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Review of The Illusionist (Philip Glass)
FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:
Buy it... if you are accustomed to Philip Glass' typical, classical
repetitions and are intrigued by his expansion of instrumentation for
this elegant, magical genre.
Avoid it... if the predictable structure of Glass' music, including his lack of strong thematic presence, overrides the strength of his perpetually fluid rhythms.
FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:
The Illusionist: (Philip Glass) If you've already
read the review for The Prestige, then some of the introduction
you'll find below will be redundant, but given the films' similarities
and proximity in release, much of the same discussion applies. Film
scores, in a general sense, have often been referred to as "magical."
Their effect on a motion picture can be as spine tingling, if not more
so, than any or all of the other elements in the production. And yet,
sadly, there have been precious few Hollywood films offered in the genre
of historical magic, a seemingly perfect match for the kind of romantic
orchestral enchantment many score collectors yearn to hear. Two films in
the latter half of 2006 suddenly thrust the equation upon us, however,
neither of which arriving with any guarantees from a widely popular
industry composer. Both The Prestige and The Illusionist
are enticing to film music fans because they provide an opportunity to
hear a composer write a truly three-dimensional score, a work of
wizardry to dazzle our ears with creative twists of intelligence and
deception. Whereas the contrast between the genre's basic demands and
the comfort zone of composer David Julyan would prove incompatible for
The Prestige, the pairing of Philip Glass and The
Illusionist would entice more legitimate curiosity. Glass has made a
valiant attempt to bring his classical styles to Hollywood through the
years, and perhaps no project has been as well suited to his writing as
The Illusionist. A romantic tale of magic, mystery, and suspense
in 19th Century Vienna, the film fared equally in critical enthusiasm as
the more star-laden The Prestige, but did not immediately conjure
up the same level of box office success. The first thing you have to do
when analyzing Glass' work for this film is to forget about the
massively disappointing work by Julyan for the other film, for by
comparison, Glass' achievement for The Illusionist seems like
brilliance. But the music of Philip Glass is not for everyone. Like
Julyan, he utilizes highly repetitive movements, and there are certainly
people who can never warm up to the fact that Glass resists the
temptation to write a truly stirring, warm, and harmonious theme for a
film.
In its basic construct, The Illusionist is a trademark Philip Glass score. It features predictably non-descript structures for scene changes and the composer's typical emphasis on strings and piano. Constantly fluid movement in The Illusionist saves the score in each cue, strikingly pronounced in a pace that even Glass-detractors will find difficult to shun. A substantially weighty string theme graces the opening and closing cues, but is rarely integrated with much clarity in between. The lack of clear thematic identity is more than adequately compensated for by the propulsive rhythmic movement of each cue, as well as the largely harmoniously lush rendering of those rhythms. It sustains your interest by maintaining forward motion in even the most sparse parts of cues, creating the same kind of fluidity that James Newton Howard masterfully wrote for Lady in the Water earlier in 2006, but in this case without the striking thematic presence. One very important element that Glass nails in The Illusionist is elegance, a concept completely missed by Julyan in The Prestige, and most of this success by Glass is achieved through the noble nature of his inherently classical inclinations. He even manages to vary his sound within the score to include a few distinctly uncharacteristic representations of menace, highlighted by the frantic, percussively-aided conclusion to "Sophie's Ride to the Castle." As the score progresses, Glass incorporates more sections of the Czech ensemble into the equation, making liberal use of the percussion section and aiding in the thrilling chase and conclusion of the score by piling some brass on to the consistently rolling string rhythms. The intricate use of these supporting instruments, from a light snare to a solo flute, is infused in each cue for a flavor not typical (at least in this quantity) from Glass, and in this diversity he avoids a reliance on simple grace to tell his part of the story. The only major detraction of the score (outside of lingering complaints that many listeners will have about Glass' normal sound) is its flat mix. Many of solo contributions to the score are mixed without vibrance in a dull soundscape on an overall level. The resulting performances aren't as crisp or dramatically sharp as they could have been, lessening the music's effectiveness on album. At 50 minutes in length, the album for The Illusionist runs as long as Glass' rhythms can carry it, and collectors of the composer will certainly be enthused by his capturing of the genre's flowing spirit. ****
TRACK LISTINGS:
Total Time: 51:22
NOTES & QUOTES:
The insert includes an extensive note from writer/director Neil Burger about
working with Philip Glass for this score.
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