: (James Newton Howard) Films
with the old-fashioned dramatic narrative of 2011's
have become a rarity in Hollywood over the past twenty
years. The adaptation of Sara Gruen's bestselling novel was a moderate
fiscal success despite protests stemming from accusations that the
leading elephant in the production was shown beaten by its handlers in
hidden camera footage shot prior to the film's shooting. The elephant is
key to a plot that involves a young man who runs off with a traveling
circus in 1931 and becomes the group's veterinarian. He embroils himself
in the tough relationships between the blow-hard that leads the circus,
his stunt-performing wife, and a variety of other performers and
henchmen that comprise the group. The ruthless hand of the leader is a
convenient foil for the budding romance between his wife and the young
newcomer. The elephant plays a pivotal role in assuring the
protagonists' bid for freedom and a life with the famed Ringling circus.
Mixed reviews resulted mainly because of very poor chemistry between
lead actors Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson. Playing the film
from a relatively safe angle is composer James Newton Howard, with whom
director Francis Lawrence had collaborated for
is a welcome change
for a composer who has largely avoided straight forward dramatic music
in recent times, despite his proven ability in the genre. His score
would share screen time with a number of period-appropriate songs, and
these mostly jazzy pieces of the puzzle are provided a very wet mix and
intermingled directly with the score cues on the album. For the amount
of dramatic character activities in
, Howard's
relatively conservative approach to the score is both intriguing and
disappointing. It's the kind of music that predictably touches upon a
number of possible temp-track inspirations, almost constantly reminding
you of works by other respected composers in the genre. The resulting
score is certainly adequate and, at times, exceptional, but it gives you
the somewhat unnerving feeling that you're hearing an arrangement of
ideas rather than an original composition.
The ensemble employed by Howard for
Water for
Elephants is very conventional for the majority of the work, only
occasionally employing instruments in ways that represent the music (and
stereotypes) of the era. Strings at the forefront and brass in soothing
supporting roles comprise the score's majority of harmonious
explorations of melody. Piano and delicately plucked support that
vaguely reminds of
Lady in the Water are replaced by aggressive
acoustic guitar, harmonica, and other usual suspects for "Western" drama
appeal. At times, Howard emulates the songs' 1920's style of laid-back
brass-led jazz in source-like applications. If the instrumental usage
only hints of other composers' work for you, then the melodic ideas will
clarify the connections further. There are a couple of themes that run
through
Water for Elephants, one a meandering series of lines
meant to accentuate the tenderness of the lead character and his
relations with others. The second is seemingly a vision of a better
future, only heard sparingly in places that suggest the life that the
leads will eventually enjoy together. That latter melody owes to John
Barry's handling of period drama, with fluid lines in the last halves of
"Circus Fantasy" and "The Stampede/I'm Coming Home" that also share
hints of
Waterworld. The primary theme, however, is heard
throughout the score's major scenes, and here Howard should send
licensing dues to James Horner for creating a melody (in familiar
instrumental colors) that would reside snugly with Horner's late
1980's/early 1990's dramatic works. The initial "Did I Miss It?"
performances of this idea utilize the language of Alexandre Desplat to a
degree, but by the atmospheric, piano, and synthetic choral performance
of the theme at the outset of "Circus Fantasy," the Horner connections
are unmistakable. In fact, most of
Water for Elephants sounds
like a Horner throwback score, a nice treat for fans who miss that
composer's equivalent style. Also satisfied (hopefully) will be
enthusiasts of vintage Thomas Newman music; the tones of that composer's
lost Americana spirit of yesteryear are conveyed in the pair of "The
Circus Sets Up" and "The Job is Yours," the latter layering the
Horner-inspired theme on top. The Newman flavor in "The Circus Sets Up"
is so saturating that it's actually kind of bizarre to hear.
While the melodic connections to the music of Horner
and Newman from decades ago may deter some jaded listeners, the cues
that most blatantly utilize these sources of inspiration are clearly the
highlights of
Water for Elephants. The combination of "The Circus
Sets Up," "Circus Fantasy," and "The Job is Yours" makes for seven or
eight absolutely engrossing minutes of nostalgic listening. The rest of
the score, unfortunately, is a bit underwhelming. The most notable
expression of Howard mannerisms comes in "The Stampede," with a few
hints of
The Last Airbender in its sternly melodramatic ensemble
crescendo. One of the most interesting aspects of
Water for
Elephants, however, is how timid the score seems to be in its sum.
The entirety has a somewhat hazy atmosphere of a dream (pushed not only
by the occasionally distant, wet mix but also the usual assortment of
tingling light percussion), which is a fine choice out of the Barry
playbook, but it causes the suspense and action cues to lack much punch.
In cues like "Jacob Returns" and "I Can See Straight Through You,"
Howard provides rather plain dissonant environments without really
manipulating the score's themes in engaging ways. Several cues lack any
spark of life whatsoever, especially in the romance department.
"Sanctuary" and "Shooting Star" are prime examples of this problem,
though the latter does gain some attention for strangely reprising
sequences of "Sally's Song" from Danny Elfman's
The Nightmare Before
Christmas. The most curious aspect of the purely background
underscore cues, however, is that Howard treats the relationship between
the lead character and the elephant with more warmth that between that
lead and Witherspoon's character. For instance, you hear more depth of
harmonious passion in a cue like "Rosie" than anywhere else in the
score. With so many small oddities involving
Water for Elephants,
including the endless stream of connections to other composers, it has
been difficult to determine if the hour-long album for the soundtrack
should receive three or four stars. The songs fade in and out of the
score with ease, though the changes in key aren't always smooth. Still,
it's great to hear vintage Horner and Newman music, even in small doses,
and for that likely unintended outcome by Howard, the album has to be
cautiously recommended.
**** @Amazon.com: CD or
Download
| Bias Check: |
For James Newton Howard reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.4
(in 62 reviews)
and the average viewer rating is 3.3
(in 72,254 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
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