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“The marriage of the
film's visuals and score may not be a match made in Westminster
Abbey, but spinning in your CD player, ELIZABETH: THE GOLDEN AGE
should reign for sometime”
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Hollywood + Bollywood?
By Golly wood!
Review by Christopher Coleman
One of 1998's surprise hits
was director Shekhar Kapur's ELIZABETH. The visually pleasing film with
solid acting performances by Cate Blanchett and Geoffrey Rush help to earn
the film 7 Oscar nominations. Even composer David Hirschfelder's score
was nominated for an Oscar, but ultimately lost to Nicola Piovani's LIFE
IS BEAUTIFUL. Fast forward some ten years and part-two of the rumored
trilogy, ELIZABETH: THE GOLDEN AGE brings back Kapur, Blanchett, and
Rush...but this time with composers CRAIG ARMSTRONG and A.R. RAHMAN.
While ELIZABETH was met
with both critical and popular acclaim, the second part has not faired as
well. Much of the criticism lies within the art of the story falling prey
to the art of editing suite and the costume and set department. Of course
with the great technological strides made since 1998, the visual appeal of
ELIZABETH: THE GOLDEN AGE could be argued as being even greater than it's
predecessor. Ah...but a good film digital tricks doth not make, eh
George?
Although his website
dubbs him "Australia's Leading Film Composer" David Hirschfelder hasn't
been attached to a major film since ELIZABETH, which begs the question as
to what happened to such this promising composer of the late 90s.
Reportedly, director Kapur's original impulse was to go for a dark,
brooding type of score as ELIZABETH had, but later changed his mind
wanting the film to be a bit more diverse. This choice inevitably
effected the type of score the film would have to have. THE GOLDEN AGE
ended up a modernized film demanding a modern-edged-score. For it to
be handled by Armstrong and Rahman seems fitting.
Actually, an even more
intriguing than the absense of Hirschfelder was the coupling of CRAIG
ARMSTRONG with A. R. RAHMAN. While either one would likely have been able
to do an ample job for the film on their own, Kapur chose to bring on two
composers with vastly different backgrounds. How the two and their styles
would mesh would be a signficant question to address. Since the
mid-nineties, composer Craig Armstrong has become fairly well-known with
film scores for projects such as: PLUNKETT & MACLEANE, THE BONE
COLLECTOR, MOULIN ROUGE!, THE QUIET AMERICAN, and WORLD TRADE CENTER.
A.R. RAHMAN is less known in the west, but is a mega-star in India and
other parts of Asia. While he may be better known for his work in other
music genres, Rahman started to make a name for himself with his score
for the Chinese film, WARRIORS OF HEAVEN AND EARTH (2004). Going far
beyond his Indy roots, Rahman proved in WARRIORS that he could manage a
highly textured, fully orchestral score. ELIZABETH: THE GOLDEN AGE became
an unlikely melting pot of the two talented composers vat of style and
technique.
This collaboration ends
up working. The confluence of Armstrong and Rahman's music forms a river
of highly entertaining music. Unless you are well versed in each
composer's body of work, you might find it difficult to tell where
Armstrong ends and Rahman begins. That said, there are moments where it
is clearly Armstrong or clearly Rahman. Tracks like "Immensities" (5),
"Smile Lines" (11), and "Love Theme" (16) are strong cousins to the
understated beauty from WORLD TRADE CENTER. Likewise, A. R. RAHMAN's
signature middle-eastern vibe comes to the forefront in "Divinity Theme"
(17). Despite having two composers, the score maintains a single
personality.
ELIZABETH: THE GOLDEN
AGE is an monarch or two beyond what DAVID HIRSCHFELDER established some
ten years ago in ELIZABETH. Instead of a dark, periodish score, this time
around director Shekhar Kapur chose to contemporize things utilizing the
considerable talents of two composers. The film may not find itself
called out as often on Oscar Night this time; however, it certainly
wouldn't be far-fetched to hear A.R. Rahman and Craig Armstrong's names
among the nominees. Their collaborative work here is a detailed and
textured score that is surprisingly contemporary. It flows from thematic
heights to simplified romance to pulsating battle-action. The marriage of
the film's visuals and score may not be a match made in Westminster Abbey,
but spinning in your CD player, ELIZABETH: THE GOLDEN AGE should reign for
sometime.
Rating: 7/10
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Track |
Track Title |
Track Time |
Rating |
|
1 |
Opening |
1:31 |
***** |
|
2 |
Philip |
1:51 |
*** |
|
3 |
Now You
Grow
Dull |
0:57 |
*** |
|
4 |
Horseriding |
1:38 |
*** |
|
5 |
Immensities |
2:41 |
**** |
| 6 |
Bess and Raleigh Dance |
2:34 |
*** |
| 7 |
Mary's Beheading |
3:22 |
*** |
| 8 |
End Puddle/ Possible Suitors |
2:06 |
**** |
| 9 |
War/ Realisation |
2:57 |
*** |
| 10 |
Destiny Theme |
2:31 |
**** |
| 11 |
Smile Lines |
1:15 |
**** |
| 12 |
Bess to see Throckmorton |
1:03 |
*** |
| 13 |
Dr. Dee Part 1 |
3:18 |
*** |
| 14 |
Horseback Address |
2:26 |
**** |
| 15 |
Battle |
3:29 |
*** |
| 16 |
Love Theme |
2:51 |
**** |
| 17 |
Divinity Theme |
5:08 |
**** |
| 18 |
Storm |
3:00 |
***** |
| 19 |
Walsinghame Death Bed |
1:51 |
*** |
| 20 |
Closing |
2:01 |
**** |
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Total Running Time (approx) |
48 minutes |
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