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Elfman |
Hitchcock: (Danny Elfman) Based on Stephen
Rebello's non-fiction book "Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho,"
director Sacha Gervasi's 2012 biographical examination of the famed
Hitchcock during his process of preparing for and making the movie
Psycho in 1959 is largely a revelation about his working and
personal relationship with his wife, Alma Reville. While it was
Hitchcock who initiated the project after discovering his fascination
with the Wisconsin mass murderer that inspired the character of Norman
Bates, Reville was largely responsible for assisting the director in
guiding some of the most important aspects of its production, including
the story and score, and ultimately caught bloopers in
Psycho's
shower scene that were edited out at the last minute. With respect and
admiration,
Hitchcock doesn't shy away from the perverse sense of
humor often associated with the iconic filmmaker, its length littered
with hilarious one-liners from the director. Unfortunately, while the
secondary cast members in
Hitchcock do an exemplary job emulating
the real-life crew, the casting of Anthony Hopkins as Hitchcock himself
has led to some dissatisfaction; his voice is so distinct to the actor
that, in one scene during which he describes severed body parts with
glee at a press lunch, hints of Hannibal Lector can be heard. Still, the
highlights of
Hitchcock are worthy of a few good laughs, and film
score fans will be enthused about television actor Paul Schackman's
performance as Bernard Herrmann. Obsessed with both Hitchcock and
Herrmann is composer Danny Elfman, who was not only inspired by Herrmann
early in his career but re-recorded the classic
Psycho score for
Gus Van Sant's 1998 shot-for-shot remake of the film. In an interview
with CinemaNerdz, Gervasi stated that he was shooting a scene for
Hitchcock and "suddenly I turned around and there was this sort
of curious looking ginger-haired gentleman with headphones watching the
monitor. And he was quite in an odd mode at that particular moment. He
was looking like a bit of a mad person that day. Someone said, 'That's
Danny Elfman.' I was like, 'What the hell is Danny Elfman doing here?'
And they said, 'Well he's interested in doing the score.' And I was
like, 'What?'"
Elfman's schedule in 2012 was extraordinarily busy. He
had already pulled out of
Hunger Games to tackle five other
assignments, but his self-propelled enthusiasm for
Hitchcock
caused him to squeeze it into the schedule. Not surprisingly, some
vintage music is used as source or tribute material, most notably the
screeching shower sequence from
Psycho heard after the argument
between Hitchcock and Herrmann (it's possible, given the sound quality
of this material, that Elfman simply accessed his 1998 recording of the
cue) and the "Funeral March for a Marionette" by Charles Gounod,
Hitchcock's personal theme in living, arranged by Elfman for a fresh
recording here. The original score for
Hitchcock consists of a
partial orchestra (seemingly minus brass) and a few notable accents, a
solo piano and various string contributors carrying the bulk of the
load. While Elfman's take on the film is distinctly his own, sounding
very much like the late 1980's/early 1990's mannerisms of the composer,
he does make some obvious nods to Herrmann's style along the way. The
best among these emulations may be "Impulses," a mock horror cue that
resurrects Herrmann's churning cello techniques, and "Explosion," in
which glassy percussion interrupts another string horror outburst.
Outside of these moments, however, listeners may be surprised by just
how thoroughly Elfman's own musical personality dominates
Hitchcock. Make no mistake about it; this is very much an Elfman
score rather than an extensive Herrmann tribute. His two main themes and
minor motifs are all comfortable when placed amongst his early
orchestral works, his own sense of humor informing several buoyant cues
as well. The primary theme in
Hitchcock is one of affection
between Hitchcock and his wife, a whiny at times but ultimately
satisfying and almost melancholy and tired representation of love.
Introduced on high strings in "Theme from Hitchcock," the idea takes
most of the score to establish itself, recurring with lament on solo
piano in "Fantasy Smashed" and on dramatic strings in middle of
"Finally." Perhaps the most redemptive performance of the idea come at
the very end of the score, with plaintive string performances in "Home
at Last" and longer treatment on piano and strings throughout the
subdued "End Credits #2."
Don't expect the love theme to compete well with the
other major identity in
Hitchcock, the one for the director
himself. Elfman gives it dual personalities and sometimes prefaces it
with a direct quote from a supporting motif in
Batman. This
prelude of sorts introduces a hint of the Hitchcock theme in "Logos," a
cue that may as well be from either of Elfman's
Batman scores
after the harp references to Herrmann in the opening bars. More of this
reference can be heard in "Paramount/Out the Gate" (opening the cue
whimsically and returning on woodwinds later) and with subtlety in the
middle of "Suspicion." The darker variant of the theme for Hitchcock
himself is a bit sinister and supports the vital "Saving the House" cue
(leading into the Herrmann argument scene) before Elfman allows it to
flourish with wicked solo violin performances surrounded by tumult in
"End Credits #1." Opposing the grisly side of this theme are the perky
and vibrant performances representing the director's humor and
larger-than-life persona. While a little closer to the "Funeral March"
in personality, this version is actually a lively waltz seemingly
derived from an old song about sunshine and mornings, exploding early in
"Paramount," closing out "The Swim," flourishing at the start of "Walk
With Hitch" (the exuberant side of an equivalent opening to "It's a
Wrap"), and really let loose with upbeat retro jazz style in "Selling
Psycho." Three singular cues merit specific mentioning outside of
obvious thematic applications, the first which the absolutely riotous
tribute to
Scrooged that occupies all of the short cue, "The
Premiere." A flurry of piano suspense at the end of "Celery" is
especially gripping and may even have a slight electric guitar
contribution in the background. The opening of "Finally" expresses
relief through an elongated, expansive dramatic interlude for strings in
almost John Barry fashion. Overall,
Hitchcock is a fun score for
the Elfman enthusiast and contains enough substance to justify its
rather short album presentation. The themes do seem slightly
underutilized, especially in how Elfman alternates between the darker
and upbeat variations on the identity for the titular character. Then
again, many of the film's best conversational moments exist without any
music spotted in them, so the composer may have been restricted a bit in
his opportunities for deeper development. Elfman collectors will be
especially thrilled by how much of the composer's own musical
personality thrives in this context, further connecting him with the
Hitchcock and Herrmann legacy.
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Bias Check: |
For Danny Elfman reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.16
(in 86 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.27
(in 151,218 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
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The insert includes a note from the director about working with Elfman.