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Review of Marie Ward (Elmer Bernstein)

FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:

Buy it... if you are an established collector of Elmer Bernstein's works and appreciate the composer's ability to write consistently appealing, small-scale character scores of thematic beauty.

Avoid it... if you do not share Bernstein's fascination with the Ondes Martenot instrument, which once again dominates the soundscape in this work.

FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:

Marie Ward: (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 Marie Ward 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 Marie Ward 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 The Black Cauldron. 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.  ****

TRACK LISTINGS:

Total Time: 49:22

• 1. At the Beginning (4:47) • 2. Plea (3:21) • 3. Sellinger's Round (Byrd, Arranged: C. Palmer) (1:33) • 4. The Axe (3:49) • 5. Quam Dilecta Tabernacula Tua (Bonifactio Gratiani) (3:39) • 6. Leonard and the Plots (4:03) • 7. Revelation (2:14) • 8. Return to England (1:50) • 9. Rome/Laureate Dominum (Palestrina) (3:53) • 10. Dreams and Visions (2:49) • 11. Pilgrimage (2:51) • 12. The Children (3:04) • 13. Martyrs (1:45) • 14. Illness (1:32) • 15. Last Visit (2:20) • 16. Finale (5:10)

NOTES & QUOTES:

The insert contains a long note from Bernstein's friend and orchestrator, Christopher Palmer. It is customary for the Varèse Sarabande CD Club releases to include a lengthy analysis of both the film and score.

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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 Marie Ward are Copyright © 2001, Varèse Sarabande and cannot be redistributed without the label's expressed written consent. Page created 11/9/01 and last updated 11/2/08.