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Newman was especially hot in 2004 following his enormously successful scores for Finding Nemo and the television series "Angels in America," and many elements of the superior latter score carried over into Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events. While the three children in the story could very well deserve their own sort of little triumphant theme given all of their successful escapes, no such atmosphere is attempted here. In fact, Newman tackles the atmosphere first and pays less attention to overall continuity and melody. Instead of providing a more obvious element to represent the children, Newman creates an easily identifiable set of rhythmic progressions that propel the story from one scene to another, always maintaining enough rhythm to send you floating along with their journey. Very rarely (and usually in moments of awe) does the rhythm stop to allow the string-heavy orchestra to make a broader statement. To compliment the awesome array of visuals in the film, Newman once again pulls sounds from a seemingly bottomless pit of exotic instruments. These choices enhance the rhythms in such a way that Newman doesn't really need to do anything more. Entire minutes of the score can pass without much excitement beyond the subdued, always-reserved rhythmic progressions. A different light instrument, whether plucked, struck, bowed, keyed, or piped, seems to carry the rhythm in each rather short cue. Sound effects often grace the rhythms as well, with memorable "creaking door" effect (perhaps more like a creaking metal gate) enhancing "Concerning Aunt Josephine" and transforming into an agonizing groan by "Interlude With Sailboat." The lack of more vocals, in either sound effect or sung form, is a surprising absence in a fantasy setting that could have really used them at the forefront. The rhythms remain integral, though. Whether that movement is carried by carnival elements in "The Marvelous Marriage" or by the chiming of a clock in "Lachrymose Ferry," Newman's standard chopping rhythmic structures are presented in all the usual staccato ways, with abrupt notes announcing themselves strongly and rarely holding a whole note. While most of the score slumbers along at a limited volume, Newman really kicks it into gear in the final cues, with "Taken by Surpreeze" combining the full orchestral ensemble to take the same staggered rhythms to a more intense (and maybe even victorious) level. There are few grieving moments, with the string solos in "Curious Feeling of Falling" and the piano solos in "Resilience" and "One Last Look" serving as among the few breaks from the constant rhythmic flow.

Indeed, the less consistent presentations of the rhythmic foundation (or those cues in which the orchestra supersedes that propulsion) are the highlights of the score. The brutal "Attack of the Hook-Handed Man" cue, with full brass that will remind of the Satan sequences in "Angels of America," as well as the delicate secondary piano theme introduced at the end in "The Letter That Never Came," is a highlight. In fact, the beautiful latter cue presents listeners with the first true feeling of warmth for the children beyond the tribute to the surroundings that Newman's quirky rhythms seem to focus upon. A return to the bizarre instrumentation and clunky rhythms in the "Drive Away" end credits cue perhaps shows where Newman's true sensibilities with the series exist, and that approach is perhaps best for the first story of the franchise. Thematically, among the more interesting aspects of Newman's score is the primary motif that he uses as the closest thing to an identifiable motif. Presented in the opening cue, the motif consists of a three-note descending theme that repeats three times, almost certainly as a representation of the three children. The score shines when that motif is utilized, as do the cues in which Newman blatantly inserts his own creative sound effects into the mix. The fake opening to the score and film, abruptly cutting off the composer's "Loverly String" song, is the kind of spirit that Lemony Snicket undoubtedly deserves. Had the stories progressed in the non-existent sequels (assuming that Newman continued in the franchise), perhaps additional development of awesomely defiant cues such as "Puttanesca" (almost a concert piece by itself) would have evolved for the personalities of the children, who seemed to be unfortunately underplayed by Newman in this installment. In the end, the staccato rhythms that Newman is fond of writing do great justice for the premise, and his creativity in instrumentation and motif construction are commendable. There is an intangible spirit and an anchor of cohesion missing from the overall product, however. There is no dominant identity established for the series that, for instance, could play across a commercial or trailer and be instantly recognized by children and adults alike. And for Newman collectors, that means that the score will sound quite generic when compared to his general career style, reminding of similar passages he wrote in several scores before and since. At some point, you wonder if Newman's score for Daniel Handler's events got too caught up in the spectacular atmosphere and forget the young hearts fighting through it. Still, it's a strong concept score, and it's a shame that Newman never had the opportunity to give the three children more of a musical identity in subsequent films.  ****   @Amazon.com: CD or Download

Bias Check:

For Thomas Newman reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.14 (in 37 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.18 (in 60,753 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.

Total Time: 68:58