Filmtracks Traffic Rank: #720
Written 1/17/00, Revised 8/13/06
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Buy it... if you're intrigued by a good cross between the small
town romance techniques of Rachel Portman and the instrumental
creativity of Thomas Newman.
Avoid it... if light folk rhythms with wild mandolin, guitar,
fiddle, and exotic flute are too much of a contrast to the score's soft
string and woodwind melodies.
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| Howard |
The Man in the Moon: (James Newton Howard) A
qualified success with critics, The Man in the Moon failed to
make the same splash with audiences, perhaps because of the film's
tragic ending. Director Robert Mulligan has several times addressed
issues of young emotions in his films, including To Kill a
Mockingbird and Summer of '42 with similar success. For
The Man in the Moon, his film explores the story of a family in a
small American town during the 1950's. The two teenage daughters, and
their relationship with teenage boy who moves into a nearby home, are
developed with remarkable depth and sincerity, aided by a strong cast
performance. The lessons of life, as well as the trials of being a
teenager, are subjects well treated in The Man in the Moon,
though those lessons are learned in a considerably unpleasant way. The
shocking tragic events in the latter half of the story turned away
audiences, and the film has gone largely forgotten. Even in the world of
film scores, The Man in the Moon doesn't raise much interest.
Composer James Newton Howard had not yet hit blockbuster status in
Hollywood, though he had impressed knowledgeable collectors over the
previous few years with his work. At a time when his scores were often
electronically defined or devoid of easy melodic structures, The Man
in the Moon was a departure for him, and even when you look back at
the score in context with twenty years of his career, it stands out as
one of his most touching and romantic small-scale ventures. Unashamed
country heart is not a typical sound for Howard, and his down-to-earth
music here is an interesting cross between the back door romance
techniques of Rachel Portman and the instrumental creativity of Thomas
Newman.
The resulting score won't knock you off your feet, but
it makes for a very pleasant half hour of listening. The thematically
rich score is lead by woodwind solos of primary ideas, often fleshed out
by straight forward string accompaniment. The scope of the score is not
large; it sometimes exercises the restraint that you would expect from a
small chamber ensemble, but its extremely smooth-flowing melodies
compensate well. Solo piano and violin contribute to the more melancholy
performances, leaving you with dignified solace in "The Graveyard." In
its progressions, the primary theme has some trademark characteristics
of Howard's usual form, though outside of these faint reminders,
The
Man in the Moon gives you no other hints that it is a Howard work.
This characteristic especially applies to the more folksy, upbeat
moments of the score. For the numerous bright moments in the film,
Howard responds with a second melody the flies with delight and
enthusiasm in each of its performances. Highlighted by an ensemble of
guitar, mandolin, exotic flute, and light percussion, these cues,
beginning with "Back Door," are both effective in their folk rhythms and
their ability to highlight the excitement in a young person's life. The
exotic flute is perhaps the most interesting aspect of
The Man in the
Moon, performing solo after a few outbursts of folk rhythms, and
despite its obvious misplacement in culture, it does seem to evoke the
right atmosphere in the wooded environment of the countryside in
The
Man in the Moon. Both the soft string-backed melodies and folk tunes
experience significant variations throughout the score. A wild fiddle
and accentuated role for the guitar makes for an explosive and humorous
folk piece in "My Goodness." If
The Man in the Moon has a
significant weakness, it is the score's alternation between these two
conflicting styles on the album, which rearranges the cues out of film
order. Also to be contended with is the screeching, dissonant string cue
for the scene of tragic death in the film (which is unfortunately placed
right in the middle of the album). Overall,
The Man in the Moon
is an easy Howard score to enjoy, though you better be ready to
appreciate light folk rhythms before searching for the 30-minute, out of
print album.
**** @Amazon.com: CD or
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Bias Check:
For James Newton Howard reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.4
(in 70 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.36
(in 86,530 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
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