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| Elfman |
Alice Through the Looking Glass: (Danny Elfman)
Something went terribly wrong in the process of adapting Lewis Carroll's
"Through the Looking Glass" to the screen in 2016, Alice Kingsleigh's
return to Wonderland a frightful mess of temporal mechanics and
confusing characters. The 2010 adaptation of
Alice in Wonderland
wasn't a masterpiece, either, but famed director Tim Burton used his
quirky trademark production values to propel the project to over a
billion dollars of grosses in theatres. With Burton retreating to only a
production role for the sequel, director James Bobin returned to
franchise screenwriter Linda Woolverton for a cobbling together of
elements from Carroll's "Through the Looking Glass." The end result of
their efforts is a story universally panned by critics who referred to
it as needlessly extravagant and plain stupid, a blockbuster-oriented
excuse to reassemble the cast of the first film (including Alan Rickman
in his final role) to make a quick buck. The titular Alice returns to
Wonderland to help the Mad Hatter find his family, ultimately battling
Time himself (played by Sacha Baron Cohen with a little too much Borat
Sagdiyev in expressions) and using a "Chronosphere" to a journey all
over the land in time and place to set the universe right. Needless to
say, audiences did not financially reward
Alice Through the Looking
Glass as they did the predecessor, a significant cinematic failure
for Walt Disney Studios. None of these regretful circumstances matter
for enthusiasts of Danny Elfman's music for the 2010 film, an enduring
modern classic of a score that harkened back to the composer's early
days of fantastic melodramatic success. The concert arrangement of its
primary theme has been performed around the world by ensembles of all
shapes and sizes, earning Elfman nominations for a Golden Globe, a
BAFTA, and a Grammy (but inexplicably not an Oscar). It was one of the
top three scores of 2010 no matter how you look at it, surpassing the
quality of the film by leaps and bounds and sparking a renaissance in
the composer's fantasy work in general. For
Alice Through the Looking
Glass, the composer was cognizant of the need to continue the
thematic and stylistic characteristics of the previous score while
adding a measured touch of new material for this particular
adventure.
Elfman does not often tackle sequels to his own scores,
Batman Returns likely being the most famous. Unlike that score,
however,
Alice Through the Looking Glass doesn't stray far from
its predecessor in terms of its instrumental and choral style. The organ
and deep brass textures beef up the bass environment while flute and
cooing choir anchor the other end, the resulting fantasy atmosphere
quintessential, classic Elfman from start to finish. The vocal
applications are familiar, ensemble and solo boy soprano performances
sometimes wordless and at others featuring lyrics carrying over from the
prior score. Rhythmic struck percussion receives an enhanced role due to
the element of time, a rather mundane though well played choice. The
sequel's music functions more like a loyal extension and careful
interpolation of
Alice in Wonderland into new circumstances,
presenting only one major new theme while focusing squarely on expanding
the roles of those from the first score. "I didn't want to incorporate,
melodically, too much new stuff because I wanted to stay connected to
the original music," Elfman explains. For listeners in tune with the
secondary themes of
Alice in Wonderland, that's great news,
because the composer's expansions of those ideas are executed with
considerable merit in
Alice Through the Looking Glass. The prior
score really hinged on its three themes for Alice herself, with ideas
for Hatter and Cheshire Cat, among others, recurring noticeably (if not
obscured by incomplete album presentations). The "hero theme" is the one
that made up the concert arrangement known as "Alice's Theme,"
punctuated by its ambitious minor third rhythms and descending "Alice"
vocals at the end of its key phrases. Simply one of the best themes in
the history of film music, Alice's hero theme remains a backbone of
Alice Through the Looking Glass, starting with a faithful,
abbreviated variation on the concert arrangement in "Alice." The idea is
better engrained in the bulk of the score in the sequel, some very
satisfying development of its action mode heard in "Asylum Escape." It
is also applied as a crescendo with which to end scenes, whether it be
"Oceans of Time" or "Kingsleigh & Kingsleigh," the latter closing out
the story with one final enunciation of "Alice" before joining with the
childhood theme to suggest an unresolved ending.
Although the hero theme from
Alice in Wonderland is
a joy to hear in any reprise or adaptation (even if some of the concert
performances of the theme out there are atrocious; it's not the easiest
collection of tempos for an inexperienced group to keep), it's the
evolution of that score's two secondary themes for Alice that really
shines in
Alice Through the Looking Glass. Most important is the
"Little Alice" theme, referred to by Elfman as the childhood theme.
"Alice's childhood theme, which was featured two or three times in the
original film, is much stronger now," says Elfman. "It is stronger in
the sense that it's more evocative emotionally because she is trying to
save her friend, the Hatter." It is this identity that tends to remind
the composer's collectors of
Black Beauty because of its closing
progressions, and it becomes the de-facto primary theme in
Alice
Through the Looking Glass. In many ways, the "Alice" concert
arrangement in this score is a superior summary of the prior score,
because it features this idea prominently between 2:53 and 3:32.
Highlighted performances later in this score include massive action
renditions of the idea at 2:34 into "Saving the Ship," 3:06 into "Hatter
House," and 4:02 into "The Chronosphere." Her bond with Hatter is
solidified using the theme at 1:38 into "Hatter's Deathbed," where it is
handled in gorgeous solo treatment by music box and cello over choir.
Somber, respectful performances of the childhood theme close out the
film in "Truth" and "Goodbye Alice." The other Alice identity carrying
over from
Alice in Wonderland is the "Proposal" theme, referenced
comparatively infrequently in
Alice Through the Looking Glass,
but those reprises account for some of the most poignant moments in this
newer score. In the "Alice" suite, you hear the theme (which still
reminds of Jerry Goldsmith's
Rudy superficially) between 4:04 and
5:14, and although the identity is marginalized through much of the
score, it returns for two stunningly impactful performances late (0:37
into "World's End" and 1:08 into "Goodbye Alice"), the latter extending
throughout the cue with convincing heart. The only questionable aspect
of Elfman's use of these themes in
Alice Through the Looking
Glass is the fact that he sounds more content referencing the
matured childhood theme in massive action sequences than the primary
hero theme, which seems like an odd choice at times.
One of the unsolved mysteries of the
Alice in
Wonderland score was Elfman's intent regarding a theme for Hatter,
and although the answers to that situation were buried in largely
unreleased cues from that score,
Alice Through the Looking Glass
does finally clarify them. Most casual listeners didn't realize that the
interlude section of Alice's theme (the busier, wilder chorus passage)
was actually Hatter's theme, and Elfman expands upon its references
through the sequel's score due to the character's more significant role
in the plot. In the "Alice" suite, you hear the theme between 1:40 and
1:52, 5:30 and 5:41, and at 5:54. Often punctuated by lofty flute, an
ominous performance arrives at 1:56 in "Hatter House" while fragmentary
references exist throughout "Hat Heartbreak" and "They're Alive." At
0:56 into "Hatter's Deathbed," the flute hands the theme off to solo
horn; the cue develops the idea into more stately territory at its
conclusion. An upbeat performance at 1:24 into "Truth" returns once
again to the flute. For those still troubled with trying to find this
theme, it's made a little easier when remembering that if there's a
moment you encounter in
Alice Through the Looking Glass that
inexplicably reminds you of "Jack's Lament" from
The Nightmare Before
Christmas, especially in the latter half of "Finding the Family"
here, then you're hearing the full Hatter theme. "The Hatter's theme was
in the first film but it was really kind of quirky," Elfman continues.
"Now it is a much bigger theme that is bittersweet and emotional and
even a little darker." Not to be forgotten amongst all of the complexity
of this equation is the theme for the Cheshire Cat, which returns in
familiar sinewy, violin-led fashion at the outsets of "Saving the Ship,"
"Watching Time," and "To the Rescue." The only major new theme exists
for Time, which Elfman claims was part of a "Russian kick." As he
explains, "When I saw Time gallivanting around on screen, I thought of
Sergei Prokofiev. It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever, but that
music was very much inspired by him." Listeners can identify the theme
best in "Watching Time," which concludes with a rousing statement of the
identity at 4:49. After a number of lighter renditions, including the
opening of "Oceans of Time," this theme explodes with ferocious power in
"Time is Up," the concluding monstrous performance at 3:43 not to be
missed. The Prokofiev connection is inexplicable, really, though perhaps
the character's costume was the inspiration for Elfman's Russian
approach.
Overall, with so many formerly secondary themes taking
center stage, it's easy to imagine that some listeners will find
Alice Through the Looking Glass to be less satisfying an
experience on album. The theme for Time is not really easy to nail down,
either. Still, like the prior score, it's the remarkable and consistent
quality of Elfman's overarching environment for all these themes that
sells the product. The best techniques of
Batman Returns,
Sommersby, and
Black Beauty remain the fabric of this
tapestry, and with the action music of Time, you also receive an
intriguing infusion of ballsy attitude from the composer's late
additions to
Avengers: Age of Ultron. The tuba and trombone usage
in
Alice Through the Looking Glass resembles
Avengers: Age of
Ultron in the brass' ability to totally dominate the bass region in
such a way that no electronic enhancement to the region is needed. There
are even a few moments when the propulsive nature of Alice's hero and
childhood themes reminds of Elfman's fantastic Avengers theme in
instrumentation. Look no further than 3:14 into "Saving the Ship" for
one such immensely entertaining Avengers reference (following a
Batman Returns choral line thrown in for good measure at 2:47).
The entire package retains the best qualities of
Alice in
Wonderland without being too redundant, and although the new theme
for Time is weaker than the returning ideas and Hatter's material still
flies under the radar to some extent, you can't really fault Elfman for
the end result. He concludes the score with an unresolved pairing of the
hero theme and counterpointed childhood theme that perhaps suggests more
adventures to come, coherent scriptwriting permitting. The album release
for
Alice Through the Looking Glass is reminiscent of
Goosebumps in that the score is split between the main experience
and a collection of "bonus cues" at the end, an unfortunate problem for
those who value narrative flow. One of the bonus cues is the
insufferable "Seconds Song," a brief
Charlie and the Chocolate
Factory carryover. The generic new "P!nk" pop song, "Just Like
Fire," tacked onto the end of the album, will not interest Elfman
enthusiasts unless they have a bodily need for inspiration to expunge a
stubborn turd. As for Elfman's score, there are strong arguments to be
made for either a four-star or five-star rating. Ultimately, the
stunning quality of the new "Alice" suite, the rousing action cues,
"Saving the Ship" and "Time is Up," and the general, underlying strength
of the referenced material all point to a five-star rating. It's rare
that you receive such a competent sequel to an original classic.
***** @Amazon.com: CD or
Download
| Bias Check: |
For Danny Elfman reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.12
(in 95 reviews)
and the average viewer rating is 3.26
(in 154,830 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
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The insert includes lyrics to the P!nk song but no extra information about the score or film.
