: (James Newton
Howard) Disney's feature fantasy department struck out for the third
time in 2018 with its adaptation of the famous "The Nutcracker" tale,
the film widely dissatisfying audiences because of its haphazard plot
and wretched dialogue. Expectedly set in Victorian England,
follows one girl's magical
transportation from a challenging home life into a fantasyland of
several realms in competition, and the girl is positioned to bring
balance to these lands and, no doubt, rule them with all the wisdom of a
prepubescent child. Of course, the experience restores her real-world
life, too. Is anyone surprised? Director Lasse Hallstrom could not
complete the film's extensive rewrites and reshoots, so Joe Johnston
agreed to helm a futile salvage operation and the two directors share
credit. Part of the problem with this film adaptation is that the
historic 1892 ballet version, along with its music by Pyotr Ilyich
Tchaikovsky, looms large over this interpretation; many viewers
expressed disappointment that there was so little dancing in the film.
Likewise, there seems to be a general feeling of discontentment that
doesn't sufficiently evoke
Christmas spirit. An egg-shaped music box remains a central element to
the plot, and with it comes an understandable celeste-like atmosphere of
light charm. But the entire project was clearly being pulled in too many
directions at once, and James Newton Howard's original and adaptation
score faced tough challenges to succeed in such a wayward environment.
The soundtrack for this film was marked as an "event" by Disney, which
advertised Howard's music by throwing in the Tchaikovsky name (although
just the last name; the man did, actually, have a full name!), conductor
Gustavo Dudamel (who only really conducted part of this score but does
have a cameo on screen), pianist Lang Lang for some choice Tchaikovsky
renditions (not actually including the piano performances within the
meat of the score), and Italian singer Andrea Bocelli and his son,
Matteo, whose obligatory, saccharine pop song doesn't have any
connection to Howard's or Tchaikovsky's music.
The resulting piecemeal soundtrack for
The Nutcracker
and the Four Realms is as unfocused as the film, though there are
highlights for each segment of the audience. The ballet's purists will
appreciate the score's frequent placement of Tchaikovsky melodies into
the score almost verbatim, though even these folks will notice that some
of that work's more festive holiday pieces didn't make the journey here.
The female demographic will appreciate the Bocelli song, despite the
clear fact that the his performance inflection is simply wrong for ditzy
pop songs like this one. It's painful to hear the man try to adapt his
voice to emulate a boy band performance. It would be surprising if the
inclusion of Dudamel and Lang bring immense marketing returns to the
table. That leaves us with the Howard and film score enthusiasts who
will look at this score with a combination of respectful indifference or
pleasant acceptance of the composer's continuing fantasy stylings,
albeit in not the best of form. Howard's 2018 scores are solid works in
sum, but he seems to be struggling with the enunciation of his thematic
attributions during this period, as this score and the concurrent
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald offer plenty of
promise in their symphonic and choral prowess but few truly memorable
new themes. The Tchaikovsky interpolations complicate matters, with the
many melodic adaptations seemingly pasted without much engagement of
surrounding Howard material. (There are a few notable exceptions,
however.) Howard either doesn't have the same touch as Bruce Broughton
in the arena of Tchaikovsky resurrection or he was instructed to keep
his music largely separate from the pinpoint inclusions of the old
favorites. Unfortunately, his own themes are not particularly
competitive, and only one of them will really linger in mind for most
listeners. Even so, Howard's employment of his
Maleficent formula
of fantasy ambience yields many attractions in
The Nutcracker and the
Four Realms even if they're not all tied to obvious melodic
structures. The sizable orchestra is joined by adult and boys' choirs,
and the instrumental palette is heavy on the celeste, chimes, and piano
as expected for the peripheral yuletide spirit. Spritely trumpet
performances and waltz rhythms, along with Howard's occasional emulation
of general Tchaikovsky style, extend this demeanor to lengths that some
film music collectors will find tedious.
Thematically, the Tchaikovsky references in
The
Nutcracker and the Four Realms are prominent but not obviously
developed into the rest of Howard's melodic narrative. For those
listeners seeking the classic ballet themes that stood out in the film,
you'll find them in the last minute of "Presents From Mother," at 0:15
and 2:28 into "Clara's New World," at the end of "Mouserinks," opening
the first 45 seconds of "Just a Few Questions," the last minute of "The
Fourth Realm," late in "Clockwork Mice," and at the start of "The
Machine Room Fight," where Howard achieves arguably his best
interpolations. Straight Tchaikovsky arrangements, some of them
condensing a ton of material into a short time, exist in the opening,
titular album track and in "The Nutcracker Suite" featuring Lang's
performances. Among Howard's original themes, only the one for the lead
girl, Clara, stands apart. It's a pretty and endearing melody, but one
that once again takes its most memorable phrase and repeats it
identically twice. (Recall that the main theme of the
Fantastic
Beasts franchise and the loftier fairy identity from
Maleficent did the same, both adhering to the John Barry
technique of self-love from the melodic lines. Perhaps that's why they
are so memorable!) This idea is lightly introduced at 3:13 into
"Presents From Mother" and expressed in full at 2:01 into "Clara's New
World." The performance of this theme at 0:45 into "Just a few
Questions" is nicely interwoven with the Tchaikovsky material. By the
two performances of the theme in "Sugar Plum and Clara" (3:42, 7:08),
the identity's descending secondary phrase becomes reminiscent of Dario
Marianelli's solemn main theme from
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen,
especially in the latter performance. (Yes, that's a little weird.)
After a straight reprise at 1:53 in "Clara Finds the Key," as well as a
flighty, optimistic variant at 2:47 in that same cue, the theme occupies
much of "Queen Clara" after the 0:33 mark. A secondary theme of
sentimental connectivity accompanies the main identity a few times,
notably at 1:16 into " Sugar Plum and Clara" and for extended solo piano
at 4:18 into "Queen Clara." The remaining repeating motifs in
The
Nutcracker and the Four Realms are effective in their moments but
fleeting in the larger narrative, and several of them remind of previous
scores by Howard and others. In fact, much of this score could seem
distractingly reminiscent of existing works, especially when the
Tchaikovsky adaptations already put you in the mind to notice such
things.
For Howard enthusiasts, many of the recurring secondary
motifs emulate other works in his own career, lessening the impact of
that feeling of odd familiarity these passages elicit. A dramatic
fantasy motif at 5:17 into "Clara Finds the Key" and 2:27 into "The
Machine Room Fight" return to
Lady in the Water bass chord
movement. A heavy, descending relative at 6:08 into "Clara Finds the
Key" and 0:08 into "The Bridge Fight" is more unique to Howard's typical
melodramatic sound. A singular motif at 1:10 into "Drosselmeyer" is this
score's
Defiance moment, and a rousing crescendo of action at
4:40 into "The Machine Room Fight" will raise fond memories of
The
Last Airbender. Strangely, there are also several moments during
which this score reminds of a Danny Elfman creation, whether it's
Batman Returns-like phrasing early in "Queen Clara," a touch of
The Nightmare Before Christmas at 0:39 into "The Bridge Fight,"
or the general Elfman zaniness of the insufferable, rejected cue, "The
Polichinelles." There are few generally standout Howard moments of
grandeur in this score, though the percussion of the martial rhythm late
in "Clara Finds the Key" is a highlight. Most of the score for
The
Nutcracker and the Four Realms plays like a standard Howard
children's effort, especially with so much of it dainty in a cheery
sense, and the fantasy elements are skewed towards a light-hearted tone
akin to Joel McNeely's
Tinker Bell scores. The mice-related cues,
for instance, embody this playfulness well. Listeners desiring the hefty
Howard bravado of his magnificent fantasy triumphs will be pleased that
his style really doesn't overlap in classical methodology with that of
Tchaikovsky, yielding a handful of genuinely appealing cues of pure
Howard action and drama. A strong, 30-minute presentation of primarily
his material would make the listening experience for
The Nutcracker
and the Four Realms an easy recommendation, which is ironic
considering that most casual buyers will be seeking the decent but not
spectacular Tchaikovsky interpolations and the questionable, eye-rolling
song by the Bocellis. (Why couldn't Howard have been allowed to write
the song based on Clara's theme instead?) The sound quality of the
recording is slightly muted in the softer passages, so some editing to
even out the listening experience might be recommended anyway. Once
you've assembled these easily digestible highlights, this work
illuminates itself as a solid and enjoyable Howard score despite its
diminished melodic clarity.
**** @Amazon.com: CD or
Download
| Bias Check: |
For James Newton Howard reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.41
(in 63 reviews)
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