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Review of Passion of Mind (Randy Edelman)

FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:

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.

FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:

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.  ***

TRACK LISTINGS:

Total Time: 43:45

• 1. Main Title (3:26) • 2. Mother's Lullaby (2:58) • 3. Guitarelle (2:13) • 4. 40 Central Park South (2:20) • 5. Manhattan Farewell (4:03) • 6. Waking Alone (2:45) • 7. Snapshots (1:07) • 8. City View (1:38) • 9. Down River (1:33)

• 10. Marty and Aaron (2:30) • 11. Reverie (3:41) • 12. Chance Meeting at the Marketplace (2:04) • 13. Sailing on the Hudson (2:06) • 14. Arriving at the Truth (2:54) • 15. Offering (1:22) • 16. Passion of Mind (1:20) • 17. Bedtime (2:48) • 18. Psychescape (2:50)

NOTES & QUOTES:

The insert includes a note from Edelman about the score and film.

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