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Review of Cliffs of Freedom (George Kallis)
FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:
Buy it... if you appreciate ambitious scores for historical ethnic
epics, George Kallis providing a wealth of symphonic force, thematic
development, and exotic flavor for this doomed film.
Avoid it... if you become frustrated by scores that introduce so many themes that several of the best don't receive adequate development for you, this entry offering a wealth of riches almost too complicated for its own good.
FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:
Cliffs of Freedom: (George Kallis) If you are an
independent studio dropping tens of millions of dollars on a historical
epic film over several years and following that with a significant hype
machine for marketing, it can't be reassuring to gross only $300,000
internationally. While the lovers at the heart of 2019's Cliffs of
Freedom were doomed to a miserable fate, no better a future awaited
this film, relegated to an extremely limited theatrical run and poor
luck on smaller screens thereafter. Audiences not attracted to the story
about the Greek War of Independence against the Ottoman Empire in the
1820's might have sought the tale of doomed romance between a young
Greek woman who becomes a war legend and a sympathetic Turkish colonel
dispatched to capture her. Being that the movie was intended as yet
another incarnation of Romeo and Juliet, one must not imagine a happy
ending consisting of ceaseless partying for the leads. Of interest to
film buffs, however, is a rather eclectic supporting cast that includes
Christopher Plummer, Lance Henriksen, Billy Zane, and stage legend Patti
LuPone, whose presence as a motherly figure here is betrayed by a
nagging feeling that she's always about to break out in sassy song.
Plummer, conversely, steals the show, confessing that he had been
itching at the time to convey wisdom in another epic romp. The failure
of Cliffs of Freedom shouldn't deter film score enthusiasts from
exploring the massive soundtrack penned by Greek composer George Kallis
for the occasion. The relative newcomer became a sensation in 2017 with
his overachieving work for the fantasy and drama genres in The Last
Warrior, Albion: The Enchanted Stallion, and The Black
Prince, all solid works with impressive highlights. In Cliffs of
Freedom, the composer meets high expectations with an even more
mature entry, taking many of the best instrumental and motific
techniques of his 2017 works and supplying them in even more grandiose
and extroverted fashion for the new occasion. There is no doubt that
Kallis sought to resurrect the massive epics of the past for Cliffs
of Freedom, not restraining himself in providing forceful or overtly
romantic music during shots in the movie that sometimes betray its
relatively low budget. As a Greek himself, Kallis clearly poured that
additional amount of passion into this project with zeal.
The instrumentation for Cliffs of Freedom is led by an 80-piece orchestra recorded in Hungary, an adult choir, four solo vocalists of both genders, and a variety of Greek and Turkish-specific specialty instruments led by lutes, lyra, and oud, with one cameo by a bouzouki in the final seconds of the score. The vocals and ethnic instrumental coloration are not token contributors to the score; they inhabit almost every corner, and even when they are not present, Kallis applies Western woodwinds and percussion in ways to evoke the same pattern of sounds. For the most part, he avoids sounding stereotypically ethnic, the pitfalls of a Western approach to the region's historical battles often tempting poorly enunciated renditions of a culture's music. This trap is often represented by the tired, "wailing woman" vocal technique, and Kallis mostly sidesteps such stereotypes here. On paper, his handling of both the intimate character interactions and the more massive scenes of troop movements and battle are adept, though in the execution of the action cues there is an adequate level of bombast without a commensurate sense of depth and resonance. Recordings sometimes run into this issue in the orchestration or mixing phase, and a lack of sufficient reverb for the genre can sometimes exacerbate the problem. Kallis' recording will remain effective for some listeners, but for others it may fail to really capture its intended scope during some of its most ambitious passages. Still, the composer compensates by presenting an overwhelming motific presence in Cliffs of Freedom, with no fewer than six clearly recurring themes occupying most of the cues. (Kallis names and identifies most but not all of these themes in the album's booklet.) The main theme of the film is that representing the concept of freedom for the Greeks. Teased at the opening the film in "Fabric of History," this idea matures nicely in the latter half of the score, closing "Joining the Rebellion," reprising that muscularity in "Becoming a Legend," opening "General Kolokotronis" with reverence, and slowing to a monumental proclamation at the end of "Freedom or Death" with choir. Many of these performances are aided by light metallic percussion, "Joining the Rebellion" a particular highlight. This theme informs the song "I'll Wait For You" at the end of the film, though the truly awful lyrics of that performance (as penned by the writer and producer of the film) sully the otherwise harmless pop ballad. The second most impactful theme in the Cliffs of Freedom score is actually not formally recognized by Kallis; accompanying the Turks, the villains' motif is a driving, menacing presence for their movements that often makes use of the full collection of specialty instruments. Dominating "Ottoman Patrol," this theme consolidates even further in "Return to Tripolitsa." The idea is not always so brutish, diminished nicely to a subtle line at 0:38 into "Tell Me What You See, Yia Yia." The female lead receives what Kallis calls the sorceress theme, representing the character's larger-than-life mystique. The motif is the de facto religious presence in Cliffs of Freedom, heard at 0:27 into "Anna Christina's Prayer" with vocal elegance and on cello at 0:39 into "Not That Girl Any More." The idea really shines in "Simply the Truth," as it closes out the score with the aforementioned bouzouki cameo in a cool fashion over choir that betrays some humorously coincidental phrasing connections to Trevor Rabin's Armageddon. An inevitable love theme joins the fray and supplants shades of the Turks' theme in "Can You Forgive" and "Sunset Encounter," forcing the former theme into distinctly softer incarnations and mingling with a foreshadowing of the sorceress theme in the latter cue. Woodwinds formally convey the theme at the outset of "Are We Really So Different" over pensive adult choir and strings. The theme is somewhat neglected in fuller form until 2:57 into "Cenotaph," where it flourishes with the whole ensemble for the complete length of the long-lined identity. The concluding duo of "Let the Blade Find the Cut" and "Simply the Truth" mash together the themes of the score in a way that only fragments of the love theme's progressions can be inferred, and this absence of a greater, clearer presence for the theme at the end is something of a disappointment given the tragedy of the situation. Instead, Kallis provides his destiny theme for this position; perhaps the weakest of the themes for Cliffs of Freedom, this idea follows the female protagonist's scarf through time and is accompanied by a light rambling piano motif. Its progressions for layered female vocals are a bit awkward in that it sounds like the second verse to a melody, but it does develop into a more complete line after about a minute into "Simply the Truth," where it is treated to a massive symphonic rendition not heard elsewhere in the work. The meandering piano technique at the very upper registers of the instrument are a tad annoying as dryly as they are mixed. The final of the six themes by Kallis for Cliffs of Freedom is among the best but most underutilized. Heard first at 0:09 into "Valtetsi Village," the family theme is a pure holdover from the era of Basil Poledouris' folksy identities, and its melodic structures are so strong that it could have served as a primary theme for another picture. The theme returns in "Tell Me What You See, Yia Yia" but struggles to assert itself during that conversational scene, yielding eventually to the destiny theme as necessary for the reading of the lead's future. After opening "Anna Christina's Prayer," the theme largely dissolves, faint hints in "It's Not Your Fault" and "Cenotaph" bidding farewell to it. The lack of true listener satisfaction of the supporting themes for Cliffs of Freedom may be in part due to an album that doesn't contain all their development in the film or, simply, Kallis' decision to apply pinpoint ideas for just a few scenes and then move on. If the latter, then perhaps this score's wealth of themes is purely a positive aspect unless you are attached mainly to the freedom theme, which really does dominate by the middle and end of the work. Aside from the overt thematic development, Kallis throws in a few moments of glorious singularity that require mentioning, some tonally magnificent. The latter half of "Children at the Door" and most of "Fog of War" manipulate the themes into somewhat unique explorations of grandeur for female vocals and full ensemble and choir that are not to be missed. These moments represent, simply put, historical, ethnic, and epic film music at its best. The full "Cenotaph" cue is a romantic pleasure, though it also features the score's only potentially obnoxious temp track emulation; in the second minute, Kallis reprises the somber death motif from Howard Shore's The Lord of the Rings for choir, making one wonder if Gandalf the Grey had died fighting the Turks as well. The straight fight sequences are not the score's strongest passages, the trio of "Battle Preparations" to "Let the Blade Find the Cut" offering some impressive percussion but the balance of strings and brass not always favoring an easy experience. It's in these portions that the lack of resonance and depth to the mix becomes a factor the most, which is a shame given that there is some excellent writing in these cues. Ultimately, Cliffs of Freedom remains an exceptional effort and, if not for its overabundance of sometimes unrealized themes and dry, harsh mix in the fuller passages, the work would stand among the best scores of 2019. Either way, Kallis continues to impress in his ascent, and collectors of historical, ethnic epics will rejoice in its ambition. ****
TRACK LISTINGS:
Total Time: 75:08
NOTES & QUOTES:
The insert includes notes from the director, writer/producer, and composer about the film and score.
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The reviews and other textual content contained on the filmtracks.com site may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of Christian Clemmensen at Filmtracks Publications. All artwork and sound clips from Cliffs of Freedom are Copyright © 2019, Aegean Entertainment and cannot be redistributed without the label's expressed written consent. Page created 11/15/20 (and not updated significantly since). |
