Filmtracks Traffic Rank: #650
Written 10/5/03, Revised 3/13/09
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Buy it... if you believe that Rachel Portman can do no wrong with her
predictably harmonic writing for piano and strings.
Avoid it... if you prefer her less troubled, solemn, and morbidly
contemplative music for romantic comedies that feature extroverted thematic
identities.
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| Portman |
The Human Stain: (Rachel Portman) Based upon the acclaimed
2000 novel of the same title by Philip Roth, the story of The Human Stain
concluded a trilogy of dramas by the author and was translated to the big screen by
Miramax in 2002. The release of the picture was pushed through several dates in the
following year, finally settling upon Halloween as the time at which to woo Academy
members. The film's cast was similarly built for Oscar consideration, placing
several winners of the award in leading roles. Anthony Hopkins portrays a
respected, but tarnished New England classics professor who battles with a torrid
sexual affair (with Nicole Kidman), her extremely unstable husband (Ed Harris), and
various other issues, including race and religion. As a series of revelations
continues to unfold for the audience, the film advertises itself as a top entry in
heavy character dramas. Between the awkward, fleshy sex scenes between Hopkins and
Kidman and the extremely depressing conclusion of the story, though, The Human
Stain wasn't a romantic crowd pleaser at any level. While it was originally to
be strictly an arthouse release, Miramax pushed the film to widespread
distribution. This was good news for composer Rachel Portman (another member of the
production with an Academy Award win), who had spent the previous two years
branching off into unfamiliar genre territory. Portman was considered the foremost
composer in the genre of romantic dramas and comedies, gaining a loyal following of
hopelessly romantic listeners who enjoy her simple, but loving orchestral touch.
The films which she had scored in those two years flew below the radar, with 2000's
Chocolat being her previous major success on album. It was likely that her
work for The Human Stain would also cater to her loyal audience, but whether
it could muster the same support as The Cider House Rules and
Chocolat depended likewise on how well received the movie was at awards
time. In and of itself, Portman's score for The Human Stain isn't dynamic or
flashy enough to stretch its legs much beyond the success of the film. In fact,
it's so tethered to the production that the script's haphazard shifts in time and
place are the biggest factor in hindering Portman's usual operational flow.
This film is intensely personal, and so is the music, refraining
from making too broad of a statement in theme and concentrating instead on the
perils and achievements of singular characters. The awkward pacing of the film (and
its disjointed changes of scene) didn't allow the composer to develop clear
consistency in her structures throughout the work. If you're expecting one of
Portman's upbeat, grand themes, read no further, because
The Human Stain has
no such thing. Instead, Portman tones back her scope, as well as the size of her
orchestral ensemble. The performing group is heavy on the strings, and leaves most
of the woodwinds, brass, and percussion behind. The personality of the score is
placed solely on the shoulders of the piano, Portman's most familiar instrument. It
is almost a cliche to use a piano in smaller, character-driven films such as this.
As Elmer Bernstein mentioned when he composed his awards-contender
Far From
Heaven, the piano is the kind of instrument you find in homes both rich and
poor, acting as a symbol of the trials and successes of both small and great
people. Portman follows that line of thinking in every cue, making the soft tones
of the piano the omnipresent element in the score. But despite the obvious use of
the instrument in these situations, Portman continues to handle its sparse sound
(not personally; while she composes on a piano, others perform the instrument for
her recordings, and in this case, it is John Lenehan) with class and grace. The
meandering piano theme at the heart of the score, sometimes offered in pieces as
smaller motifs, is performed at nearly every moment in
The Human Stain,
maintaining a basic level of consistency that translates into a very easy listening
experience on album (and venturing closely to Mark Snow's occasional style of
writing). Strings offer dramatic backing in every cue as well, presenting the usual
lush sound that Portman fans have come to expect. The rearrangement of the end
titles features the only octave-bouncing strings that are another trademark of her
career. The score succeeds in its intentions at every turn, but it is very
introverted and subdued, matching the extremely solemn and morbid environment on
screen. Its mix in the film, as need be mentioned, is quite poor. Collectors of her
comedy work should be aware that
The Human Stain is an extremely restrained,
yet equally harmonic work, a basically pleasant, but undoubtedly troubled and
contemplative score.
*** @Amazon.com: CD or
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Bias Check:
For Rachel Portman reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.31
(in 30 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.26
(in 28,138 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
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