Filmtracks Traffic Rank: #871
Written 2/9/07
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Buy it... if you enjoy easy, undemanding scores for pleasantly
melodic orchestral ensembles and a light touch of snazzy urban rhythm.
Avoid it... if you expect any melodrama greater than the typical
piano-driven character themes of the likes of Randy Edelman.
The Pursuit of Happyness: (Andrea Guerra) A genuine
rags to riches story set in 1981 San Francisco, The Pursuit of
Happyness is an inspirational tale of survival in today's capitalist
society. The lengthy story details the lowest moments of a father's
life: a man left by his wife, abandoned by his friends, and forced to
live on the streets of the city with his young son while attempting to
break into a good job. Sheer luck leads to an internship at a large
corporation, and in a film destined for a written epilogue of "happily
ever after" proportions, the man perseveres in both his professional
life and his relationship with his son. Another dimension of success for
the picture has been the ethnicity brought to it by Will Smith and his
own real-life son in the starring roles. The picture is an oddity that
has, for some reason, launched itself to blockbuster success over its
first two months. Going against it was the stark technique of Italian
director Gabriele Muccino in his first English film, as well as tepid
reviews from critics who saw little redeeming in the film outside of
Smith's performances. Another intriguing and different side of the story
includes composer Andrea Guerra, who Muccino brought with him from
Italian cinema. A veteran of scoring for the past two decades, Guerra is
an accomplished and well-respected composer in Italy, earning
consideration for several top awards in that country during the past
five years. His work on La Finestra di Fronte in 2003 won him the
equivalent to an Oscar in the country, translating into outstanding
record sales. That strong score shows several sides of Guerra's writing,
including classical orchestral lyricism and, more popularly, a
combination of that style with modern samples and rhythms very similar
to the work of Australia's Craig Armstrong. An operatic vocal
performance of that score's title theme is nothing short of outstanding.
In the international scene, Guerra's sole work of note is Hotel
Rwanda, for which he was nominated for both a Grammy and Golden
Globe for his involvement in the writing of the song "Million
Voices."
Guerra's score for
The Pursuit of Happyness
would mark his first solo venture into American cinema, and while he
brings strong credentials with him, the resulting score lacks much of
the melodrama of his previous scores. This absence of obvious romantic
style is understandable, since the film doesn't hit the emotional
overload button until its final scene of success. For collectors already
familiar with Guerra's work, the only truly romantic, full-scale
crescendo of the ensemble comes in the triumphant "Welcome Chris" cue.
The remainder of the score is surprisingly restrained, helping to depict
the struggles of modern life with a contribution either very minimal in
volume or touching in basic fashion on the hip, urban environment of the
film. The cues with an enhanced bass rhythm are the highlights of the
score for
The Pursuit of Happyness. Some light keyboarding hints
of early 80's sensibilities, but the overall positive spirit of Guerra's
writing in these light rhythms, often led by piano and solo woodwind
performances, will remind American listeners of the easy, undemanding
scores of Randy Edelman. With tingling percussion and other soothing
percussion, as well as smoothly flowing thematic performances, there's
an innocence of style here that sounds remarkably like Edelman's
Kindergarten Cop when the cues are led by piano. Heightened
rhythms, as in "Being Stupid," offer snappy plucked strings in Thomas
Newman tradition, and truly stylish pieces like "Running" tip a hat to
the inherent coolness of Will Smith's persona --regardless of the role--
and add significant levity to the score. There are significant portions
of the score, especially in the latter half, that meander without much
direction. The interpolations of theme during these sequences are
usually harmonic, but their performances are slow, often barely audible,
and add little balance of quality to the attractiveness of the score's
brighter moments. Overall,
The Pursuit of Happyness isn't among
Guerra's top works, but it's a worthy first step into American cinema,
and the generally positive spirit of the score, along with its pleasing
modern instrumental accompaniment to the orchestra, make it an enjoyable
experience on album. As Varèse Sarabande states right on the
packaging, the Golden Globe-nominated Seal song from the film is
unfortunately not present on this score-only album.
*** @Amazon.com: CD or
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