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Review of A History of Violence (Howard Shore)

FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:

Buy it... if you seek an orchestrally strong and downright positive entry in the David Cronenberg/Howard Shore collaboration.

Avoid it... if your interest in Shore extends only as far as your discovery of his talents during his Lord of the Rings triumphs.

FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:

A History of Violence: (Howard Shore) The collaboration between director David Cronenberg and composer Howard Shore has now spanned four decades and has surprisingly outlasted Shore's pairing with Lord of the Rings' Peter Jackson, whose role in the firing of Shore from King Kong in late 2005 is murky at best. Cronenberg, meanwhile, continues along a familiar path with nearly every film he directs. Often dark, pervasively glum character stories, Cronenberg's works are profound but unpleasant, and while A History of Violence falls under the same general category, it makes some steps in new directions. There is still brutal violence, graphic sexuality, nudity, foul language, drug use, and Ed Harris' creepy, deformed face. Being a film about dual personalities, it's no surprise that one of the primary lifestyles of the film's primary character (Viggo Mortensen) is that of a former criminal in the big city. The odd aspect of this film is that his new, reformed life is an escape to rural Indiana, where he is the guy everyone likes behind the counter of his own crossroads diner. Seeing Cronenberg take a visit to the colorful and peaceful backroads of Americana is definitely a change, but it's necessary to create that backdrop from which the diner owner will swim or sink when his past literally walks into town.

Because A History of Violence is story about the internal fight between good and evil, the job of Howard Shore is a bit more complicated than in the majority of the ten films on which he had worked with Cronenberg. The battle in the diner owner's personality, as well its effects on his family, provide a sense of pure heroicism not often heard in Shore's scores for these films, and yet the ominous shadows of the past life also have to be omnipresent. The resulting fully orchestral score from Shore is therefore both characteristic of his Cronenberg entries while also being more listenable for the average collector. Even so, A History of Violence has no extroverted forward melodies or motifs to retain after its running time has past; it's an exercise in close study and the appreciation of the battle between a constant rumble at the lower ranges of the orchestra and the occasional exploration of a single lofty element representing the aspirations of a new life. The struggle between high and low ranges in the orchestra is never in doubt; the deep bass strings, bass woodwinds, and timpani are dominant. The opening sections of the score are ambiguous and understated, leaving the visuals to speak for themselves by providing simple extended notes without any context. The first violent scene that serves as the ignition source for the film leads into the heroism that follows, and this music is best compared to the sequences of deep bass timpani and strings that represented the rumbling of distant armies in The Lord of the Rings.

The brooding music that follows is a strong reminder of Gollum's treatment during his deep bass string accompaniment, and while certainly not a positive listening experience, it does resonate nicely. In the few action sequences, such as "Run," striking blasts from brass will raise memories of The Aviator, though these moments are rare. An effective drum rhythm sets a satisfying confrontational tone in "The Road," accompanied by harmoniously melodic ideas for strings. In the second half of the score, Shore introduces a theme of redemption that begins to form in "The Staircase" and culminates in a touching solo woodwind performance of resolution in "The Return" and "Ending." The rising nature of this dramatic, but understated theme has been accurately compared to the more memorable thematic/adagio material in Hans Zimmer's The Thin Red Line. While redeeming in its more upbeat performances, the consistently minor-key structure is a constant reminder that the events unfolding in the story will not only affect the primary character, but especially the future of his son as well. If you own several of the Shore/Cronenberg film scores already, A History of Violence will be a strong and downright positive entry in your collection. But casual listeners should be aware that there's only so much happiness that can come on a rainy day, and it seems to rain every day in Cronenberg's world.  ***

TRACK LISTINGS:

Total Time: 40:14

• 1. Motel (3:11) • 2. Tom (1:31) • 3. Cheerleader (1:58) • 4. Diner (1:50) • 5. Hero (2:42) • 6. Run (2:25) • 7. Violence (3:12)

• 8. Porch (4:17) • 9. Alone (1:36) • 10. The Staircase (2:44) • 11. The Road (3:06) • 12. Nice Gate (3:15) • 13. The Return (4:39) • 14. Ending (3:48)

NOTES & QUOTES:

The insert includes notes about the score by Shore and Cronenberg. And there's a creepy, disembodied head picture of Shore tucked in a corner.

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