For those devoted to the picture, as with any Luhrmann
production of this variety, this soundtrack is loved across all of its
genres. It's easy to hear what the director and his trusty team of
collaborators were trying to accomplish, because the formula was much
the same for
Moulin Rouge. In both films, the love stories were
given a tragic, classical and choral identity, relatively conservative
in tone while capturing a sense of yearning and loss. The two
soundtracks' interaction between their romance material and their other
halves, unfortunately, is where
Romeo + Juliet stumbles and
Moulin Rouge excels. The integration between the brash and snazzy
material of
Moulin Rouge's club-related song adaptations and the
romance music wasn't as frightfully indigestible as the split between
the lovers' music in
Romeo + Juliet and that which represents the
larger battle between their families that rages around them. The fine
balance of
Moulin Rouge never existed in
Romeo + Juliet,
therefore, and restricts the earlier soundtrack to only the die-hard
enthusiasts of the film. For film score collectors, there isn't as much
crossover appeal in
Romeo + Juliet as well. The project
represented the first major breakthrough into film music for the trio of
Nellee Hooper, Craig Armstrong, and Marius DeVries, who were responsible
for arranging and producing some of the most popular pop songs of the
late 1990's. The latter two would go on to share writing and adapting
duties for
Moulin Rouge. While Nellee Hooper is listed as the
primary composer for the film, it has more commonly been associated with
Craig Armstrong within the film score world, perhaps a byproduct of
Armstrong's later successes in that industry. There has never been a
clear delineation of duties in the composition of this score, though
Armstrong did include the cues "O Verona," "The Balcony Scene," and an
abbreviated version of "Death Scene" (leaving off the grim dialogue and
sound effect) on his compilation "Craig Armstrong: Film Works
1995-2005." What you get from him in this impressive debut is exactly
what you'd expect: plenty of string arrangements, occasional piano
solos, and a few monumental requiem-format choral pieces. The reliance
on string layers for nearly all of the duties in the performance of the
love theme for the film is actually somewhat disappointing, for without
the inclusion of woodwind and brass accompaniment of significant
prominence (outside of a few woodwind arpeggios in a few minutes), these
often lengthy cues will test the patience of some listeners.
The softer portions of the trademark Armstrong score
are pleasant, though a potential bore compared to the remainder of
Romeo + Juliet's soundtrack. The melody of the love theme is
based on the song "Kissing You," heard elsewhere in vocal form in the
film, and in the instrumental variations in "Kissing You (Instrumental)"
and "Balcony Scene" there are some purely coincidental but distracting
similarities in progression to one of the two primary phrases in Alan
Silvestri's main theme for
Back to the Future (indeed, you can
imagine why that would raise an eyebrow or two). Far more interesting
and effective is the monumental "O Verona," which accompanies the
striking opening scene in the film with huge choral exclamations of the
kind that were equally popular in Armstrong's later
Plunkett and
Macleane. This piece is utilized twice in the score and
unfortunately is not adapted into more subtle incarnations elsewhere. A
variation in "Mercutio's Death," finally giving the trumpets an overdue
lead role, was obvious inspiration for the very similar climax in
Plunkett and Macleane, even down to the almost painful screeching
of the female singers as their rolling crescendo reaches its extremely
elevated conclusion. In other corners of the score, there is a
continuation of the conservative string meandering in "Slow Movement"
and beautiful operatic solo voice in "Death Scene" that will appeal to
orchestral score collectors. Outside of these cues, there is material
that ranges from bad Ennio Morricone imitations ("Gas Station Scene") to
Hammond organ and percussion coolness of a 70's variety ("Introduction
to Romeo") and purely urban, groovy R&B tones ("A Challenge"). Action
and suspense material in "Fight Scene" and "Drive of Death" strays from
weak Armstrong jabs to electronica rhythms foreshadowing Don Davis'
The Matrix Reloaded. The latter style also informs the frantic,
culturally vague "Escape From Mantua." Solemn vocal proclamations in
"Juliet's Requiem," "Mantua," and the adaptation of Richard Wagner in
"Liebestod" are surprisingly undermixed (with low gains) and lacking in
convincing power. Together, this material still, for the most part, will
sound very familiar to enthusiasts of Armstrong's work. If you
appreciate his lighter string arrangements, there will be ten minutes of
lovely material (though not entirely of his own thematic creation) to
appreciate. The choral cues, collectively amounting to about five
minutes of stoic and forceful drama, are also appealing. The rest,
unfortunately, isn't cohesive to any degree and offers few individual
highlights.
The album situation for
Romeo + Juliet is, like
Moulin Rouge, a frustrating mess. Those seeking complete
"soundtracks" of either will have the best luck taking what they can off
of the numerous albums for such films and then inserting direct DVD rips
of the remaining material in context. Unfortunately, for score
collectors, the albums don't offer a break from that context either. The
first
Romeo + Juliet product to hit the shelves in 1996 was
devoted to the songs heard in the film, some of which not the original
performances that those who loved the film were hoping for. Three of the
songs missing from that product (including a "Ballroom Version" of
"Young Hearts Run Free" that will strongly remind of the Hindi portion
of
Moulin Rouge in its opening), along with a significant portion
of the Hooper, Armstrong, and DeVries score, were assembled for a
"Volume 2" album released just a few months later. The first album was a
huge financial success, selling over seven million copies and ensuring
financial viability for
Moulin Rouge. The second CD performed
extremely well for what essentially is a film score album, finding its
way into over a million collections. The score was subsequently
nominated for a BAFTA, but no American awards. Frustrating for many
Romeo + Juliet enthusiasts was the choice to include a healthy
amount of dialogue and sound effects from the film over practically each
track on the second album, giving it the feel of a Robert Rodriguez
El Mariachi franchise product. The dialogue is often placed in
important moments of score cues, not to mention mixed so badly as to
create problems with audibility (the text is difficult to understand
even when clearly enunciated, so the volume issues are especially
problematic). Sound effects such as screeching tires and wailing sirens
in "Escape From Mantua" damn near ruin the track's forceful appeal. A
notable gunshot follows a minute of silence. The inclusion of the news
broadcasts at the beginning and end seem token. The only really
impressive dialogue worth hearing is the narration in the first "O
Verona" cue, though even this obscures one of the composers' most
impressive recordings for the film. A 10th anniversary product in 2007
offered some differently arranged material, but nothing of note.
Ultimately, like
Moulin Rouge, you simply have to be a fan of
this film to appreciate the format and presentation of its songs and
score. Armstrong collectors may be able to pull a few cues without
engaging the rest, but the dialogue is prohibitive of such enjoyment.
Unfortunately,
Romeo + Juliet is nowhere near
Moulin Rouge
in terms of quality on screen, so be careful to limit your expectations
here.
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