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| Horner |
Wolf Totem (Le Dernier Loup): (James Horner) As
difficult as it was to film Mongolian wolves and gazelles in action
during the production of the Jean-Jacques Annaud film
Wolf Totem,
solving the political issues involving the Chinese government that
threatened to make this project impossible was an even greater
challenge. Despite omnipresent Chinese censors and lingering displeasure
with Annaud's
Seven Years in Tibet from 1997, a pact was signed
between the French and Chinese governments to allow a series of films to
be produced in collaboration, and this 2015 story was the first of that
lot. Countless years in the making,
Wolf Totem required the crew
to travel to the Inner Mongolia region of China to film in a raw
environment with numerous rare animals, and the resulting picture was a
financial hit in its home country. Much intrigue has been made about the
plot, which takes place in 1969 and follows an instructor sent to teach
shepherds in the region but who ultimately comes to study and attempt to
save the wolves (the government, understandably, is the antagonist which
seeks to eradicate the animals), but for all its statements about
government control,
Wolf Totem is essentially a relative softy in
the "people love animals" genre. The fantastic vistas of the region were
perfect for an expansive orchestral score, one perhaps destined for John
Barry's sound circa 1988. Annaud has worked with countless composers
through the years, but he collaborated with James Horner for
The Name
of the Rose and
Enemy at the Gates and returns to the veteran
here. Horner, of course, has found himself at odds with Hollywood in the
2010's, his style of music not considered by some studios and filmmakers
as viable in this era (a notion that
The Amazing Spider-Man in
2012 should completely dispel for those paying attention). Nevertheless,
his musical capabilities and sensibilities have not been diluted over
that time, and
Wolf Totem wipes away any worries that the
composer's collectors may have about his relevance after awkward
departures from
Romeo & Juliet and
Enders Game in the
preceding years. For Horner, this assignment was a grand opportunity to
return to the concept of "expansive" film scoring, allowing broad
strokes of melody from a large ensemble to convey not only scope and
grandeur, but the intimacy of a heart-warming story. While the result
may not be as heavily orchestrated as something like
Legends of the
Fall, it is still a vintage Horner entry in this sub-genre that is
undeniably attractive in a swoon of nostalgia.
Collectors of Horner's music will hear his mannerisms
in every corner of
Wolf Totem; there is nothing unfamiliar here.
But the treatment of two concepts, massive natural displays and raw
animal hunts, will cause some listeners to hear a fair amount of John
Barry in his later 1980's mode in this score, especially in parallels to
Dances With Wolves. Perhaps this observation is too obvious for
some, though the desired impact on the films is roughly the same. Unlike
Barry's classic,
Wolf Totem has no battle for memorability in its
themes, Horner staying true to one idea throughout his work and
conveying it in every imaginable variant. Fortunately, this theme is a
stunner, one of the best single film music themes in many years and
conveyed with a kind of symphonic weight all too rare in the 2010's. In
"Leaving for the Country," Horner introduces this theme with all the
reverent historical majesty one could fit into a relatively short amount
of time, the brass identity's descending secondary sequence particularly
compelling. Listeners will recognize this cue from the film's trailers.
Horner's ethnic and synthetic elements amongst the performances are
largely inconsequential compared to the presence of the London
orchestral players. The theme's renditions on brass and strings are as
frequent as they are heartfelt, the lengthy "An Offering to Tengger/Chen
Saves the Last Wolf Pup" exploring the idea in easy harmonic
accessibility for minutes on end before its translation to alternating
horn and trumpet in "A Red Ribbon" adds flair in orchestration to it. By
"The Frozen Lake," the theme is interlaced with one of Horner's suspense
and stalking rhythms, its full brass action mode setting the table for a
distressed recapitulation on strings early in "Discovering Hidden
Dangers." The resolute string performances of the idea in that cue and
"Little Wolf" overcome Horner's faint brass calls to danger to yield
touching secondary, family-like explorations of innocence late in both.
More stern is the demeanor of "A Suicide Pact," in which the theme
develops out of soft strings to a lengthy crescendo of melodrama. A
propulsive variation on the melody's progressions (very Barry-like, once
again) bursts forth in "Hunting the Wolves," its broad brass strokes
eventually tapering off to allow strings to ramble with the idea while
evoking romance from
The Rocketeer at the end. Reprising the
opening of "Leaving for the Country" is "Death of A'ba," utilizing the
ethnic element for this quiet sequence. Finally, "Return to the Wild"
features extensive development of the theme across the entire emotional
spectrum before Horner (somewhat frustratingly but as per usual)
devolves the score into barely audible ambience at the end. The theme's
overall journey through this work is as cohesive as it is
remarkable.
None of Horner's secondary thematic identities in
Wolf Totem ever really thrive with frequency, but they do pack a
punch when utilized. Three separate chasing or stalking motifs exist,
and the only one to significantly repeat is the first to be heard
chronologically. In "Wolves Stalking Gazelles," Horner unleashes his
brutal, vintage rhythmic force at 2:25 into the cue, with an actual
theme of sorts accompanying that rhythm at 3:02. The former is reprised
at 2:21 into "An Offering to Tengger/Chen Saves the Last Wolf Pup."
Don't be surprised if this material reminds you of several of Horner's
past "panic" motifs. More stylish is the
Brainstorm and
Aliens outburst to the same end early in "Wolves Attack the
Horses," the staggered rhythm familiar to Horner's career yielding
another menacing melody at about 1:28 into that cue. Before the glorious
adaptation of the main theme in "Hunting the Wolves," Horner offers up a
third variation on his chasing/stalking motifs. All of these will be ear
candy for Horner collectors, and any listener should be prepared to hear
an overwhelming dose of the composer's trademarks in the score. Airy
synthetic vocals meander through a few sequences. A solo piano seems
obligatory for this kind of work. The aforementioned style of
representing panic is typical, reminding most of
Titanic during
the brass calls early in "The Frozen Lake." Later in that cue, you hear
the actual four-note "danger motif" humorously dominant in Horner's
career. The composer's ability to conjure epic action and impressive
discord simultaneously is incredible in "Scaling the Walls." Finally,
there is some familiarity to the vocalizations in the ethnic element
(
Troy), though the erhu and pipa are tastefully applied as
accents. If anything, even more of the ethnic flavor may have been
merited. Ultimately, though, Horner opted for a very Western perspective
on the score, treating the film's scenery and familial message with what
he would probably consider to be "universal" tones. The entire package
is a fantastic listening experience, but not one on par with Horner's
past classics. Had the secondary motifs been better coordinated and the
ethnic element a bit more engrained in the work, this could have stood
as a five-star effort. While there is no denying the level of comfort
this score brings to the ears of any Horner enthusiast of his 1980's and
1990's triumphs, there remain lingering issues with the lack or
originality of practically every single ingredient in this music. As it
is, though,
Wolf Totem comes awfully close to receiving a top
rating, and collectors initially struggling to find the score's
hour-long CD from Europe were treated to an American distribution later
in 2015. For Horner, the year represented a sudden and final return to
the spotlight with a plethora of mostly small-scale works debuting in
short succession, his musical voice remaining a very welcome one through
the end.
**** @Amazon.com: CD or
Download
| Bias Check: |
For James Horner reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.16
(in 103 reviews)
and the average viewer rating is 3.26
(in 193,546 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
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The insert includes a picture of the composer and director, as well as a note from the latter in French on the European pressing.
