Filmtracks Traffic Rank: #1,055
Written 7/1/03, Revised 4/3/09
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Buy it... if you appreciate the melodramatic power of Patrick Doyle's solid
classical style of grand thematic structures and immense orchestral harmony.
Avoid it... if that same power and consistency from Doyle begins to lose its
edge because all of his like-minded scores sound similar to you.
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| Doyle |
Indochine: (Patrick Doyle) In late 1992, theatres around the
world were buzzing with the French film Indochine, a love story set during
the dangerous final years of the French occupation of Vietnam. The film won the
Academy Award for "Best Foreign Language Film," gaining a substantial audience in
America as well. Director Régis Wargnier's vision for the film was one of immense
visual and aural beauty, with the drama of the story serving alongside an
overwhelming artistic canvas for the senses. The wide-ranging depiction of
Vietnam in the 1930's was so thorough that the setting was both the film's
greatest strength and its most problematic weakness, at times distracting from
the love story that remains the production's most compelling attraction. The
director had heard Patrick Doyle's grand score for Henry V and was
interested in a similar sound for Indochine. When Wargnier showed up at
Doyle's door to hear a sample of what the composer could provide for the film,
the funny circumstances of the day had required Doyle to record his ideas on a
Fisher Price children's cassette recorder; despite Doyle's embarrassment over the
situation, Wargnier and the producers were impressed and the composer was set to
go. The director and the studio were so concerned about the appropriate sound for
the film that they had set aside one of the largest music budgets ever for a
French film. With that money, Doyle was able to boost the number of musicians
from a typical recording by expanding the string section for greater resonance
during his statements of melodramatic theme. A total of 120 musicians would
eventually contribute to the score for Indochine, creating a depth in
drama that very much pleased both Wargnier and audiences. Following the success
of the score, Doyle's effort was nominated for a César award that year (though
despite its strong chances, it failed to pick up the Academy Award nomination
that many suspected it could earn). On album, the score would be distributed
separately in Europe and United States, and for Doyle, who was still relatively
fresh onto the scoring scene in 1992, Indochine was an excellent addition
to an already promising resume. The success of this score was due, as expected,
to Doyle's usual sense of romanticism that dominates the work.
Indochine is a fine example of everything that defines
Doyle's trademark sound in the dramatic genre. It is saturated with passion and
harmonic brilliance, inspiring a rich and enthusiastic performance from the
oversized orchestra. The score's title theme is sweeping and rooted in Western
classicism. Broad orchestrations feature the strings but provide outstanding solo
performances for every section during the course of the score. Highlighted are an
adult chorus and a powerful percussion section. Scenes of the impending French
retreat from Vietnam are scored with an unyielding rumbling of revolution,
including striking brass tones. The percussion and brass, often emphasizing
Western power, do exist in the minority compared to Doyle's meandering and lovely
string themes for the predominant love story. The difference between the height
of passion and the periods of conversational material is minimal, though a cue
with as much strong emotional reach as "End of the Journey" does attract
attention. Unlike Doyle's other weighty efforts, such as
Great
Expectations,
Quest for Camelot, or even his Shakespeare scores, there
is a constant level of intensity (and at times, tension) that is maintained from
beginning to end in
Indochine. Thus, the romantic title theme can, at
times, be absorbed into the rest of the score so that it is less obvious in its
development. But such is beauty of Doyle's style;
Indochine is a
consistent listening experience from beginning to end, offering a lovely,
classical romance for enthusiasts of large orchestral ensembles. The one weakness
of
Indochine, and it could be a major flaw, depending on your position on
scores that don't entirely represent their location, is the plain fact that Doyle
utilized no theme, style, or instrumentation with which to properly match the
location of the film. This was reportedly the composer's choice, though without
any ethnicity at all, the score's heart is slightly out of place. Still, as Doyle
would likely argue, the effort is still a success because of the primary
characters' roots in European culture. The score was immediately released in
America by Varèse Sarabande and fell out of print not long after. Even
more difficult to find is the French Warner album with identical contents. Both
products finish with elegant Doyle source pieces performed by smaller ensembles
or a single piano. Overall,
Indochine is a lush score that Doyle
collectors, among all enthusiasts of classical stature, should appreciate.
**** @Amazon.com: CD or
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Bias Check:
For Patrick Doyle reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.84
(in 32 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.45
(in 26,392 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
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