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Review of World Trade Center (Craig Armstrong)
FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:
Buy it... if you are familiar with Craig Armstrong's trademark
sounds of tragedy, from the layered strings to light synthetic rhythms,
ethereal chorus, and soft piano solos, and you've enjoyed his similar
works in the past.
Avoid it... if you expect the more transparent patriotic bravado of John Williams' scores for Oliver Stone's films.
FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:
World Trade Center: (Craig Armstrong) Oliver
Stone's potent films have, through the years, explored controversial
topics in extremely detailed and brutal fashion, often throwing a
political or historical subject directly in your face. Surprisingly
restrained, though, is World Trade Center, for which Stone leaves
behind many of his more lavish techniques and provides what has been
described as the director's most "accessible" film in two decades. It's
a human tale rather than a political one, based on the true story of two
New York Port Authority policemen who were among the last of the 20
survivors to be rescued from the wreckage of the World Trade Center on
September 11th, 2001. The 24 hours in these men's lives were
meticulously detailed, with the actors taking direction from the
survivors themselves, and while the first half of the film shows their
encounters and entrapment in the concourse of the buildings, the second
half is a series of hallucinations and flashbacks for the two men, as
well as scenes of the secondary plotlines involving their families.
Stone's tightrope here was the balance between dramatic punch and
tasteful restraint, and much of the same applied to composer Craig
Armstrong. While his assignment on World Trade Center was
somewhat of a surprise to many film score collectors, the core of his
work would argue otherwise. Armstrong's career has always been laced
with tragedy... not professionally, but in subject matter. With the
exception of the feel-good Love Actually, every one of
Armstrong's major scores has some element of sadness, whether it is
outright tragedy like Romeo and Juliet and Moulin Rouge,
or films that feature a silver lining, like The Quiet American,
Ray, or The Bone Collector. When you examine all of
Armstrong's scores for these films, you realize that they are all
tastefully restrained, melodic in structure, intimate in their solo
performances, and dark in their colors. He most often utilizes a solo
piano, subtle string layers, ethereal chorus, and light electronic
rhythms to achieve this trademark sound, and it is apparently this sound
that the filmmakers had chosen for World Trade Center.
Without missing a beat, this is exactly what Armstrong has provided for them. In its abundant use of the four major trademarks of Armstrong's work described above, the World Trade Center score is absolutely saturated with the composer's style. It is unmistakable in every cue, and it's very safe to say that if you enjoyed the music for The Quiet American and The Bone Collector, you will immediately relax to the consistently soft tones of World Trade Center. Armstrong is loyal to a central theme that is performed twice in suite format at the outset of the commercial album for the score. His typical, clearly defined string layers dominate the score, and they are joined by cello for the first suite and piano for the second. The composer's own piano solos would extend to an actual solo coda at the end of the score (which is becoming the norm for Armstrong's albums these days). Never is New York treated to the sounds of a bustling city before or after the attack; Armstrong doesn't try to fool you by avoiding the soft, tragic atmosphere before the attack. The lower string layers and piano meander effortlessly in their repeated processions through the title theme for most of the cues in the score, and the highlights are inevitably those cues that introduce a fuller ensemble into the mix. Armstrong's employment of a chorus has always been strikingly poignant, going all the way back to Plunkett and Macleane, and its use here is no less powerful. The full chorale performs a third suite on the album with a subdued French horn section. It is aided by a dominant female soprano voice in a handful of cues, injecting a great solemn elegance into the equation. Less effective is a acoustic guitar performance by Armstrong as well, only barely making an impact with solo voice in "Jimeno Sees Jesus." Of particular note in any Armstrong score is his use of light electronic rhythms (another popular Armstrong use that dates to Plunkett and Macleane), and like he does in The Quiet American, he manages to incorporate it here despite the situation not naturally lending itself towards that use. The light synthetic rhythms, which collectors will also immediately recognize from Armstrong's library, is previewed in the piano suite before being used as a representation of victory in "John and Will Found" and "John Rescued." Its light percussive tingling, building to one final cymbal roll in both cues, is a welcome emotional release from the otherwise consistent restraint of the score. The electronics do not contribute to the terror elements of the score outside of "Marine Arrives at Ground Zero," in which slight synthetic distortion is utilized to create the only dissonance in the score. One notable element that is used only sparingly is the brass section of the Los Angeles performing group. Despite the tendency for these films to underscore the American tradition of solo trumpets for patriotism and heroicism, Armstrong's only significant use of the brass section comes in the middle of "John Rescued/Resolution," and even this is rather muted. Still, this sequence reminds you of John Williams' strikingly transparent brass usage in Oliver Stone's Born on the Fourth of July and JFK, and might --just might-- make you wonder what kind of score Williams would have produced for World Trade Center. For Armstrong, the trumpet is replaced by the soprano voice, and in "Resolution," the effect is still outstanding. On the whole, not only is the score restrained in its construct, but its use in the film is as well. Many impact scenes in the film are left without music, and Armstrong's work only really leaves its mark in the discovery and rescue cues. In these moments of somber rhythms and choral beauty, Armstrong does everything he needs to accomplish, and to have asked for anything more during those pivotal cues (or the filler background material in other scenes) would have defeated the purpose of the film. On album, the score runs perhaps too long, with only 20 minutes of the hour-long album providing a lasting memory, but you still can't help but recognize that the score is a successful attempt at a very touchy subject. Don't be surprised to see World Trade Center receive considerable votes for a "best score" Oscar nomination if the film proves to have longevity at the box office. ****
TRACK LISTINGS:
Total Time: 57:26
NOTES & QUOTES:
The insert includes no extra information about the score or film.
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The reviews and other textual content contained on the filmtracks.com site may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of Christian Clemmensen at Filmtracks Publications. All artwork and sound clips from World Trade Center are Copyright © 2006, Sony Classical and cannot be redistributed without the label's expressed written consent. Page created 8/11/06 (and not updated significantly since). |
