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Review of Cruel Intentions (John Ottman)
FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:
Buy it... if you require any proof whatsoever of John Ottman's
composing talents, for this collection of released and unreleased
material is both intelligent and engaging.
Avoid it... obviously if you're in search for any of Edward Shearmur's music that was eventually heard in the final cut of Cruel Intentions.
FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:
Cruel Intentions (Suites and Themes from the Scores of
John Ottman): (Compilation) Riding a wave of popularity from scores
like The Usual Suspects and Incognito, young composer John
Ottman was often considered one of the best rising talents in Hollywood
in the late 1990's. Unfortunately, he also happened to be one of the
unluckiest during that same period of time. In those early years of
scoring major feature films, before his blockbuster superhero scores of
the 2000's gave him name recognition, he exhibited a refreshing style
that defied comparison to any established composer. Each of his scores
of the era shines with creativity, especially when considered under
their circumstances of their often hasty and turbulent production.
Ottman suffered from the deaf ears of studio executives in too many a
case, leaving strong compositions for films such as Cruel
Intentions and Halloween H2O without the films they were
meant to bless. The quality of these works makes it clear that the fault
for these rejected scores can certainly be placed on the shoulders of
the films' producers. For each score of the 1990's, with the possible
exception of the substandard Lake Placid at the end of the
decade, Ottman adopted a style which very well reflects the attitudes
and emotions of the films' characters, and for his intelligent work to
be dismissed from a picture was just as frustrating for Ottman's growing
nucleus of fans as it must have been for the composer himself. As a
partial remedy, Ottman worked for a while to get his rejected score for
Cruel Intentions released on a commercial album. The saucy and
controversial film, while featuring a story that gained cult status with
pop culture audiences and elevated actress Sarah Michelle Gellar's
career to another level of sensuality, was plagued by poor choices in
the supervision of its songs and score.
When it was discovered that Cruel Intentions was not scoring as well with test audiences as the producers had hoped, studio executives decided to rearrange the songs and replace Ottman's laborious work with a more conventional effort by Edward Shearmur. Even with these last minute changes, the film continued to suffer from poor choices in musical accompaniment, and the chance for an engaging score, as well as potentially best-selling album of score and songs, went out the window. Ultimately, neither of the scores by Ottman or Shearmur received official, standalone releases. In 2000, however, the Varèse Sarabande label worked with Ottman to not only release twenty-five minutes of rejected material from Cruel Intentions, but also a selection of the composer's other early works. The music from Cruel Intentions, however, is by far the most intriguing on this compilation, revealing an even greater creativity than many might have anticipated. To respond to the need for a more contemporary score for younger audiences, Ottman assembled a small group of musicians and produced a strikingly powerful result. A variety of synthesizers is complimented by three string players (affectionately referred to as "The Pussy Trio") and a female vocalist (Lisa Donahue), and even though many scores with so few performers end up in the "minimalist" category of thinking, Ottman, with stylish pop rhythms and masterful mixing of his own performances, created a seductive and passionate score. The female voice that haunts the character of Sebastian would have added another layer of emotional development (and torment) to that character had the score been used. The use of the string trio is especially relevant to the story. The first two cues, "Pussy" and "Metropolis," as well as parts of "Sibling Encounters," are lovely and alluring while exuding a sense of forbidden sexuality. The latter track even utilizes the synchronized sound effect of a human sigh. Creative percussive sampling, as crisp as it always is in Ottman's music, aids these cues in creating a sense of style out of so little volume. A heavy mix of the bass, emphasizing a keyboarded accompaniment to the husky cello, helps sustain a slightly oppressive atmosphere. In all, Ottman's music for Cruel Intentions has just the right balance between the sharp edge of deceit and the romantic maturation of the genuine love that prevails at the end of the film. The majority of the remaining music on the album is material that was already available on other commercial albums. The exceptions were the television remake of "Fantasy Island" and The Cable Guy, which were released together by Ottman in promotional form in 1999. Both of those scores show the light side of Ottman's pen while also maintaining his standard of solid orchestral performance. Both additionally feature the very best music from the respective scores, making them solid inclusions here. One of great assets of the suite section of this album is the collection of music from Incognito, a score that is regarded by many to be Ottman's most superior work to date. Because of a few defects found in the original master tapes of Incognito, the score was run through a filter, and this caused its sound to become somewhat tinny and treble dominated for its full album release. When Ottman discovered the master tapes for the score (in their original form prior to editing), it was decided that three of its tracks would be included on this compilation to represent how the composer had wanted them to sound. Interestingly, the effect of the filter on the original album release, causing a significantly wet sound that accentuated the percussive effects in the recording, was arguably a positive attribute of the score's presentation. But the majority of Ottman fans might agree with the composer and prefer the more intimate, deep sound on this product. The tracks from Incognito on this album were an extra bonus because the original album had become very difficult to find in stores over the previous few years, and three of its best five tracks are included here. The compilation is rounded out by samples from numerous other scores. Ottman's rejected score to Halloween H2O was released by Varèse Sarabande in 1998 under the name "Portrait of Terror." His opening titles, complete with a robust orchestral interpretation of John Carpenter's main piano theme, is the highlight of that score. Also an impressive effort is Apt Pupil, which is represented on this compilation by its own highlight: the haunting and militaristic title theme dominated by poetic choral and string performances. To appreciate Snow White: A Tale of Terror fully, one should listen to the original Citadel album (a difficult prospect given its rarity, though); it is difficult to get into the mood that the score requires in just the few minutes heard here. Finally, Ottman's only weak score as of 2000, Lake Placid (which was plagued by production problems along with the film), was likely inserted on this product because Varèse already held the rights to it. Notable scores missing from this album are Ottman's first large scale and dark score, The Usual Suspects, and his quirky and perverted Goodbye Lover from 1999. Still, this compilation is nothing less than a delight. It is difficult not to become attached to Ottman's scores, and while his fans applauded his continuing involvement in the directing and editing of films, many of them secretly hoped that he would focus his career on film scoring. To a large degree, he has done that, though not with the success that many had hoped would result. He's clearly established his talents for producing complex and genre-bending scores that impress apart from their films, and this compilation album with Cruel Intentions is more than enough evidence to prove it. *****
TRACK LISTINGS:
Total Time: 64:34
NOTES & QUOTES:
The insert includes a short note about the circumstances involving
Cruel Intentions and Incognito.
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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 Cruel Intentions are Copyright © 2000, Varèse Sarabande and cannot be redistributed without the label's expressed written consent. Page created 12/8/00 and last updated 10/1/08. |
