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Review of Into Thin Air: Death on Everest (Lee Holdridge)
FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:
Buy it... if you own a few of Lee Holdridge's scores and seek more
of his engaging action material and grand, harmonic themes.
Avoid it... if you prefer your victory or tragedy tunes to be dripping with more obvious melodrama and readily listenable action rhythms.
FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:
Into Thin Air: Death on Everest: (Lee Holdridge)
The commercialization of expeditions to the top of Mount Everest was the
starting point of journalist Jon Krakauer's best-selling book on which
this 1997 television film was based. Accompanying one of two competing
groups attempting the treacherous climb, Krakauer would narrate how
everything would eventually go wrong. Because the experienced guides
would try to accommodate anybody willing to pay enough to be led to the
top of the mountain, many unprepared people would make the journey. On
this particular trip, with the help of some storms, five members of the
teams would die. The story was unfortunately too long to be translated
into an effective television film, with only 90 minutes of total length
and significant numbers of fades for commercial breaks hindering the
flow of the depiction. Critics and viewers seemed widely divided about
the merits of film, though Sony would eventually release it on DVD. With
poor development of the characters, the mountain becomes the primary
character (despite the film being shot in Austria). The visuals and
sound mixing were highly acclaimed, often compared to the IMAX feature
Everest. One of the film's better qualities is the large-scale
score by veteran television film composer Lee Holdridge, whose career
was beginning to pick up in recognition in the late 1990's. While
Into Thin Air: Death on Everest didn't prove to propel Holdridge
over the top and into a flurry of theatrical films (as some had hoped),
the score still stands on its own as one of the composer's most
respected compositions. Holdridge collectors are familiar with the
composer's competent ability to coin romantic or tragic themes for the
dramatic genre of stories. To some degree, Into Thin Air: Death on
Everest would utilize some of these sounds, but moreso than other
Holdridge scores released on album, this one is distinctively on edge.
It is a suspense score more than anything else, and it is based
primarily upon a series of staggered rhythms meant to represent the
equally staggered pace of the climbers as they move upwards (and
downwards).
Holdridge states that the initial inspiration he had for the film was the jagged series of notes at the very outset of the score that establish a rhythmic motif to represent the perils of the journey. The same rhythms inhabit most of the major climbing scenes, adapted to different scenes by the intensity of their performances. The fully orchestral ensemble is aided by daiko drums and a pounding piano in the low ranges for appropriate fright. A slight element of dissonance is inherent in these progressions, and they're not readily listenable on album for extended sequences. For moments of tragedy, the ensemble drops the rhythm but maintains some of the disharmony; there are a limited number of standard horror hits that the score nails you with periodically. The appeal of the score for most listeners will be the two other major themes developed by Holdridge. First, the victory theme is presented during vista shots at the opening and closing of the film. It is also one of the composer's most grandiose career statements, gracing the scenes involving the summit of the mountain. A gong is utilized during many of the key moments in this theme to accentuate a sense of accomplishment. A gentle subtheme heard in "Sarah" and "Lost Friends" is more in tune with the usual Holdridge sound, providing an opportunity for solo piano and woodwinds to present simple, pleasant ideas. The title theme is given similar treatment in "Epilogue." On album, the score presents a generous 45 minutes of music, more than enough to represent the story. Holdridge was proud to say that he deviated from normal recording practices when recording Into Thin Air: Death on Everest, opting to skip some of the usual mixing process to provide the listener with the same raw sound that he or she would have experienced in the studio. While this approach is relatively unique in today's industry, the casual listener will not hear much of a difference; the overall sound quality is closely rendered and lacking nearly any reverberation. As for the score itself, Holdridge has written more vivacious action themes before, though his "victory/summit" theme for Into Thin Air: Death on Everest is easily among his best achievements. The somewhat rare Citadel album will likely please his collectors without fail. ****
TRACK LISTINGS:
Total Time: 45:53
NOTES & QUOTES:
The insert includes a lengthy note from Holdridge about the score. His official site featured a related shockwave
presentation as of 1997-1998.
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The reviews and other textual content contained on the filmtracks.com site may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of Christian Clemmensen at Filmtracks Publications. All artwork and sound clips from Into Thin Air: Death on Everest are Copyright © 1997, Citadel Records and cannot be redistributed without the label's expressed written consent. Page created 12/5/97 and last updated 12/16/06. |
