: (Elmer Bernstein) One of the truly
forgotten biographical projects of the 1980's is this first film about
Marie Ward, the real life teacher who rebelled against her 17th Century
societal role and established religious schools around Europe for the
education of girls. While that storyline, along with a cast of relative
unknowns, may not have stirred much interest in the film, there are two
elements of
that do warrant a second look. First, the
diverse and impressive settings of the film's photography are not to be
ignored; the locations include some of the most holy in all of Europe,
as well as some areas that were demolished immediately after the
production of the film. The second aspect of
that has
held the film in high regard in some corners is composer Elmer
Bernstein's superior score for the production. Director and screenwriter
Angelika Weber insisted so strongly that the venerable Bernstein compose
the score for the film that she flew to Los Angeles to make a personal
pitch for the project (and in the process, showed a kind of Marie
Ward-like personality trait in doing so). Bernstein agreed to the
assignment, and jumped into it immediately following the final recording
sessions of
. His music was recorded in
Germany, where Bernstein was comfortable with the large ensemble, The
Bavarian State Orchestra, that was hired for the occasion.
Stylistically, for a film about a religious icon, the score has
surprisingly little music of outward religious inclination. Nor does the
British setting provide much pomp either. Perhaps this less overt tone
by Bernstein was chosen simply because of the fact that Marie Ward was
progressively minded in the first place, so representations of
inappropriately religious music of a bulky nature were uncalled
for.
The soundtrack did require some religious source
material to be performed by a choir, addressing a handful of scenes shot
within famous places of worship. These recordings do stand out from the
Bernstein compositions, and it's not out of bounds to wish that this
religious material had been collected for a section at the end of the
Marie Ward album. Outside of the source material, Bernstein's
score is a very consistent listening experience. Instead of getting
caught up with the historical implications of the location and subject
matter, Bernstein concentrates on the human element, the personality and
emotions of the title character. Through his strong thematic
development, a hint of religion can be heard, however. The persecution
of the character, as well as the trials of acting upon such a vast
vision over so many lands, catches up with both that character and the
music. A loneliness in the solo performances of the title theme causes
both beauty and a solemn environment. The darker sequences of
Marie
Ward are not entirely frightening; Bernstein uses the strings
prominently in the score to meld the period with the difficulties and
obstacles thrown in the way of Ward's quest. The heavier moments of this
score seem to have perhaps influenced the dramatic sensitivities in Lee
Holdridge's scores a few years later. Thematic statements ranging across
three major ideas (summed nicely in "Finale") are almost constant. The
boisterous "Return to England" contains the only outwardly pompous
classical imitation though even this nod to the English was done in a
more muted manner than it could have been. Still, because of the period,
the use of strings, while dominating the score, is not done so in a
fully symphonic way. As the orchestrator of
Marie Ward has
stated, the majority of the score has a chamber orchestra sound, with
only four or five performances by the full orchestra.
The title theme by Bernstein flourishes during the
major symphonic performances, though it also sustains a listenable
ambience during the lengthier, softer moments. From the first measures
of the score, any Bernstein collector will recognize the trademark use
of the Ondes Martenot instrument, the seemingly electronic-sounding
woodwind that was used in more than half a dozen of his later scores.
Bernstein obviously fell in love with the ethereal sound of that
instrument, and while it is both instantly recognizable and unique to
his career, there comes a point when it becomes tiresome. While 1986's
Marie Ward wasn't the first or last score to employ its use, its
quasi-religious sound (along with a certain mystery and loneliness in
its aura) makes its employment in the score a positive attribute on a
technical level. But for the collector of Bernstein albums, yet another
chance to hear it in identical form in
Marie Ward comes as
something of a distraction. Nevertheless, the
Marie Ward album
was the third in Varèse Sarabande's initial resurrection of its
CD Club in 2001, and it by far received the least attention of the first
three concurrently-released albums in the new series. This was
predictable but unfortunate, because the character development in
Marie Ward makes it the strongest album of the three. Bernstein
fans rejoiced at this strong choice by Varèse, though unlike the
John Williams and James Horner scores that accompanied it in the series,
this entry did not sell out of its 3,000 copies within the first seven
years of its existence. It always was, however, offered at a cheaper
rate than the other two club albums, and with its continued
availability, even the casual Bernstein collector should investigate
this album with safe expectations.
**** @Amazon.com: CD or
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