Filmtracks Traffic Rank: #1,283
Written 6/4/01, Revised 2/11/08
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Buy it... if you are an avid collector of Cliff Eidelman's
typically understated character drama scores of the 1990's, for this
work is a standard entry in that collection.
Avoid it... if you expect the usual, lush character theme from
Eidelman for a film like this to receive a satisfyingly full, ensemble
performance.
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| Eidelman |
A Simple Twist of Fate: (Cliff Eidelman) It has
been said many times that George Eliot's 1861 story of "Silas Marner" is
deserving of a great Hollywood adaptation, whether literal or not. Steve
Martin's own written and produced version in 1994 was widely considered
a failure, mostly due to a clunky and manipulative script, and his lead
acting performance suffered from his attempt to insert his trademark
sense of self-deprecating humor into the role. The tear-jerking
atmosphere of A Simple Twist of Fate would mark a continuation of
composer Cliff Eidelman's string of character dramas that defined the
bulk of his career in the 1990's, coming a year after his score for
Untamed Heart was partially replaced in the film. The
heartwarming story of A Simple Twist of Fate was a suitable
project for Eidelman, who was in the process of fine-tuning his ability
to score these films of personal journey with emotional depth. Because
the subject matter stands on a serious and introspective level (more
comparable in many ways to One True Thing than Now and
Then), A Simple Twist of Fate contains longer passages of
more ominous tones than most of Eidelman's other scores of the period.
The wide range of emphasis in the performances by different sections of
the orchestra makes A Simple Twist of Fate a more diverse effort
for Eidelman, and portions of this score (especially in the less
conventional woodwind uses) would later influence his rejected score for
The Picture Bride the following year. Along the same lines as
Untamed Heart, Eidelman concentrates on infusing his music with
the mysterious tones of vocal arrangements spanning this score. For the
more philosophical moments of pondering, female and/or children's
wordless vocals add a touch of greater being (or mystical wonderment, if
that description suits you better) to a rounded, but medium-sized
orchestral group. The album's mix doesn't provide these vocals with much
elegance, but rather gives them a somewhat grating edge that
occasionally betrays the beauty of the underlying thematic
performances.
The most defining aspect of
A Simple Twist of
Fate is its loyal title theme for Martin's reclusive character,
affectionately returning continuously throughout the album. The theme is
warm and simple, built for strings and woodwinds, but it is somewhat
discomforting in that it never experiences a fully matured performance
for the entire ensemble. Even in the suite arranged for the album, the
most robust performance of the title theme is immediately preceded by a
frightful period of nightmarish waves of brass and low woodwind
dissonance (and this happens with the chorus in the finale track as
well). Both "Floating on Air" and "New Life" supply the longest pleasant
performances of the title theme and function as a better thematic
representation than Eidelman's standard suite at the start. Eidelman
also exhibits his talents by performing his own solo piano rendition of
the title theme at the end of the album. The score for
A Simple Twist
of Fate is not necessarily highlighted by its theme, however. The
music's mannerisms in extending the almost religious qualities of the
film's story create an aura about this score that is slightly unnerving
in its portrayal of the uncertainty of fate. There are droning sequences
of fear mixed into a few key moments of the score, throwing the entire
listening experience off the typical pleasant track that Eidelman's
albums from this era usually follow. The adaptation of a traditional
piece (the second of which is incorrectly labeled with a longer time on
the album's packaging, adding three non-existent minutes), as well as
the repeated offering of music from the opening suite and Eidelman's
solo at the end causes there to be less than twenty minutes of actual
original material in the film available on the product. Because of this
very short length, the recommendation with this album is the same as
that for
Untamed Heart; if you are a collector of Eidelman's
softer works, then
A Simple Twist of Fate will be an enjoyable
supplement to that collection. In fact, this score has historically been
quite popular with many such fans. Otherwise, it fails to muster the
same amount of excitement or interest that floats many of Eidelman's
more popular works.
*** @Amazon.com: CD or
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Bias Check:
For Cliff Eidelman reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.29
(in 17 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.2
(in 8,864 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
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