the witch and her spell. Usually
accompanied by a distant wailing effect on a woodwind in its interlude,
this idea is first heard at 1:25 into "The Witch's Cottage" and is
eventually bloated into a darker, full-blooded action motif in "Not
Now!" and "Get the Key." Also frequently present in the latter half of
the score is Doyle's "sneaking" motif, perhaps additionally
representative of the queen in the form of a bear. This playful identity
is expressed at the starts of "Through the Castle" and "Mum Goes Wild"
and figures in the middle of "Legends Are Lessons." Outside of these
thematic passages, Doyle does span the spectrum of emotions with his
action and suspense music. The action material isn't as strong as that
which he utilized in
Thor and
Rise of the Planet of the
Apes, nor is it as frequent. An outburst of percussion late in "Mum
Goes Wild" is impressive, though, even if it does sound like stock music
from a modern outdoors reality show. The suspense cues, "Merida Rides
Away" and "Show Us the Way," are clearly the weakest portions of the
score, droning without much character. The songs aren't spectacular,
either, the two Julie Fowlis ones decent but rather anonymous. The
"Learn Me Right" end credits song had great potential, but its really
odd mix puts the vocals way too far back (and the banjo/guitars too
prominent) in the soundscape. None of these contributions will offend
you, but they unfortunately have little to do with the more sentimental
tone of the score. Overall, you can't say that Doyle didn't nail this
assignment, because he clearly provided the film with the appropriate
musical flavor. His own mix of specialty instruments and the orchestra
is well handled, the fiddle and whistle especially enunciated with
clarity. Still, there is untapped potential in this score, the result of
hesitation by Doyle to truly foreshadow his main themes in early
passages. Entertaining it remains, though, lyrically beautiful as usual
for the composer.
**** @Amazon.com: CD or
Download
| Bias Check: |
For Patrick Doyle reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.83
(in 29 reviews)
and the average viewer rating is 3.47
(in 22,212 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
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