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| Bernstein |
Hoodlum: (Elmer Bernstein) Several films have
tackled Depression-era Harlem and its association at the time with
lotteries and organized crime. Fans of Francis Ford Coppola's
The
Cotton Club from 1984 will recognize the basic plot elements of Bill
Duke's
Hoodlum from 1997, though the latter film views the
demographics of the area from the perspective of its biggest players.
The few wealthy blacks in 30's Harlem operated the "numbers," and, for
the most part, the organized Sicilian mob that ran much of the rest of
the city stayed out of that mix. But when Lucky Luciano and his henchmen
begin to make a move on Harlem, they run into Laurence Fishburne's Bumpy
Johnson character and a battle of guns and wits ensues. The film
received a positive critical response across the board, with some
claiming the film to be the best representation of the era since
The
Untouchables in the late 80's. Audiences never warmed to it,
however, and among stiff competition in the late 1997 box office,
Hoodlum soon disappeared. While composer Elmer Bernstein was
still working regularly in 1997, his output was becoming more mundane.
With almost all of his late scores rooted in the more intimate dramatic
genre, it's important to recognize
Hoodlum as his last large and
boisterous effort. At a time when both Bernstein and John Barry were
becoming all-too-predictable,
Hoodlum was a remarkable surprise,
standing as one of the more diverse success stories of the year in
general film music. Bernstein's approach to
Hoodlum is exactly as
you would expect it to be. He uses his slight, retrograde dramatic
sensibilities to infuse the film with a significant dose of sentimental,
longing romance (a necessity for any good mobster film). Also present is
the normal pinch of jazzy swing to the score's instrumentation and
rhythm. But perhaps most notable is the healthy portion of rambunctious
action material from Bernstein, something very rare for the composer at
the time. The overarching tone of the score is stylish and entertaining,
and will serve the interests of both longtime Bernstein collectors and
listeners of the digital age searching for more diversity from the
composer.
While Bernstein's score to Coppola's own
The
Rainmaker in the same year would also feature a significantly jazzy
approach,
Hoodlum is a far more weighty effort (despite mingling
with some of the same comedic passages from the other score).
Bernstein's usual bouncy, upbeat rhythms grace several cues, and a
slightly comedic motif does pop up now and again as the score's only
true weakness. A sax, electric bass, muted trumpet, piano, and
percussion treat the "Queen" character with a blast of cool air. A
highly thematic score, many of the solos in
Hoodlum will raise
memories of
Frankie Starlight; intimate performances on piano and
woodwind here, however, are often followed by grand renditions of those
themes by the sizable ensemble. This includes a healthy dose of brass,
which is paired to good effect with Bernstein's usual ondes martenot;
the sound of the synthetic tones as counterpoint to trumpet solos, as
heard in the final score cue, is frightfully appealing. The glue that
holds everything together, of course, is the piano, performing all the
major themes and motifs throughout the score and assisting in the action
cues with a rhythmic pounding in the lower regions. These darker
sequences have a knack for maintaining the same elegance in their
performances despite their mean intentions; some sequences, such as
"Revenge," offer striking tones that seem to merge the comedic
performances of grandiose orchestra hits from Bernstein's 1980's
comedies with the ruthless progressions of, interestingly, Michael
Kamen. Bernstein also interrupts "Goodbyes" with a seemingly obvious
interpolation of Bernard Herrmann's famous
Cape Fear theme,
perhaps a nod to the score that Bernstein rearranged and recorded for
the remake in 1991. One other notable cue is "From the Womb to the
Tomb," which features a rousing return to the glory days of Bernstein's
major Western works with a delightful explosion of spirit true to the
genre. The album ends with a somewhat unrelated gospel performance of
"Amazing Grace," though Bernstein finishes the vocals with a victorious
ensemble crescendo of wall-shaking proportions. Overall,
Hoodlum
is both a competent and enjoyable score, and depending on your
attachment to Bernstein's final score for
Far From Heaven in
2002,
Hoodlum may be the composer's last great work.
**** @Amazon.com: CD or
Download
| Bias Check: |
For Elmer Bernstein reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.25
(in 18 reviews)
and the average viewer rating is 3.16
(in 10,283 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
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The insert includes only a very short note from director Bill Duke about the score.
