Filmtracks Traffic Rank: #1,073
Written 12/23/97, Revised 12/16/06
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Buy it... if you are a true Elmer Bernstein collector and enjoy a
trip down memory lane when hearing his easy themes and innocently perky
rhythms.
Avoid it... if the scores late in Bernstein's career have all
seemed somewhat mundane and outdated to you.
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| Bernstein |
The Rainmaker: (Elmer Bernstein) Once you've read
one John Grisham novel, you've pretty much had a taste of nearly all of
them. It was because of the series of formulaic screenplays churned out
from these books that The Rainmaker was received with minimal
expectations in late 1997. Many wondered why famed director Francis Ford
Coppola would bother making such a small film, and he would combat those
questions by mentioning parallels between the young lawyer in the story
and his own youth. That lawyer, played by Matt Damon, is one of those
few redeeming legal optimists who went through law school to make the
world a better place. But he ends up as part of a misfit upstart outfit
with Danny DeVito's comical character, and the film follows their
progression as they take on a big insurance company in a wrongful death
suit. The story is a rather innocent one, despite having some dark turns
on the road to victory, and with the instillation of a sense of goodness
from yesteryear, Coppola brought in legendary composer Elmer Bernstein
to provide the wholesome sounds for the film. Because the world of legal
maneuvering is filled with unexpected snazziness, Bernstein tackles
The Rainmaker with high style of jazz and 1950's heart. It's one
of those projects that hails back several decades to a more flighty
time, and although the music seems strangely out of place compared to
contemporary scores, it serves its film with the personality that
Coppola likely envisioned. The score also stands out in Bernstein's own
late career, which was beginning to become quite sparse by the late
1990's. Bernstein collectors will therefore keep The Rainmaker in
a special place on their shelves, despite the fact that it requires a
specific mood to enjoy. The group that Bernstein assembles is
highlighted by a jazz ensemble, a moderate orchestra, and a Hammond
organ. The resulting sound is often diminished because of the
limitations of the group, but there are plenty of intriguing moments of
chaos and grand themes in The Rainmaker to keep you
interested.
The conception that lawyers are sharks is addressed
immediately. After a disturbingly long dissonant note for high woodwind,
the main theme in "Sharks" kicks off with superb style. The 70's style
of organ solos combined with the big band backdrop creates an almost
timeless feeling to the cue, but few can say that there isn't an
appealing amount of pizzazz in this theme. It can seem geriatric at
times, perhaps, but considering the composer and his era, this theme is
great retro-action for his fans. The subsequent tracks feature soft solo
work for flutes and guitar as the characters are built in the plot. In
"Shenanigans," Bernstein returns to the kind of playfulness that graced
Ghostbusters and the composer's other more ridiculous efforts of
the early 1980's. Prancing rhythms performing subthemes are interrupted
by ensemble hits and sudden shifts, though rarely in annoying fashion.
The score takes a more serious turn in the following four cues. Some
wild action over rambling bass plucking and meandering sax wailings
breaks the mood in "The Fight," with the organ getting in on some of the
truly chaotic action. A slightly mixed female voice creates an eerie
atmosphere in "Jail," and in "Who is Jackie Lemancyzk?" Bernstein
translates the organ into sustained performances at its highest regions,
offering a sound distinctly similar to the ondes martenot that Bernstein
usually employed in his scores of the previous decade. An understated,
but delightful string crescendo at the conclusion of "The Trial Ends"
yields to "Goodbye Dot," perhaps the highlight of the album. In the
final two minutes of this cue, Bernstein's retrograde rhythmic sound is
in full swing, eventually soothing you with a grand piano solo of
distinction. A short reprise of the "Sharks" theme rounds out the
relatively long album. That album will have difficulty sustaining your
interest if you are not specifically a true fan of Bernstein's work.
There are lengthy sequences of rather nondescript underscore in
The
Rainmaker, and you have to rely on the more snazzy moments to keep
yourself from the inevitable slumber that Bernstein's easy themes from
yesteryear can cause.
*** @Amazon.com: CD or
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Bias Check:
For Elmer Bernstein reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.29
(in 18 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.18
(in 11,116 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
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