Filmtracks Traffic Rank: #1,606
Written 9/23/03, Revised 4/6/09
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Buy it... if you want to fall asleep to a very pleasant, low key score with
simple string and piano themes and nary a troublesome moment.
Avoid it... if you'd rather not be whisked away into your own dream world
while hearing a conservative score that represents someone doing exactly that.
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| Edelman |
Passion of Mind: (Randy Edelman) The premise of Passion
of Mind is intriguing for the kind of people who like to sit around and
discuss the philosophy of a real life versus a dream life. In the film, Demi
Moore spends nearly every moment on screen, playing two roles and never knowing
which is her real life and which is her dream life. In New York, she is a
strong-minded publisher in a troubled relationship, and in France, she is a less
secure, single mother who is engaged in a passionate relationship. The film
counts on the plot's ability to lure you with a desire to sort out which is
reality and which is fiction, and while that curiosity remains, the path that the
film takes to answer the question is one that put many viewers to sleep. One
reviewer called the film "a pointless exercise in existential hogwash," and if
you're not a fan of seeing Moore on screen (or the tabloids of the era), then be
prepared for a nap halfway through. Director Alain Berliner decided to accentuate
the passion in the story by seeking a composer who could expand upon that
contemporary romance with a strong reliance on melody. With these parameters in
mind, nobody could argue with the choice of Randy Edelman, who was known industry
wide as the go-to composer for pleasant melodies. Of the four films for which he
composed in 2000, Passion of Mind is perhaps the closest to his
song-writing heart, offering Edelman the opportunity to write a consistently
lyrical score from start to finish. The big question regarding Passion of
Mind, however, was how to address the strict duality of the film, and whether
or not the score should exist in one united style or in two different modes
suitable for the contrasting locations. Edelman makes a note of stating that he
was given great liberty by the producers of the film to follow whatever path he
wanted the music to take. What he decided to do was, as he says, "not fall into
the trap of trying to delineate" the two different lives. By taking this route,
he hoped to avoid alerting the audience to the reality of one life over the
other.
At the same time, though, Edelman did somewhat fall into the
trap when composing two different halves for
Passion of Mind. One theme,
representing the French countryside, has a neo-classical approach, with limited
strings performing a beautiful melody. The other theme, representing New York
City, has a more urban, contemporary personality and is often presented by piano.
These two themes, as well as their differing instrumentation, do mingle on
occasion, but they share more of a consistent sense of overarching drama than
anything. The score, no matter which half is on screen, is consistently soft,
lengthy in cue, and pleasant, causing the worlds to wash into each other in an
effective fashion for the dream-like mystery on hand. At the same time, Edelman's
score also suffers from the lack of an identity for the primary character.
Neither half of the score establishes a truly enticing personality, with a few of
the New York scenes accompanied by some contemporary rhythms and keyboarding. If
the primary criticism of the film was related to its boring pace, then the same
can be said of Edelman's score. It is extremely repetitive (which should come as
no surprise for Edelman listeners) but it doesn't repeat or develop its most
interesting material. If Edelman had decided to "fall into the trap" of going
overboard in giving the two sides of the score very distinct sounds, then he
could have held listener interest by slowly mingling the two themes and/or styles
to a greater extent as the film progresses (until, of course, the themes are
offered in perfect counterpoint for the revelation at the end. But then again,
Edelman almost never uses counterpoint in his simple structures). Instead, the
score doesn't stir up any of the potential that a dual life on screen can
inspire. There is no beginning and no conclusion to the development of these
ideas, and given how much of the composer's passion exists in the French half of
the effort, it's not surprising which part of the lead character's life is real
and which is the dream. On album,
Passion of Mind is very pleasant, but
equally uninteresting. A shorter presentation on that product would have
definitely been advisable.
*** @Amazon.com: CD or
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Bias Check:
For Randy Edelman reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.05
(in 20 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.16
(in 29,260 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
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