Filmtracks Traffic Rank: #1,566
Written 2/5/03, Revised 3/4/09
Invert Colors
Buy it... if you are ready to hear a deadly serious, introverted journey of a
small ensemble to represent the recovery from an enormous personal loss.
Avoid it... if the music you want to use to commemorate the events of
September 11th, 2001 for your personal purposes is grand, defiant, patriotic, or
soothing.
 |
| Danna |
The Guys: (Mychael Danna) The first film to be made about the
personal tragedies caused by the terrorist attacks on the United States on
September 11th, 2001, The Guys is a solemn but rewarding story of a New York
City journalist and a city fire captain who partnered together to write a series of
eulogies for the firemen killed in the collapse of the World Trade Center. Based
upon a play, the journalist and captain form a personal bond and work together to
overcome the grief of the event. In the remainder of the 2000's, the few films that
attempted to address the larger topic (on both big and small screens) tended to be
met with indifference, and The Guys was no exception. The film's musical
requirements were different than what most people may believe. Instead of being
rousingly patriotic or heroic, the story necessitates an individual level of
suffering and healing. Thus, composer Mychael Danna was hired to provide an
immensely personal score of intimate character for the film. Danna had been
displaying his diverse talents with regularity in the previous year, with the
heavily ethnic and religious score for Atom Egoyan's Ararat standing out in
2002 as one of the more interesting efforts of his career. His work for The
Guys returns to his more minimalistic tendencies, with only a small ensemble of
soloists and string players employed for the film. Utilizing a relatively short
score, the film did not need much music to accentuate the pain on the screen; the
story really represented itself well enough to suffice without the additional
atmospheric depth. Danna's score is understandably restrained to a level of volume
appropriate for the interaction between the two primary characters. There is no
representation of the attack, the large scale recovery efforts that followed, or
even the music you heard at the memorials that were arranged a year later. The
score is introspective in every way, relying on the tone of a solo piano to provide
the heart of the score's contemplation. It is accompanied by largely harmonic, but
themeless performances by a handful of woodwinds and strings, producing a
distinctly classical environment that is as strikingly poignant in parts as it is
depressing.
Although Danna succeeds in providing what the film required,
highlights on album are few. The first score track, "My Beautiful, Gleaming...,"
and finale cue, "Follow Me," offer the sum of only six to eight minutes of
redeeming music, or material that even hints at a positive resolution or sense of
healing. The majority of the remaining music relies upon a meandering piano trying
to find its path, and this experience, with only a simple, elongated theme and
often no accompaniment at all, causes the score for
The Guys to dwell in
despair to the same degree as the fire captain of the story. The cue "Are You
Okay?" presents some spectacular, of not equally depressing solo piano performances
of melancholy character. The mix of the piano is perhaps too forceful, swallowing
up the woodwinds often tasked to accompany it. The tone of the score is a sober
reminder of the pain and suffering of New York, and while it may suffice to great
degree in the film, it may not transfer as well to album for most listeners. If
anything, the music serves as accompaniment to the growth and pain that evolved out
of the tragedy, but without any of the positive aspects of the collective recovery
efforts. For the purpose of representing the psyche the characters of the film,
Danna's effort is still commendable. The Sony Classical album is book-ended by two
more noteworthy tracks, however. It opens with a solitary and moving performance of
a traditional Irish folk song that was arranged by Danna for this film. It is
performed by Mary Fahl, whose voice was very well utilized for the Civil War epic
Gods and Generals in the same year. Her ability to use her voice to bridge
the stylistic gap between American and Irish sounds effectively serves to remind
audiences of the heavy Irish tradition in the New York police and fire departments.
She also contributes wordless vocals to several score cues. The album furthers this
tribute with a recording of the song by the New York Fire Department Emerald
Society Pipe and Drums. Danna's score does not repeat these Irish influences, to
its possible detriment. On a short product, the music is the best you would expect
to hear from a personal 9/11-related tale. It is ultimately a depressing listening
experience with minimal activity and unfortunately, when presented on its own,
reminds us of only the solemn side of the event and ignores the greater
perseverance which prevailed.
*** @Amazon.com: CD or
Download
Bias Check:
For Mychael Danna reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.25
(in 16 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.06
(in 5,351 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
|
