Filmtracks Traffic Rank: #258
Written 4/11/98, Revised 3/28/08
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Buy it... if a gorgeous and lushly dramatic cross between Anna
and the King, Shadowlands, and George Fenton's later nature
documentary music of the 2000's stands to be a safe addition to your
collection.
Avoid it... if you detest unashamed romanticism and lyrical warmth
in their most vibrant orchestral forms.
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| Fenton |
Dangerous Beauty: (George Fenton) Powerful
prostitutes make up some of the most interesting characters in the
history of film, and Dangerous Beauty adapts the partially true
tale of "The Honest Courtesan" written by Margaret Rosenthal and gives
it the usual preachy conclusion about societal structure that Hollywood
adores. In the story, Venice's most famed prostitute has an impressive
client list of kings and bishops, as well as a knack for using her
intelligence to commit faux pas such as reading, writing, scrapping, and
opening her mouth. Her poetry and dominance in her profession made her a
silent heroine for the women of 1580's Venice, though she would have
given away all of that to be able to marry the man of her dreams.
Unfortunately, as he was a statesman, such a marriage was impossible
despite his reciprocation, and the prostitute would eventually end up on
trail for witchcraft. When the film was still titled The Honest
Courtesan, it was meant to be an assignment for composer Rachel
Portman, whose work on romantic dramas and comedies had earned her
widespread praise and an Academy Award win in the previous few years.
Her pregnancy, however, caused the scoring duties to be offered to
George Fenton, whose career was defined at the time by lighter romantic
comedies and the pseudo-period score for Ever After: A Cinderella
Story. His capability in the genre of lush, grandiose romances with
a hint of historical significance, though, has proven itself time and
time again, and Dangerous Beauty is perhaps the greatest of these
triumphs. In retrospect, Dangerous Beauty may have seemed like a
logical progression from the tones of both Ever After and
Shadowlands, among several others, but this work is better
connected to the symphonic majesty that came later with Fenton's
massively successful nature documentary music of the 2000's. In meeting
the wishes of the director for Dangerous Beauty, Fenton managed
to perfectly balance the elements of power, playfulness, and passion,
providing one of 1998's most accomplished scores and enjoyable companion
albums. While Rachel Portman may have offered an acceptable score for
this film, it's hard to imagine that she could have surpassed the
magnificence of Fenton's inspiration for the picture.
The London ensemble for
Dangerous Beauty is of
significant size and features an acoustic guitar as its heart. One of
the most impressive aspects of the score is its ability to convey
convincing classicism without becoming pretentious. The guitar is key to
this success, underlining the warmth that the film exudes in its leading
duo and their impossible dreams. Fenton writes two major themes for
Dangerous Beauty, one for the culture of Venice and one for
Veronica, the prostitute. The first theme bubbles along immediately in
"Venice Proud and Pretty" but is largely replaced by the Veronica theme
introduced in "The First Kiss" and used liberally throughout the score.
Fenton alternates between touching solo guitar performances and flowing
string fanfares with bold brass counterpoint, never losing touch with
the spirit of lush resonance that accompanies every ensemble
performance. The score's only truly menacing, minor-key expressions come
in "The Plague/Veronica's Arrest" and the two "Imprisonment" cues that
follow, the first of which presents a rumbling crescendo that reminds of
the opening of
We're No Angels. The pivotal moment of testimony
in "I Stand Alone for Venice and This Woman" diminishes itself to
solitary and tempered timpani strikes. Fenton also infuses
Dangerous
Beauty with a comedy rhythm under the Venice theme for the two
"Duel" cues and the mid-section of the end titles, imitating the style
with which Portman likely would have approached the scenes. But
otherwise,
Dangerous Beauty is a series of one beautiful thematic
cue after another. On album, the score is very much the equal of
Anna
and the King from the following year, but even more consistent in
its movement through each track. The cue "The Verdict/End Titles" is the
dramatic equal to "The Execution" from
Anna and the King, both
lengthy tracks that demand inclusion in any film music collection. The
piano's performances in the latter score are perhaps a bit colder than
the guitar in
Dangerous Beauty. Overall, you'll be hard-pressed
to find any significant criticism of the
Dangerous Beauty score,
with a gorgeous and heartfelt attitude that will overwhelmingly please
any fan of the composer. If not for James Horner's wildly attractive
The Mask of Zorro,
Dangerous Beauty might have been the
best score of 1998.
***** @Amazon.com: CD or
Download
Bias Check:
For George Fenton reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.64
(in 14 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.44
(in 16,917 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
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