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| Burwell |
Hamlet (2000): (Carter Burwell) In classic Hollywood, the
film versions of Shakespearean plays were often presented in their original time
and location, and actor/director Kenneth Branagh was endeavoring to do the same
throughout the 1990's. But a younger generation of audiences and filmmakers then
began embracing and producing adaptations of the original Shakespeare stories in
contemporary, urban settings. From
Romeo & Juliet to
Othello,
sparkling, modern representations of these classic tales played to split
audiences, with some adoring the new visions and others believing that
Shakespeare himself was rolling in his grave. Perhaps none of these stories has
been translated onto the big screen as many times as "Hamlet," with several
entries in the 1990's alone. After the 1990 and 1996 versions remained somewhat
true to a historical setting, the 2000 version directed by Michael Almereyda
throws the story into modern-day New York, suffering in the environment of the
Guggenheim Museum and fax machines. If you could accept Bill Murray as Polonius,
then you may agree with a base of critics that found the film to be generally
pretty intriguing. It would have been an interesting job for composer Patrick
Doyle, who was the resident expert in Shakespearian scores during the 1990's and
had modernized his sound for
Great Expectations, another contemporary
adaptation of a classic tale, in 1998. But an existing collaboration with
Almereyda led to composer Carter Burwell receiving the assignment for the Ethan
Hawke-led
Hamlet. Almereyda had been impressed with Burwell's work with a
large symphony orchestra and now called upon the composer to utilize only a
chamber orchestra for this effort due to a restrictive budget. Burwell's scoring
schedule was tight at the time, but the composer responded to the assignment by
carving the traditional Shakespearian sound down to an intimate scale for a small
ensemble. The lack of contemporary instrumentation to accompany this group,
however, is a curious choice due to the circumstances.
Whether you enjoy or accept the minimalistic result from Burwell
depends on how you believe your Shakespearean films should sound. Traditional
film score collectors are fond of Doyle's 1996 music for
Hamlet and fans
of postmodern music often gravitate towards Ennio Morricone's score for the 1990
Mel Gibson version. Burwell definitely leans towards Morricone's approach,
allowing the story to speak for itself and leaving the pomp and outward drama
inherent in the story completely out of the musical equation. This decision could
probably have been expected, given Burwell's tendency to produce brooding,
off-center music. Unfortunately, Burwell strays too far from the emotional heart
of the classic story, allowing his music to be the victim of its own mediocre
size and repetitive structures. The shallow score plays as though it was written
with constraint in mind, rather than attempting to produce the most emotion
possible out of the small performing group. If anything, Doyle's
Great
Expectations proved that you can insert modern rhythms, vocals, and
traditional elements into a blend worthy of a classic tale. What Burwell wrote
for
Hamlet is repetitively monotonous, simplistic, and devoid of emotion.
Moments meant to convey extreme action lack punch and vary very little from the
mass of uninteresting, rumbling cues of slight stature. Burwell does succeed in
moments of troubled contemplation, though, with a cello performing an
alternating, churning motif that extends throughout the score as its overarching
identity. But some of his use of what seems like a string quartet is a bit
cliche, with the slow chopping of a bass string attempting to carry the duel
scene. When the ensemble is put together in all of its force, such as in the
opening and final cues, the score begins to exhibit the kind of attitude that
could have guided it to success with more creative instrumentation. An acoustic
guitar performance in "Laertes and Ophelia at the Guggenheim" barely touches upon
this possibility. In this case, Burwell's loyalty to traditional symphonic
instrumentation ultimately breaks the back of this version of
Hamlet. It
leaves you wondering if your stereo was ever on while you were listening to it,
tumbling along in the deep regions where it's difficult to notice and even harder
to care about.
** @Amazon.com: CD or
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| Bias Check: |
For Carter Burwell reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 2.84
(in 19 reviews)
and the average viewer rating is 2.8
(in 10,911 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
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The insert includes a note from the director about Burwell and the
score.
