The Statement: (Norman Corbeil) Originally predicted to be
an Academy Award powerhouse from the arthouse film venues in late 2003,
The
Statement turned out to be both a critical and popular flop. A contemporary
political thriller based on a novel by Brian Moore, the story of an aged Nazi
collaborator in modern day France (and the chase to arrest and/or kill him), is
loosely based on factual events. With Michael Caine playing the war criminal on
the run, utilizing his faith and the structure of the Catholic Chruch in the
south of France to protect himself, the film advertised itself as a tense
thriller with a distinct message. Director Norman Jewison has had his fair share
of cinematic success, but with
The Statement he created a film universally
criticized for its muddling of that message, poor plot progression, and, worst of
all, the lack of truly convincing suspense. The director was keen on producing an
atmosphere of one prolonged chase, much in the mould of a Hitchcock film, and the
score was to understandably follow the lead of some of Bernard Herrmann's best
work for such thrillers. Jewison chose newcomer Norman Corbeil to write the music
for
The Statement, citing his ability to balance the suspense of the
lengthy, often subdued chase while also capturing the religious spirit behind the
film (not only is Catholic absolution a central theme, but the film is dedicated
at its end to the many French Jews killed in World War II). Corbeil had been
nominated for an Emmy award in 2003 for his work for the television series
"Hitler: The Rise of Evil," featuring a score with many of the same elements
needed to make
The Statement a success. Also in Corbeil's resume to that
point were
Screamers and
Double Jeapardy, both functional scores
though nothing spectacular. Creating the drawn out suspense for
The
Statement would be easy enough with a traditional orchestra, but for the
religious tones of the film, Corbeil recorded the score in a London church that
had been converted into a studio, with even a lofty women's chorale employed to
add an extra angelic touch when necessary.
Interestingly, the result of Corbeil's labors is remarkably
closely tied to Jewison's efforts in placing a message into the film itself. His
work, when studied cue by cue, is sufficient, if not impressive, but after
hearing several cues, you begin to wonder about the general intent of the music.
The score doesn't contain the same kind of character contradictions that the film
does, but Corbeil nonetheless fails to build steam for either of the causes of
suspense or religion. Protracted scenes of contemplation in the film lead to
elongated cues of single whole notes by the orchestra, pulsating with an emphasis
on each of its sections in rotation. The outright chases feature solid strikes
and crashes of the ensemble, but never is a coherent rhythm established. The
moments of horror are scored with an extremely heavy timpani, bass string, and
brass mix of harsh, broad notes. Perhaps on album, the score for
The
Statement might have been saved by the ethereal nature of the religious
performances, but even these are muted and dampened by an intentional distance
between the performers and the listener. Part of this phenomenon is due to the
very low mixing volume of the choir with the orchestra, minimizing the
effectiveness of the womens' voices. Also plaguing the album for
The
Statement (and this is the primary complaint against the product) is the lack
of vibrancy in its recording. Even in the score's highlight, "C'Mon Let's Go,"
the choir sounds three blocks away. A dull sensation of withdrawn sincerity thus
hinders the score at every moment. As a composition, Corbeil's only noteworthy
instrumental use is an accordion for "The Massacre" and the "Finale" cues, but
even this is underplayed. The music is harmonious in parts and conversely tries
very hard in places (such as "In the Mountain") to utilize frantically
alternating strings and troubled brass in ways that Herrmann did many years ago.
But outside of the historical interest a person could have in hearing this
adaptation of character, the score for
The Statement falls flat. Short cue
structures hinder the flow of the presentation on album as well. It's hard to say
if the blame for this sour taste comes from the composer or Jewison's flawed
project as a whole, but Corbeil did continue to show talent that had the
potential to explode with greatness if given a good film and a superior recording
environment.
** @Amazon.com: CD or
Download
The insert includes a note from director Norman Jewison about the score and
film.
