Filmtracks Traffic Rank: #1,412
Written 3/15/97, Revised 5/27/06
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Buy it... if you agree with film music historians that Alex North
is a master of dramatic and ethnic technique, and you wish to hear one
of their usual citations to that point.
Avoid it... if North's dissonant, slightly Hispanic stupor as a
representation of alcoholism isn't your idea of a good time.
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| North |
Under the Volcano: (Alex North) Neither this movie
nor the respected novel by Malcolm Lowry on which it was based can be
described in any way as an uplifting experience. The story is the
disturbing portrayal of a day in the life of a hopeless drunk, lost
forever in the dirty ditches of Cuernavaca, Mexico. A former British
consul to the area, the primary character has lost his job, his wife,
and is occupied with his own drunken condition each day. His efforts to
drink himself sober are complicated when his prayers are answered and
his wife returns from New York to visit him. The day they spend together
is both bittersweet and grim, and in the end, the ditch awaits once
again. The legendary John Huston directed the film after his illnesses
had already begin to take his life, and the film is noted for its keen
ability to convey the cognitive problems involving alcoholism without
resorting to the usual techniques of defocusing and spinning by the
camera itself. Much of the credit for this triumph is given to the
controlled Albert Finney in the performance as the consul, avoiding
outward overacting and a need for pathos or respect. Along the lines of
the analysis of alcoholism, the film also accurately paints a
discouraging picture of Mexico in the 1940's, causing the entire project
to be as depressing an exercise as any adaptation of the novel would
have to be. Like Huston, who was residing in Mexico in the latter stages
of his career, composer Alex North had a love for the culture of Mexico
after having lived and studied there in the 1930's. His familiarity with
the folk music and overarching culture made him a natural choice to
score Under the Volcano. And, by in almost every opinion, his
score is a perfect fit for the film. Along with an Oscar nomination for
Finney in the leading role, North --who was a darling of the Academy at
the time-- also received a nomination. Despite statements across the
board that Under the Volcano is a classic score, there always
exists a dissenting voice, and you're about to hear it here.
Despite his knowledge of Mexican culture, and the
obvious call for its use in the remarkable skeleton dance scene marking
the "Day of the Dead," the incorporation of true Mexican folk music in
Under the Volcano seems heavily diluted by North. The percussion
section is easily the key to this score's success, and while North hits
the nail on the head with his choice of instrumentation (as he usually
does), his incorporation of such ideas doesn't differ significantly from
the same disjointed percussive rhythms of something like the
Africa television series. The culturally adept "Shower" cue (the
standout on the album) is an exception, of course, though it's difficult
to determine why North didn't expand upon this idea of merging Hispanic
and British elements of his ensemble in more than just this one cue. An
organ is used briefly at the appearance of the consul's wife in the
doorway, which is a neat touch by North. His ability to layer melodic
and dissonant lines into the same moment are well used (or abused,
depending on your opinion) to represent the drunken stupor of the
consul, and this perpetual fog that permeates much of the score leaves
it a tad unclear at many moments, and perhaps a frustrating overall
listening experience on album. The dissonance that exists from top to
bottom in
Under the Volcano is undoubtedly appropriate here more
than in several other North works, but the effect of such usage results
in what sounds like a Golden Age score from North's early 1950's work
distorted with disjointed percussion flourishes and an otherwise
harmonious theme by small ensemble strings or woodwinds that is
brutalized throughout the score. Nobody was better at a cue like "A
Night of Death," in which the lovely string theme weaves aimlessly
behind dissonant higher-strung counterpoint. This music, while
appreciated by many, is simply unlistenable on album for others. A great
many film music historians credit North as "the greatest composer" ever,
and they often point to
Under the Volcano as evidence. The score
is indeed a fitting composition for the locale and subject matter, but
is significantly irritating on several levels. The 20-minute album,
released as part of Varèse Sarabande's limited "Masters Film
Music" series (alongside the Club CDs), exposes these difficulties, with
the short score serving to depress and potentially sending you in search
of a bottle.
** @Amazon.com: CD or
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