Filmtracks Traffic Rank: #951
Written 12/10/05
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Buy it... if you're ready for an effective musical interpretation
of the film's polarized and frustrated emotions, alternating between
kick-ass rhythms and lengthy world-instrument atmospherics.
Avoid it... if unfocused dissolution in the form of an awkward
rhythmic merging of American and world sounds is not your idea of a
pleasant listening experience.
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| Newman |
Jarhead: (Thomas Newman) It's been several years
since the initial Hollywood films about the first Gulf War began putting
the Los Angeles twist on America's endeavor in that time and place,
though 2005's Jarhead comes from perhaps the most notable of
circumstances thus far. Directed by American Beauty's Sam Mendes,
Jarhead is based on the best-selling 2003 memoir of the same name
by Anthony Swofford, who served a frustrating tour in the first Gulf
War. While some groups may be inclined to lump this film in with the
second Gulf War (and indeed, some of the problems and emotions that
existed in 1991 still prevail in some pockets of the military in Iraq
the second time around), the movie makes clear the difference between
the short invasion that was 1991 and the prolonged occupation that is
2003 and beyond. The focus of Jarhead is an intensely personal
one, and tells of the narrator's experiences as a 20-year-old sniper who
spends his young adulthood preparing for war and is then obsolete by the
time he actually arrives on the battlefield. He once has an Iraqi
officer in his gunsight, but isn't allowed to take the shot (much to
this spotter's consternation) because that shot might alert the enemy to
an impending airstrike. Thus, they sit in the 112-degree heat and do
mostly nothing for their tour of duty, realizing their somewhat
pointless existence protecting Saudi oil for politicians back home. The
film's adaptation of Swofford's book is loyal for the most part, but
with some liberal Hollywood effects to make absolutely sure which way to
swing the audience. Mendes once again turns to composer Thomas Newman to
write the score. As an artist who can very easily twist the boundaries
of multiple genres of music, Newman is very well suited for
Jarhead; his ability to collect ethnic sounds into a bizarre
multi-cultural package would obviously come in handy here. He combines a
small string ensemble with a collection of unique world instruments that
is so wide in variety that it may surpass the ensemble of any other
score in Newman's career thus far.
The progression that Newman follows in the score is
quite remarkable in that he very effectively interprets the changing
attitudes of the primary characters in the story. The first half has all
the kick-ass militaristic electric guitars and powerful bass rhythms
that you expect the soldiers to embody during their training and
deployment. Newman plays along familiar expectations for these cues,
with "Zoomies" perhaps best characterizing the American "go-get-'em"
attitude in its military; the echoes of men sounding off in unison yield
to muscular guitar and drum rhythms that degenerate eventually into the
sound effect of a tire turning on gravel. These heavily American rhythms
start and stop in anticipatory fashion throughout the score, but
ultimately are spurned due to the lack of justifying action in the film.
Instead, the rhythms turn to a consistent presence of Newman's wild
array of world instruments. Because of the military process, and its
inherent alertness, Newman keeps these rhythms churning, even when they
are performed by odd combinations of instruments from half a world apart
(and not just from America and the Middle-East; Newman doesn't limit
himself at all). There is little actual Middle-Eastern flavor outside of
ideas presented in the distance behind cues like "Welcome to the Suck"
(obscured under a heavy guitar rhythm) and "Scuds," the latter of which
a highlight cue and being one of two major cues to feature the string
orchestra. Newman turns to the strings during the obvious contemplation
cues, including "Jarhead for Life." These are the end result of the
useless time spent in the desert; the second half of the score often
meanders in a daze of whole notes that extend for entire minutes. The
only awkward cue in Newman's mix is the pseudo-comical "Dickskinner"
(for good reason), and yet,
Jarhead as a musical package is not a
readily listenable score. It's a case where the composer does a very
good job of capturing the essence of the film's emotions, but in doing
so, creates a musical journey that won't likely appeal to many outside
of the context of the film. Songs from the film are sprinkled throughout
the album. Overall, it's a Thomas Newman score to appreciate, but an
equally difficult one to enjoy.
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- Music as Written for Film: ****
- Music as Heard on Album: **
- Overall: ***
Bias Check:
For Thomas Newman reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.14
(in 37 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.18
(in 60,837 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
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