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PRINTER-FRIENDLY VIEW 
Review of Argo (Alexandre Desplat)
FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:
Buy it... if you demand an intelligent approach to the geopolitical
thriller genre, Alexandre Desplat satisfying stereotypical scoring
techniques while also exploring enough new stylistic ground to generate
an engagingly fresh score.
Avoid it... if an intentionally disparate soundscape pitting sappy orchestral melody on one side and Middle-Eastern soloists in tense rhythms on the other is still too transparent for your liking, despite this score's significant improvement over Syriana.
FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:
Argo: (Alexandre Desplat) Although the Iranian
hostage crisis of 1979 is largely remembered as a disaster for American
President Jimmy Carter, there was one bright spot in the history of that
event. With cooperation between the CIA and the Canadian government, six
of the hostages were freed from Iran using the creative ruse of a movie
production company that was scouting locations at which to shoot a
science fiction film in the country. The movie and its crew were
completely fabricated, the CIA laboriously setting up a studio in Los
Angeles for the fake picture and even placing ads in newspapers for the
project. The "Argo" film was used to explain the hostages as crew
members, and their escape was nearly thwarted by Iranian revolutionaries
who slowly came to realize what was happening. The release of the 2012
account of these events in Argo was somewhat controversial, some
facts dramatically exaggerated, the ethnicity of the casting incorrect,
and its timing with the American presidential election and ongoing
Iranian tensions questioned, especially with President Carter featuring
prominently at the end of the film. Nevertheless, Argo was highly
praised by critics and padded the career of director, producer, and
actor Ben Affleck with another successful character story. The project
was one natural to the abilities of composer Alexandre Desplat, whose
career has included the 2005 Iranian-themed thriller Syriana,
which, like Argo, was co-produced by George Clooney. Several
political thrillers, in fact, litter Desplat's career, and his knack for
unusually intelligent instrumental and rhythmic applications would serve
Argo well. The French composer's approach to the topic is not
particularly surprising, extending basic ideas out of Syriana and
merging them with the melancholy tones of John Debney's The Stoning
of Soraya M. and a hint of the orchestral melodrama associated with
mainstream Hollywood representations of Western infusion into the
region, a technique common to composers like James Horner. The resulting
mixture of authenticity and sappiness is remarkably effective for
Desplat, who continues to conjure enough interesting musical ideas in
this assignment to compensate for its more generic, crowd-pleasing
moments. Whereas Syriana remains a cold and alienating listening
experience, Argo reaches for and engages the listener by
inserting dramatic depth into most of its otherwise tense cues featuring
regional instruments. There's almost a touch of A.R. Rahman in this
merging of sensibilities, yielding a remarkably accessible result.
The performing ensemble for Argo consists of a partial orchestra (woodwinds de-emphasized) and several notable soloists, including a mournful solo female voice and a ney, oud, kemenche, and variety of ethnic percussion to breathe sonic life into the foreign atmosphere. A solo piano occasionally offers comfort and a stark contrast to these Iranian representations. The orchestra is present for many of the rhythmic sequences of suspense, lending vital depth to the percussive tension. On two occasions in the film, the full ensemble is afforded a "silver screen" movie moment of pretty reflection, perhaps representing both the importance and relief of the mission's success but also maybe addressing the glory of the fake movie "Argo" in some way. Thematically, Argo is not particularly well enunciated, its narrative better handled by the tone and intensity of each cue rather than clear structural connections. There are three ideas that recur in the score, however. The aforementioned orchestral theme for the mission is the most obvious of these, and its usage in "The Mission" and "Cleared Iranian Airspace" is vaguely reminiscent of Horner's resolutions to his early 1990's suspense works. A seldom referenced theme for the region, introduced immediately in "Argo" and heard in "Held Up By Guards" is appropriately Middle-Eastern without being obnoxiously so. Its crescendo of gravity in "Argo" is an outstanding opening to the score. A final, keyboarded theme in "Held Up By Guards" and "Tony Grills the Six" only barely registers but offers a glimpse of the hope that comes at the end with a tortured string performance in "Cleared Iranian Airspace." The most interesting portions of Argo, however, have little to do with the overt statements of melody. Desplat's use of the regional instruments and voices to create compelling rhythms is the highlight of the work. Staccato bursts of humming in "Scent of Death" evolve into vocal effects in "Hotel Messages" and "The Six Are Missing" that emulate the sound of typed or telegraphed effects in a way that makes these cues seem like an eerily Arabic twist on John Ottman's music for the television movie Point of Origin. The latter halves of "The Business Card" and "Drive to the Airport" begin to stray into John Powell's "Bourne" territory, but the ethnic and vocal effects keep them interesting. Outright vocal lament in "Sweatshop" and "Istanbul - The Blue Mosque" is stylistically gripping and segues nicely into the traditional "Hace Tuto Guagua" piece at the end of the album. Overall, Argo is far from revolutionary, but it intelligently tackles tired stereotypes with fresh new ideas, translating into a surprisingly smooth listening experience on album. This is the type of work that could easily garner awards consideration given its strengths and the nature of the film, and the score would deserve such recognition. ****
TRACK LISTINGS:
Total Time: 58:37
NOTES & QUOTES:
The insert includes a list of performers but no extra information
about the score or film.
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