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If you're not predisposed to sappy orchestral romance with a slight hint of fantasy, then understanding the twenty minutes of score will require a viewing of the film. Regardless of the lack of chemistry between the leads, the undeniable charm of Faith and her fearless search for Damon in Venice, Rome, the fields of Tuscany and the Amalfi coast make for an irresistible backdrop for Portman's unrestrained music. Much of the emotional power conveyed by the film is supplied by Portman's score, which has both a straight orchestral approach consistent to the ensembles of her future scores along similar lines, as well as a sprinkling of Italian instrumentation. Two primary ideas inhabit Only You, and while the bloated romance theme is the obvious attraction for most listeners, a light-hearted chasing motif is almost as lovable. The film's chase scenes, highlighted by "I'm Coming With You" and "Running After Damon," are scored with a cute variation on the octave-happy rhythmic movements that Portman would provide concurrently for The Road to Wellville. Prancing percussion, snare rips, bubbly violins, and even some endeavors of the wood blocks to mimic the hoofs of running horses set the pace for a feathery oboe and clarinet theme that typically builds to a loquacious romantic idea from the full string section. The fantasy element is extended by violin solos performed tastefully by Christopher Warren Green, accentuating the melodramatic nature of the story and its Italian location with a gorgeously descending motif that is occasionally handed over to the high octaves of a piano. Green's contribution to the whimsical opening of the film creates a feeling of wondrous dreaming like none other in "Written in the Stars" (which Portman adeptly reprises in the first half of "Gypsy Blessing" to cover the fantasy element with a consistent blanket). Marking some of the moments of dejection in the film with teary-eyed sadness is both this violin and, in "Lost in Tuscany," an accordion and acoustic guitar as well. Similarly, Portman inserts the melancholy wanderings of a saxophone in "Gypsy Blessing," performing the theme of "Some Enchanted Evening," the Ezio Pinza source song used in the film. She extends similar source adaptation for the accordion in "Arriving at Damon's Restaurant."

Always present during each cue, regardless of the major-key activities of the woodwinds and solo instruments, is the deep and lush accompaniment of the massive string section, which, as mentioned before, could otherwise simply be one that has been mixed over itself to produce a fuller effect. In either case, the resounding power that results from the strings' efforts transcend the typical John Barry sound and, even compared to Portman's later string-dominated efforts for more serious films, separates Only You from her other works. The soundscape in the score is very well balanced, further extending the appeal of the striking part of the score: the title love theme. Four full statements of this theme exist in Only You, including "Venice," "Positano," and the two finale cues, and these are the recordings that are pulled for usage for television spots and live events. The depth and sheer magnitude of the orchestra's performance of this theme, as simple as its construct may be, marks a milestone in the history of romantic film scores that will not be quickly forgotten. The brass section performs broad whole notes to accentuate the bass region in Barry fashion. Full-blown romance of this kind was a rarity in the 1990's, and this theme's performances would serve as a bridge in the 1990's between the mass of similarly conceived music by Georges Delerue in the previous decade and a score like Angel by Philippe Rombi in the 2000's. Sony's album for Only You features only a tad over twenty minutes of Portman's music, but every essential moment is provided. The collection of Italian romance standards is quite strong, though the more general sounds of Louis Armstrong and Michael Bolton bookending the album will likely be of greater appeal to mainstream listeners. The collection is considerably better than most song collections you hear on albums from the digital era. In the end, it was Only You that caused so many people to become fans of Rachel Portman's unique and delicate style. While her output in subsequent years gained her an Oscar and a major presence in Hollywood, even from her modest scoring abode in Great Britain, her majestic theme for Only You still stands as her crowning achievement.  *****   @Amazon.com: CD or Download

Bias Check:

For Rachel Portman reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.31 (in 30 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.26 (in 28,116 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.

Total Time: 45:44