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| Glass |
Notes on a Scandal: (Philip Glass) While Zoe
Heller's original novel took a slightly different direction with its
dramatic punch, the adaptation in Richard Eyre's
Notes on a
Scandal compensates for its lack of faith in the original story's
darker resolution with astonishing acting performances. The film floats
as a vehicle for actress Judi Dench, whose
Fatal Attraction-like
representation of Glenn Close in
Notes on a Scandal is
hypnotically mesmerizing. She plays an older teacher at a high school
whose cold calculations and fortuitous placements allow her to blackmail
a younger teach for whom she not only has lesbian affections, but who
also is caught up in an affair with a 15-year-old student. There have
been some shouts from dismayed viewers claiming that the film too boldly
portrays the young boy as the sexual aggressor and the younger female
teacher as his victim, though that hasn't slowed the film's success.
Dench's depiction of her character's relentless emotional manipulation
has propelled the film to arthouse notoriety and several major awards
nominations. One of the more notable nominations, as well as a
critically acclaimed part of the film, has been composer Philip Glass'
score, which also plays an aggressive role in the picture. Given that
the narrative in
Notes on a Scandal works in the form of one
giant cycle for Dench's character, progressing with mechanical movement
through just one of its phases in this film, the idea of having Glass'
typical, churning loops of strings direct the flow of that narrative is
as smart as Dench's on-screen maneuverings. The thematic and rhythmic
ideas in
Notes on a Scandal, from a technical standpoint, aren't
any more complex than the ones heard with great effectiveness in Glass'
The Illusionist from earlier in the same year. To some,
Notes
on a Scandal will sound like a somewhat bleak extension of the score
from
The Illusionist; the instruments and tempos are about the
same. But the attitude is far different, making
Notes on a
Scandal a far more powerful score despite its more difficult stature
on album.
One thing Glass doesn't try to do is fool you. His
music here is menacing from the very start, opening the school year with
a treacherous presence of bass strings and cellos while dainty woodwind
solos over the usual Glass alternations of strings continue to pour on
the ominous tones. The primary thematic ideas themselves seem destined
to represent the older teacher (who narrates the film substantially in
the first half... with pleasant entries at first), explaining the
seemingly slight and pleasant woodwind themes while the bass region
chops with mean resolution. For Cate Blanchett's weaker, more frivolous
character, Glass treats her with only occasional rising violin
movements, as at the start of "Sheba & Steven," offering a slight and
false sense of hope in its flighty string sensibilities. There is a
faint glimmer of positive spirit in "Invitation," when the film is
seemingly moving along innocuously. Glass' rhythms become frenzied with
fluttering activity, but even this cue is solidly rooted in the minor
key. By "A Life Lived Together," a pounding piano in the low octaves
confirms that Glass' rhythms have no amicable intent, and with
"Betrayal" and "It's Your Choice," Glass handles the blackmail's result
by forcing a clanging and banging percussion presence into his string
rhythms, occasionally using the loud thuds to temporarily stop the
rhythm and heighten their gravity. It's no wonder Glass' music has made
such a profound impact on viewers in the theaters that his music has
been nominated for an Academy Award; for a film of conversational
tension, this score is brutally rendered. The deep piano rumblings in
"Barbara's House," a frantic resolution cue, render an evil from the
percussion section that we rarely hear from Glass, especially with this
level of fright and desperation. It's difficult to describe the overall
score for
Notes on a Scandal as an enjoyable one on album. The
same basic structures were offered with such whimsical elegance in
The Illusionist that the earlier score is a far more listenable
piece on album. But
Notes on a Scandal is attractive in its
menacing spirit, and will likely have a more profound impact on viewers
in context. At 50 minutes on album,
Notes on a Scandal has enough
bursts of string, woodwind, and percussion rhythms to satisfy Glass'
collectors while also exhibiting more of the composer's dark side for
all to hear.
**** @Amazon.com: CD or
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The insert includes notes from the director and composer about the score and film.
