: (Harry Gregson-Williams) Every once
in a while, a veteran filmmaker produces a fine film about an
uncomfortable but important cultural misdeed that is so unnerving that
audiences simply reject it. Such was the case with 2021's
by Ridley Scott, a long-delayed movie about misogyny, religion,
and rape set in 14th Century France and based upon the true-life tale of
the final government-sanctioned duel in that country's history. It's a
story of how male perceptions dictate outcomes in society and how
dangerous allegations of rape could be at a time when religion and male
honor dominated the lands. A knight, Sir Jean de Carrouges, and his
friend and squire, Jacques Le Gris, duel to the death with the King's
blessing after Jacques is accused of rape by Jean's wife, Marguerite. In
essentially the transposition of the modern #MeToo movement on medieval
times, Scott uses Rashomon-inspired chapters to tell the events of the
story through three distinct perspectives, one each from the main
characters. Of course, it is Marguerite's chapter, the third one, that
exposes the misperceptions of the two men in the prior chapters, proving
that gender relations haven't improved as much as one would hope in the
centuries since. The depiction of rape in the latter two chapters is
gruesome and violent, and with the film destined for a less-than-happy
ending regardless of the duel's outcome, audiences made
one of the more humiliating financial failures for a major
studio during the year. The endeavor did mark the return of composer
Harry Gregson-Williams to his collaboration with Scott, one which
originated with
and has included some of
Gregson-Williams' more engaging music since. Scott was adamant that the
composer not dwell too long on finding an "authentic" musical sound for
the picture's setting, advising instead that the emotional core of the
character story guide the tone. The relative lack of documented
instrumentation from the era allowed Gregson-Williams to extend his
vaguely medieval instrumental palate from
to
this picture, adapting it to a surprisingly Celtic flavor that suffices
even if it doesn't make much intellectual sense for the French
locale.
The tone of the music in
The Last Duel does strive
for some manner of authenticity in that Gregson-Williams employs
instruments and vocal techniques that suggest medieval times to modern
ears, including those for religious institutions. A moderate orchestral
ensemble takes a secondary role to prominent roles for specialty
performers on viola da gambas, dulcimer, lute, harpsichord, guitar,
organ, taiko drums, and slight electronics. But it's the vocal layering
in both male and female solos and an ensemble choir that steal the show
in
The Last Duel; the fuller choral moments sound almost
identical to
Kingdom of Heaven, but the heart and soul of the
score is carried by especially the female soloist. More vital to this
score is Gregson-Williams' tackling of the three distinct chapters and
the manipulation of his themes to serve their different perspectives. He
essentially scored the same scenes multiple times from disparate
emotional stances, and that result is intriguing, to say the least. The
score clearly exists in three parts, and casual listeners will notice
obvious differences between them. The composer devised three themes for
the film, one for each of the major characters, and not all of them
extend fully to each chapter. For instance, Jean's theme is dominant in
his chapter, the first, and less impressive in Marguerite's chapter, the
third; this makes sense, given that Jean has a much higher opinion of
his stature than anyone else has of him. Meanwhile, Jacques' theme is
mostly absent in Jean's chapter because his threat is unknown to Jean;
rather, Jacques' theme dominates his own chapter, the second, and that
of Marguerite. Finally, Marguerite's theme is the constant in all three
chapters, naturally, but the confidence with which Gregson-Williams
conveys it is strikingly different between the three, the theme filled
with capability in Jean's chapter, frightened in Jacques' chapter, and
quietly resolute in her own chapter. As such, be prepared for the
listening experience to exude significantly different personalities
depending on which chapter you are in. The score opens with "Duel
Preparations," which begins with Marguerite's theme on solo female
voice, a predictable but effective technique that the composer relies
upon throughout the score to represent her call for recognition and
respect. From there, the themes for the two men mostly define how her
theme is styled until the end. It's clever manipulation from start to
finish.
The theme for Jean produces some of the most ambitious
tonal material in the score for
The Last Duel, mostly limited in
its glory to his own chapter. Its performance in the latter half of
"Marguerite de Carrouges" suggests his victory of finances but not of
heart, while it receives a hero's welcome at 0:23 into "Returning Home"
on woodwinds over chanted male vocals. That prominence is expanded upon
early in "Jean de Carrouges" on whimsical choir over militaristic
percussion, the score's most major performance of the idea. From there,
the theme struggles, a light choral and percussion rendition in "I Offer
You a Name" keeping its distance and the theme remaining slight on
strings late in "House Meeting." It opens "Chapter 3" with some greater
ambition in conjunction with Marguerite's theme, signaling her initial
hope in the marriage. The brute force of the theme's usual backing
defines early "The Duel" muscularity, and allusions to the theme in the
first half of "The Aftermath" give a slight hint of victory and relief.
On the other hand, the theme for Jacques is comparatively atmospheric
and elusive, rooted in a rising pitch effect that is sometimes two
separate notes that are tied to Marguerite's theme structurally. The
idea opens "The Wolves" on female voices and is often performed
similarly thereafter, suggesting the massive impact Jacques' actions
will have on Marguerite's life. The rising pitch is immediately heard in
"Jacques Le Gris," masks a longer identity throughout "I've Never Seen
You Like This," and recurs during the latter half of "Confession" under
continuing, unnerving solo female voice. The rising pitch also opens
"Forgive Me for Intruding," the prelude to the rape scored with
synthetic groaning and dissonance by the composer. His handling of the
theme at the end of the score suggests a defiant but whimpering death,
the solo voice in the middle of "The Duel" including the rising pitch
effect as it defines the major crescendo and resolution of the cue.
Another solo voice reference in the middle of "The Aftermath" leads to
an eerie conclusion to the cue that offers one final reference to the
rising two notes, albeit in the deceptive tones of victory, almost as if
to remind the audience that character's legacy will live with Marguerite
regardless. The Jacques theme is so understated throughout the second
and third chapters that much of this material will sound purely
atmospheric to casual listeners, Gregson-Williams seemingly content to
allow a sense of dread to prevail over more straight-forward narrative
devices.
The heart of
The Last Duel is Marguerite's
theme, a lyrical, Celtic-inspired melody that is partially based on a
traditional tune. It opens "Duel Preparations" on solo female voice and
shifts to woodwinds over chanted male vocals at the outset of "Returning
Home," Jean's perception of her theme that extends to the resolute
stature of "Managing the Estate" on organ and violas. It turns menacing
on organ in "Confrontation" and is subservient by the second chapter. A
dulcimer hammers at the theme in the middle of "Jacques Le Gris," and
it's tentative and cold early in "I Offer You a Name," as the reality of
the relationship sinks in. A lesser version of "Managing the Estate" is
conveyed in "Left Alone," a nicely reduced rendition for Marguerite's
perspective of the same scene. By the start of "The Duel," the theme is
subjected further to subtle fear; only in the tempered relief of her own
sparing at the very end of the story does the theme begin to emerge with
any sense of true independence for Marguerite. It builds to a stoic,
full choral conclusion in the latter half of "The Aftermath" and is
provided a beautiful song adaptation in "Celui Que Je Desire," the
performance and tone sounding remarkably similar to a 1990's Loreena
McKennitt recording. This song represents the score's one moment of
triumph for Marguerite, perhaps a result of her prevailing symbolically
over both men in the end. One other aspect of the
The Last Duel
remains consistent, and that is the religious element for the political
power of the story. Sparse Latin chants dominated by males are expected
in this role, and you hear this influence in "Leaving for Scotland" and
"Court of King Charles." They're joined by forceful organ in
"Confrontation," shift to light suspense in "Confession," and interject
their religious tones on Marguerite's theme in "Tell No One," to
nobody's surprise. These passages do slow the album's short listening
experience, and along with Jacques' theme, the majority of the score
apart from the film can be challengingly unsettling. The decision by
Gregson-Williams and Scott to leave most action sequences without music
causes the score to really dwell on the character applications, which
are not always pleasant or engaging. But even these parts remain far
superior to Daniel Hart's just preceding
The Green Knight in
accomplishing a medieval, religious sound of disheartening intent. There
are enough tonally accessible passages in
The Last Duel to
sustain a solid suite of music from the album, anchored by the song at
the end and half a dozen cues conveying Marguerite and Jean's themes in
their brighter incarnations. Approach it as a smarter, more subtle
companion to
Kingdom of Heaven.
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- Music as Written for the Film: ****
- Music as Heard on Album: ***
- Overall: ****
| Bias Check: |
For Harry Gregson-Williams reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3
(in 40 reviews)
and the average viewer rating is 2.98
(in 55,240 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
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