Because of the involvement of so many non-Zimmer pieces
in
Green Card, adding Mozart and The Beach Boys (among others) to
the Enya songs, the original score doesn't really have much time to
develop its themes with great consistency. That said, Zimmer does follow
three distinct threads in his score that give it a cohesive feeling. The
first is the score's primary theme of flowing optimism, heard in
"Restless Elephants," "Cafe Afrika," and "Pour Bronte." This keyboarded
idea is about as standard to Zimmer's contemporary writing of the era as
it can be, even down to familiar drum pads, synthesized samples in the
rhythms, and progressions straight from
Rain Man. It doesn't
overflow with the same redemptive enthusiasm that the arguably more
appealing theme for
Point of No Return conveys in its most
extroverted performances. In "Cafe Afrika," the theme is aided by an
exotic woodwind effect that balances the sometimes dated keyboarding,
and these soft flute tones are a precursor to
The Lion King. The
second theme is termed "Instinct" by Zimmer and exists twice on the
album for
Green Card. The first of these two cues, opening the
score portion of that product, is the overall highlight of the
composition (especially for those tired of Zimmer's usual romance
techniques of the era). With almost an East Indian personality in its
progressions, this outwardly foreign-sounding piece could be considered
a sibling to
Beyond Rangoon in its deep bass pulsing, slapping
percussion, intoxicating female vocals, and compelling high woodwind
solos. Despite feeling a bit out of place in the context of the
surrounding music, "Instinct" is the necessary cue for Zimmer collectors
to glean from
Green Card. The third side of the score consists of
the piano solos representative of Depardieu's character, gracing "9am
Central Park" alone and backed by tasteful string effects in "Asking
You." The only detractions from the score are the low key rumblings of
Zimmer's looped percussion and meandering keyboarding in "Moonlight" and
"Silence," the former the most dated cue in the presentation. In sum,
only about half an hour of the composer's original music exists on the
album, uncharacteristically in relatively short tracks. The best
material is concentrated at the start of that product. The absence of
the Enya songs is both a benefit and a drawback; it would have been nice
(though too expensive) to hear their inclusion, but without them, the
hoards of people who bought the album assuming they would be there have
made
Green Card an easy find on the used market. Anyone familiar
with and friendly to Zimmer's early light rock and new age themes of
likable rhythms will find several cues of solid material to enjoy.
**** @Amazon.com: CD or
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