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“Lush and emotional
themes played by a skilled chamber orchestra and brilliant leads by
pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet and cellist Caroline Dale are only the beginning for
ATONEMENT. Dario Marianelli takes his score into waters that have
been rarely dived and the end result being one of 2007's top efforts.”
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Of Letters and Stories
Review by Christopher Coleman
We've
heard it said quite often, "They just don't make movies like that
anymore." Usually this refers to some beloved film from
decades long gone. Having watched the film and listened to the score
countless times now, I'm happy to report that "they" most certainly do
make movies "like that" today. Director Joe Writght's adaptation of
Ian McEwan's best selling book, ATONEMENT, is well written, finely acted,
beautifully photographed, and
engagingly edited. ATONEMENT is
easily one of the best films of 2007
and features one of the year's most
innovative, dramatic scores.
You might expect MARIANELLI's score to be of the standard, dramatic-romance
variety, but McEwan's brilliant story and Wright's poignant telling of it
demand much more than the standard fair. Lush and emotional themes
played by a skilled chamber orchestra and brilliant leads by pianist
Jean-Yves Thibaudet and cellist Caroline Dale are only the beginning for
ATONEMENT. Dario Marianelli takes his score into waters that have
been rarely dived and the end result being one of 2007's top efforts.
Scoring and sound design find themselves intertwined to a greater and
greater degree these days. Usually, though, we are talking about
horror films or even video games when it comes to the blurring of this
audio-line, not a film set in the World War II era. Yet that is the
case for ATONEMENT. Symbolized by the effect of an old, manual
typewriter, this story about the power of words, the power of imagination
to curse and the bless, is woven into every aspect of the film, including
the score. There are a number of scenes that feature other sound
elements that crossover from design to score such as: the sudden strum of
piano strings, the monotony of a ball thrown against a wall, the tension
of a single piano key being hit repeatedly, or a church organ playing a
wedding recessional. Still, the authoring of letters and stories,
represented by typewriter, is the central symbol of the movie and is the
score's most prominent and dynamic facet.
From the soundtrack's onset, "Briony," (track 1) we are introduced to
the typewriter element. It's incorporation into the score
elevates the in-film-music to a level of involvement that
few scores have seen. Strung throughout the film and score just like any
good musical theme would be, the typewriter returns in "With My Own Eyes" and
"Come Back" (track 5, 11) and like "Briony" the effect is not just an
arbitrary inclusion thereof, but MARIANELLI has clearly composed these pieces
with the typewriter in mind as an actual instrument. The employment
of the typewriter actually reflects the mood and emotion of the scenes in
which it appears. Certainly not the first time this has been done,
John Powell's innovative score for I AM SAM comes to mind, but ATONEMENT
goes beyond a somewhat random incorporating real-world sound effects,
making them apart of his musical score; matching pitch, key and tempo.
Now, as intriguing as the typewriter component is, DARIO MARIANELLI goes
further. "Elegy for Dunkirk"
(track 10) offers another example of some clever composition. The piece is
set to one of the most memorable shots of the film (truthfully in all of
film in 2007) as what appears to be a single shot that must last over two
minutes, we pan by a group of British soldiers singing together as we also
see humanity breaking down before our eyes. Those very voices are worked
directly into the score, fading in and out again, as the shot continues on
by the choir. Their inclusion helps make track 10 a stunning piece
to indulge.
Following the palette of his breakout score for 2005's PRIDE AND PREJUDICE
(which also featured the stellar piano performance of Jean-Yves Thibaudet),
ATONEMENT also spotlights the piano and includes the lullaby-like strings
and woodwinds also found therein. ATONEMENT; however, is it's darker, more tragic
cousin. Both are exceptional works, but ATONEMENT has greater
depth and has to be considered among the composer's very best.
Ultimately, ATONEMENT is lushly sad, but oh so satisfying effort.
Hearing the score and its real-world elements within the context of
the film is a not-to-be-missed-experience. After such an experience
subsequent listens to the Marianelli's score is even more tantalizing. For
those who have not seen the film, the soundtrack will still deliver 50 minutes
of pleasurable music. Although I have had the UK version of the soundtrack
for many weeks, finally viewing the film gave me the chance to appreciate
this score to much higher degree. ATONEMENT was well worth the wait
and certainly earns all of the praise and award nominations being heaped
upon it.
Rating: 9/10
ATONEMENT wins 2007 Academy Award for Best Musical
Score.
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Track |
Track Title |
Track Time |
Rating |
|
1 |
Briony |
1:45 |
**** |
|
2 |
Robbie's
Note |
3:06 |
**** |
|
3 |
Two
Figures
by a
Fountain |
1:16 |
**** |
|
4 |
Cee,
You
and
Tea |
2:27 |
**** |
|
5 |
With
My
Own
Eyes |
4:41 |
*** |
| 6 |
Farewell |
3:32 |
**** |
| 7 |
Love Letters |
3:12 |
**** |
| 8 |
The Half Killed |
2:11 |
***** |
| 9 |
Rescue Me |
3:20 |
*** |
| 10 |
Elegy for Dunkirk |
4:15 |
***** |
| 11 |
Come Back |
4:28 |
***** |
| 12 |
Denouement |
2:29 |
**** |
| 13 |
The Cottage on the Beach |
3:25 |
**** |
| 14 |
Atonement |
5:23 |
**** |
| 15 |
Clair De Lune (Debussy) |
5:41 |
**** |
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Total Running Time (approx) |
50 minutes |
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