: (Thomas Newman) When author Kathryn
Stockett wrote her novel about African American maids laboring through
racist conditions in Jackson, Mississippi during the 1960's, she
initially experienced significant difficulty finding a literary agent.
Eventually published in 2009, "The Help" spent 100 weeks on The New York
Times Best Seller List in the process of selling over five million
copies. When the story was adapted to the big screen in 2011, it was met
with equally surprising success, topping domestic box office charts for
25 consecutive days. Its translation of a $25 million budget into over
$140 million in its first month is an astounding feat for a film of this
size and topic, ensuring
a strong position for the
awards season. What little negative criticism the movie received from
critics was sometimes due to disappointment in the adaptation of the
novel, though the basic plot elements and historical implications
remain. The kind protagonist in
is a young white woman
who, upon college graduation, decides to write a book documenting the
challenges faced by African American housemaids by collecting stories
from them. While it takes her a fair amount of time to earn the trust of
the maids, the developing Civil Rights movement encourages more of them
to contribute to the book without fear of retribution. When the assembly
of these stories becomes a success, the royalties are spread between the
author and maids, with everyone satisfied about the societal impact of
the endeavor. The movie is largely the product of actor-turned-director
and screenwriter Tate Taylor, and to assist him in adding another
authentic dimension to the Mississippi locations so carefully chosen for
the shooting of
, he enlisted composer Thomas Newman for
the task. Newman has maintained a somewhat lower mainstream profile in
the years leading up to
, though his reputation for
instrumental creativity and a proven knack for capturing the spirit of
the Deep South in his music has been known and applauded for
decades.
The best of the Deep South sub-genre of music from
Newman remains
Fried Green Tomatoes from 1991, a score saturated
with Southern flavor and exuding a substantial amount of defiant
attitude. Gone from
The Help is that overt flair for the dramatic
(including, most notably, the vocal element), but some of the underlying
temperament carries over. There is no doubt that Newman's role in the
finished product is a purely supporting one, because his stance is
ethnically atmospheric rather than melodically wholesome. He does reach
for expressions of optimistic lyricism at times, but somber and
restrained beauty in minimalistic ranks is the order of the day. As
usual for a Newman score of this variety, the instrumentation and its
incorporation into rhythmic phrases are key to defining the character of
the music. While the composer can sometimes allow his intriguing
instrumental colors to negatively dominate his works,
The Help
receives the same extensive intelligence but maintains restraint in
their mixture with the more common piano, string, and woodwind
performances. A perfect balance of this whimsical Newman environment
over strings and piano exists in "The Help," a cue highlighting the more
exotic woodwind tones in the ensemble. Likewise contributing familiar
tones in several cues, led by "Jim Crow," are acoustic guitar and
harmonica. But, as usual, you can't really get the appropriate feel for
a Newman score of this kind without a partial list of specialty
instruments: 8-string ukulele, hammered Appalachian dulcimer, pluck
zither, cavaquinho, dulcigurdy, aeolian windharp, crystal baschet,
processed hang drum, guiano freeze, holo shimmer, bell/vox grunge,
distant whistle, copper and bronze vases, cymbals with brushes, clay
marimba, kim kim, wave drum, vibraphone, and shaker. As bizarre as this
list may sound to some (especially with the absence of brass and
traditional symphonic percussion), many of these items are usual Newman
contributors and are heard here only in supporting roles. Perhaps the
most interesting aspect of their applications in
The Help is that
a fair number of them could probably have been synthesized without much
notice, a result of their tepid placement in the mix.
Those longing for vintage Newman techniques will enjoy
a few slightly jaunty, plucked string rhythms, led by the musical
representation of the main antagonist in "Miss Hilly" and "The Terrible
Awful" (the latter exhibiting a slightly humorous tone for the famous
"feces in the cake" story). The finale cues of "Amen" and "Mile High
Meringue" contain deeper string ensemble orchestrations that hint at the
rich symphonic side of Newman's writing as well. As you might expect,
some of the most alluring moments of this mostly understated score are
those during which Newman allows solo woodwinds to express themselves
over the ensemble, another trademark of the composer's best works.
Outside of bright cues like "Heart Palpitations," "Deviled Eggs"
(highlighted by a wholesome interlude for full strings in its latter
half), and "Gripping Testimonials," the score is content to wrestle in
the background with the implications of the story. The tandem of
"Mississippi" and "Celia Digs" represent the darkest corners of the
score, akin to ambient synthetic droning but still conveying melodic
ideas to some degree. The lack of strong thematic development in
The
Help is its most obvious impediment. Newman introduces his melodies
immediately in "Aibilene" and very casually touches upon them
thereafter, but it's not until the fuller expressions in "Ain't You
Tired (End Title)" (highlighted by the slight twang in the piano
performances of the main theme and reprise of the exotic woodwinds) that
you can truly be satisfied with these identities. That final cue is a
decent summary of the score's highlighting thematic and instrumental
usage, despite its unfortunate dissolving into droning ambience in its
final third. Overall,
The Help is an effectively competent score
that once again proves Newman a master of expressing convincing tones
for America's Deep South. It doesn't have the infectious personality or
melodic exposition of an enduring benchmark like
Fried Green
Tomatoes, but its respectful sense of restraint is admirable. The
hour-long album presentation is absent source material and is a mostly
tonal, effortless listening experience that will be a pleasure to
appreciate for those seeking to hear Newman return to his early 1990's
sensibilities, even if it does manifest itself in the form of somber,
atmospheric grace.
**** @Amazon.com: CD or
Download
| Bias Check: |
For Thomas Newman reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.15
(in 33 reviews)
and the average viewer rating is 3.13
(in 56,038 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
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