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PRINTER-FRIENDLY VIEW 
Review of The Princess Diaries (John Debney)
FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:
Buy it... if you still have enough innocent prepubescent mentality
to find John Debney's dainty and classically-inclined (but sufficiently
contemporary) music to be a rewardingly upbeat experience.
Avoid it... if scores constructed purely out of cotton candy give you nothing more than heartburn.
FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:
The Princess Diaries: (John Debney) The story of
The Princess Diaries has been around for decades, but Walt Disney
Pictures gave it a royal makeover and aimed it at prepubescent kids and
teenagers alike in this 2001 film adaptation. The Disney version
starring Anne Hathaway and Julie Andrews relies on charm and elegance to
win the hearts of the audience rather than the typical slapstick kind of
attractions being used in similarly targeted films. Energetic,
predictable, and often far-fetched, the franchise-inducing film did
modernize the story by using a selection of contemporary songs to
heighten its appeal to young girls, and many of these songs were placed
on the obligatory soundtrack compilation album. The film's genuine
heart, however, necessitated a gentle fairy tale underscore, and John
Debney was the Disney's usual man for this type of job. Attempting to
avoid corniness wherever possible, Debney's task was to score a fantasy
teen romance flick in royal settings with only a moderately sized
orchestral ensemble and a handful of extremely short cue spots in which
to do it. The score needed to fit the film in pieces that were typically
no longer than a minute, making it more difficult to produce a coherent
whole. The end result of Debney's tinkering is the score that anyone
could have easily expected all along. For a straight forward and
surprisingly un-hip approach to the The Princess Diaries story,
Debney's score is equally square and conservative. Aside from the work's
fragmented placement, the most difficult aspect of Debney's job was to
combine his modern light guitar work with the waltz rhythmed orchestral
representation of royalty (which is a stereotype that nearly anyone can
buy into since waltzes exhibit an atmosphere of snobbery that functions
perfectly for current ears). The instrumentation extends to the
extensive use of a piano for the normal family setting, light synthetic
percussion for the contemporary interactions, and even, strangely, a
harmonica for short contribution of lamentation. The drawbacks of the
score are few, but they typically involve the attempt by Debney to
"royalize" his material to suit young Mia Thermopolis' discovery that
she'll be the queen of an obscure European country.
The theme that Debney employs for the film compensates for the score's choppy entrances and exits by going into overkill in its application. Its statements are numerous and seemingly constant, inserted into nearly every cue in some form or another. The most remarkable quality of the simple, elegant theme is Debney's ability to make it flexible enough to fit into everything from a solo piano performance to a full blown waltz. Its prominent role in the film translates into several enjoyable cues on the album; Debney has arranged the cues so that you get a rotating taste of his material in a wide range of rhythm and instrumentation. The opening and closing cues, with the theme accompanied by an official head of state snare, are the highlights. The light guitar music, representing the budding romance between the princess and a friend, is also a highlight. Staying true to the spirit of both Julie Andrews and the film's unwavering goodness, Debney's music borders on becoming tedious in its consistently fluffy major-key prancing. Several almost parody-level rips of techniques common to classical music are also somewhat tiresome. The softer performances of the theme, most often performed by piano with light percussion, are a more enjoyable listen apart from the film than the dramatic flights of fancy by the whole orchestra, though their merging in "Mia's Decision" is a highlight. The pieces serving as source music, such as "Mia Visits the Consulate" and "Harp Interlude," break up the contemporary appeal that the score otherwise puts forth. That duality, though, was inevitable, and Debney should be commended anyway for his functionally light-hearted and appealing work for The Princess Diaries. The score was unlike Debney's numerous comedy efforts of the era, such as the slapsticky Cats & Dogs prior in the year, and could be classified as a straight romance score. The album is short in length, reflecting the concentration by Disney on the separate song compilation album. There really isn't a reason to hear more of this score, however, and for a plethora of reasons, it's surprising to see it on its own album at all. While it won't appeal to the majority of film score enthusiasts, those of you who are sappy Rachel Portman or Patrick Doyle fans may find considerable merit in its thematic simplicity and upbeat performances. ***
TRACK LISTINGS:
Total Time: 30:32
NOTES & QUOTES:
The insert contains a list of performers, but 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 The Princess Diaries are Copyright © 2001, Walt Disney Records and cannot be redistributed without the label's expressed written consent. Page created 1/28/02 and last updated 2/1/09. |
