|
|
The Iron Lady
|
|
|
Composed, Conducted, and Co-Produced by:
Co-Produced by:
Bill Bernstein
Orchestrated and Arranged by:
J.A.C. Redford
|
|
LABEL & RELEASE DATE
| |
|
|
ALBUM AVAILABILITY
| |
Regular U.S. release.
|
|
AWARDS
| |
None.
|
|
ALSO SEE
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Buy it... if you can accept a collection of somewhat unrelated but
at least characteristic representations of Thomas Newman's early 1990's
mannerisms in a clinically uninvolved package.
Avoid it... if you demand warmth and lyricism where little was
possible, Newman's approach viable and occasionally stirring but failing
to engage you emotionally in a meaningful, cohesive narrative.
BUY IT
 | Newman |
The Iron Lady: (Thomas Newman) For comedians, Prime
Minister Margaret Thatcher of the United Kingdom supplied over a decade
of raw material for jokes pertaining to women in politics who have more
balls than their male peers. Less funny for British progressives were
Thatcher's hard-line conservative policies, some of which were credited
with assisting the country in recovering from economic woes in the early
1980's but others blamed for the demise of a conservative movement that
matched that of Ronald Reagan in America at the same time. Her tough,
polarizing stance against trade unions, government handouts, and the
Soviet Union, along with her disastrous and short-lived poll tax at the
end of her term, earned her the nickname "The Iron Lady" and the respect
and hatred of many of her constituents. Perhaps the most interesting
aspect of the 2011 biographical movie about Thatcher by director
Phyllida Lloyd, The Iron Lady, is the fact that it was released
while the former Prime Minister was still alive, prompting her children
to proactively defend their mother's legacy by denouncing the picture as
leftist distortion of the famous conservative figurehead. The script of
the movie handles Thatcher's life by utilizing a series of flashbacks to
cover important events from her teenage years through her time in
office, with a significant portion dedicated to the Falklands War in
1982. The most highly advertised aspect of the production was, of
course, the performance by Meryl Streep in the primary role, and the
talented veteran studied for that role to such an extent that she even
attended a session at the House of Commons to view how a British prime
minister interacts in that setting. It shouldn't be surprising that her
performance was applauded universally by critics despite the
shortcomings of the rest of the film. In its entirety, The Iron
Lady did not fare particularly well in reviews, in part because of
the picture's attempt to clinically approach such a controversial
leader. Thatcher remains such a divisive historical figure that any film
about her was destined to be met with the same kind of wide-ranging
response one has come to expect with a film about America's George W.
Bush. While it had been speculated that composer Alexandre Desplat would
be the natural choice to once again provide the music for a film about a
famous Brit in the government, the assignment went to Thomas Newman. At
one time an Academy darling of the orchestral realm, Newman spent much
of the 2000's writing for highly eclectic ensembles, and The Iron
Lady represents another of his occasional returns to his early
1990's styles.
While there are elements common to Newman's usual array
of abnormal instrumentation for scores of the prior decade, The Iron
Lady does not emphasize them to any consequential degree. Newman's
plucky rhythmic sense returns as expected, but mostly via symphonic
performances. The structural techniques heard in this score are
traceable to any number of prior Newman works, including his tendency to
write cyclical ascending phrases for strings with solo accents to
represent evocative subject matters. The score's first of two recurring
themes of note is, not surprisingly, exactly one such phrase of four
ascending notes on strings over a bed of plucked low strings, solo
string ostinatos, and a variety of ticking organic and synthetic
elements that, along with some ambient dissonant tones, create the
feeling of government mechanisms at work. This theme is introduced
lightly in "Grocer's Daughter" before being adjoined with the
technically precise but rather cold accents in "Nation of Shopkeepers"
and "Statecraft." The light-footed, rhythmic nature of this identity
will, ironically, please Desplat collectors. A more dramatically lyrical
theme on restrained strings carries over from "Swing Parliament" to
"Steady the Buffs," in which the reprise follows a dynamically raucous
passage of violin solos. A handful of other singular motifs include a
soft harp and string idea in "Denis" and a lovely piano piece of pure
Newman magic in "The Twins" that is unfortunately neglected elsewhere.
Outside of these passages, the score meanders significantly through a
series of "stream of consciousness" moments that vary in their
saturation with Newman's trademark mannerisms. The pair of "The Great in
Great Britain" and "Discord and Harmony" clearly emulate (or mock, for
some) the classical and military stature of yesteryear for Britain. The
latter cue erupts with full adult choral accompaniment late, an
impressive diversion for Newman, and the humming tone of these singers
returns in the latter half of "Steady the Buffs." Not all is entirely
pleasant, the pair of "The Difficult Decisions" and "Exclusion Zone"
forcing the music into synthetic territory and, in the case of the
latter, a sequence of ominously blaring brass over militaristic snare
rhythms. The assassination attempt in "Grand Hotel" is treated to an
obnoxious, pulsating electronic effect with dissonant tones over the
top. In between all of these cues are several nearly inaudible
placeholders of little value to the greater work. Newman has succeeded
in capturing some of the basic essence of the pomp and drama necessary
for The Iron Lady, but his music is ultimately as coldly clinical
as Thatcher's demeanor, never allowing its fleeting moments of warmth to
develop into a satisfyingly engaging narrative. Enthusiasts of the
composer will appreciate the return of his early 1990's mould, but that
alone cannot support a rather disjointed overall package. *** @Amazon.com: CD or
Download
Bias Check: |
For Thomas Newman reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.15
(in 33 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.13
(in 55,991 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
|
Total Time: 54:42
1. Soldiers of the Queen - performed by The Military Band of the Queen's Regiment (0:50)
2. MT (0:49)
3. Grocer's Daughter (2:18)
4. Grand Hotel (0:46)
5. Swing Parliament (3:42)
6. Eyelash (1:45)
7. Shall We Dance? (from "The King and I") - performed by Deborah Kerr, Marni Nixon and Yul Brynner (4:24)
8. Denis (1:55)
9. The Great in Great Britain (2:21)
10. Airey Neave (0:48)
11. Discord and Harmony (2:35)
12. The Twins (1:04)
13. Nation of Shopkeepers (1:45)
14. Fiscal Responsibility (1:48)
15. Crisis of Confidence (4:04)
16. Community Charge (2:02)
17. Casta Diva (from "Norma") - performed by Maria Callas (5:34)
18. The Difficult Decisions (1:33)
19. Exclusion Zone (4:14)
20. Statecraft (3:41)
21. Steady the Buffs (4:51)
22. Prelude No. 1 in C major, BWV 846 - performed by Olli Mustonen (1:53)
|
|
The insert includes a synopsis of the film but no extra information
about the score.
|