Filmtracks Traffic Rank: #1,114
Written 2/11/06
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Buy it... if you can appreciate subtle rhythms and exotic vocals in
a restrained performance from the world music genre.
Avoid it... if you only have a passing interest because of the
score's Oscar nomination.
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| Iglesias |
The Constant Gardener: (Alberto Iglesias) Brazilian
director Fernando Meirelles brings one of John Le Carre's most angry
novels to life in The Constant Gardener, a tale with all the
fragmented clues of a usual Le Carre story but with a vicious side of
distrust against the pharmaceutical industry. A murder mystery and
possible love triangle is a front in The Constant Gardener for a
larger commentary about the actions of drug companies that test products
on people in Africa without much respect for their lives. The setting
here is Kenya, the drugs are HIV related, and the characters are a
British diplomat and a medical activist who marry without really getting
to know one another first. When the activist is killed at a roadblock,
her husband searches the lurid and confusing cues with relentless focus,
attempting to determine exactly why she had been killed (and learning
more than he probably wanted to know in the first place). The film was
critically praised almost across the board, despite its slow movement at
times, and it was rewarded with several Academy Award nominations. One
nomination came for the score by Spaniard Alberto Iglesias, who is best
known for his ongoing collaboration with director Pedro Almodóvar (his
many works with the director have led to some of his half a dozen Goya
Awards). One entry in that pairing was Talk to Her a few years
ago, widely praised and a strong seller as a soundtrack. Offering a
glimpse of Spanish classical music for the 21st Century, Iglesias
seamlessly merged elements of classical chamber music with Latin flavor
in Talk to Her, and his works have more than shown the industry
that he is capable of composing across multiple world genres. For The
Constant Gardener, Iglesias would take familiar elements from a
Western orchestra and merge them with the worldly instruments of East
Africa, providing a score heavy on texture and authenticity.
Iglesias received his first Oscar nomination for his
work on
The Constant Gardener, and though his recognition in the
industry has been picking up steam since
Talk to Her, it's not
surprising that score like this would be nominated nowadays. Largely
devoid of theme and overarching structure, Iglesias' score relies on its
distinctly stylish attributes to succeed. Instead of providing a blanket
of suspense (something that suits most Le Carre stories), Iglesias
maintains a low level rhythmic progression dominated by instruments such
as an Africa lyre called a nyatiti, a kawala wood flute, the South
American ronroco, and raw African vocals that will sound as foreign to
Western ears as ever. With such diversity in the ranks, Iglesias's music
prevails most when in heavy activity, including the rhythmically
interesting "Roadblock" cues (the highlights of the album) and "Raid"
action cue. Compared to American composers, this music resembles Thomas
Newman's recent rhythmic world-music styles more than anything, and
those styles attract attention simply through their exotic nature. A
baritone sax and various woodwind instruments lament in the background
of certain lightly rhythmic cues in an almost noir fashion. Mournful
cues that employ the orchestral ensemble are heavily restrained; both
"Funeral" and "Kindergarten" pass without much notice to their barely
audible solo mixes. Two vocal songs written in part and performed by
Ayub Ogala are among the highlights, mostly because they break the
monotony of the lightly flowing underscore. It's difficult to see
exactly how Iglesias took all of these elements, from the chopping
cellos of "To Germany" to the exotic vocals of the "Roadblock" cues, and
produced a score that remains so anonymous. A similar fate fell upon
Alexandre Desplat's
Syriana this year, and while music of such
ambiguity may be functional in the film, it fails to define a mood or
sustain interest on album. With only ten minutes of truly enticing
stylish, rhythmic, and vocal music,
The Constant Gardener is a
disappointment in Iglesias' career despite its Oscar nomination.
** @Amazon.com: CD or
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