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| Howard |
Charlie Wilson's War: (James Newton Howard) It
seems impossible to imagine that any Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts film
with an overwhelmingly positive critical response could slip through the
theatres without much notice, but disappointing box office returns were
the destiny for the outstanding 2007 dramatic political comedy
Charlie Wilson's War. The amount of talent assembled for this
production was deep with Academy Award nominations and wins, living up
to expectations with its smartly written, entertaining, and well paced
examination of an American congressman's role in diverting countless
millions of dollars to the cause of the Afghan mujahaddin's fight for
freedom against occupying Soviet forces. Anyone looking for an
intelligent and mostly accurate picture (in all the major details) about
how America contributed to the socio-political landscape that preceded
the Taliban in Afghanistan will be surprised by how witty
Charlie
Wilson's War can be. The machinations of backroom lobbying and
deal-cutting in America's appropriations process and interesting
portrayals of life on the ground in Afghanistan are told through the
story of this titular congressman, a Texan who just happens to also
enjoy women and parties. A decent acting performance from Hanks (and a
merely passable one by Roberts) is overshadowed by the widely praised
supporting role for Philip Seymour Hoffman as a CIA operative.
Charlie Wilson's War represented the first collaboration between
accomplished director Mike Nichols and equally experienced composer
James Newton Howard (replacing a Ry Cooder rejected score in this case),
whose schedule of assignments coincidentally caused a sudden burst of
notable releases at the end of 2007. The role of the music in
Charlie
Wilson's War was likely conceived as one meant to accompany the
picture in a distantly supporting role rather than take center stage; a
variety of source usage and a concentration on conversation rather than
melodrama placed this score in a conservatively secondary role from the
start. That is, however, with one monumental exception that got the
attention of many critics and mainstream movie-goers. Whereas the
majority of Howard's contribution to
Charlie Wilson's War is
carefully mundane in its rendering, the composer's alteration of the
Overture from George Frideric Handel's "The Messiah" into an action cue
was controversial in its ironic placement. Outside of this genuinely
funny (and, for those not privy to the connection between its choral
lyrics and the battles on screen, likely curious) application of a
famous classical theme, there isn't much to write home about in the rest
of the soundtrack.
Largely an organic score,
Charlie Wilson's War
is primarily built upon a traditional orchestral ensemble but branches
off in two different directions depending on locale. For the Texas
congressman, slight country elements in the form of twangy guitar and
light percussion accompany easy-going orchestral passages of harmony. A
title theme of restrained nobility graces several cues in the score,
most notably performed by the full ensemble in "Charlie Wilson" and
"Honored Colleague." The woodwind and guitar solos in the filler cues
often reference this theme but do not really develop much depth in its
overarching personality. The other half of the score concerns itself
with the location scenes in Afghanistan (the Soviets are handled with
source performances of their anthem), and although these cues are a bit
predictable in the larger scope of Howard's career, they are arguably
the highlights of this work. In "Refugee Camp" and "The Belly Dancer,"
as well as parts of "Turning the Tide" and "Honored Colleague," Howard
merges the primordial percussive spirit of
Waterworld with the
deep bass, rhythmic movement, and wailing vocals of
Blood
Diamond. Ethnic accents will remind of the "Montage" cue from
Hidalgo as well. Performer Gingger Shankar takes the rhythmic
motif of this material and gives it a truly exotic spirit in the
co-written cue "The Belly Dancer." Similar music opens "Turning the
Tide" before Howard launches into the score's only group choral
performances in the striking rendition of the Handel piece. The battling
female and male portions of the ensemble forcefully sing "He shall
purify the sons of Levi, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering
in righteousness" to almost humorously accompany the scenes of the
mujahaddin's use of American weaponry to destroy the Soviet helicopter
gunships that had dominated the invasion thus far. This cue pits the
stately harpsichord and choral tones against the rhythm of the primal
percussion, creating a juxtaposition that approaches the realm of
parody. Lasting for five minutes, this adaptation simply overshadows
every other piece of music in
Charlie Wilson's War and is,
despite being clever, a relative distraction from the overall listening
experience on album. Those who vocalized their offense regarding this
cue are missing the point of it and likely the spirit of the film.
Outside of this distinctive moment, and the "Refugee Camp" cue that will
find its way onto compilations of Howard's smoother exotic material,
Charlie Wilson's War doesn't remain in your memory very long. The
redeeming theme for strings and horns that bookends the album isn't
dramatic enough to merit repeated visits. A very short album is highly
eclectic and better serves as a souvenir for the film's enthusiasts
rather than a coherent standalone experience.
*** @Amazon.com: CD or
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| Bias Check: |
For James Newton Howard reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.4
(in 62 reviews)
and the average viewer rating is 3.29
(in 72,004 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
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The insert includes a list of performers, but no extra information about
the score or film.
