Description

The reputation of Thomas Newman for creating scores of epic locality is very high. His touch for capturing the essence of a setting is his strongest talent. He engages this touch in many of his recent scores, and The Green Mile is yet another example of such talent at work. With an impressive array of local percussion representing the southern part of the United States, there are many elements in this score that could remind the listener of Fried Green Tomatoes. It is the use of these unique solos that provides an allure for this album.The film has been criticized for trying too hard. But if youmore…'re comparing Newman's score for The Green Mile with his related score for The Shawshank Redemption, then one might deduce the Newman was not trying hard enough this time. With the mass of percussion and use of genre songs, Newman does his expected superb job of capturing the area of the film's setting once again. But beyond these elements, the score for The Green Mile lacks that which elevated Fried Green Tomatoes: spirit. There simply is no identifiable musical soul for either of the film's main characters. Perhaps Newman's non-thematic writing style contributes to the absence of personality in this music. Perhaps the missing link appears because the album is too long without any coherent center to hold the music in place. Like the score in its entirety, the final title track simply slows to a halt... without theme or announcement, fading into nothingness.In the end, the lack of genuine spirit leaves the score as merely an average listening experience. When an excellent composer produces highly functional, yet ultimately uninteresting music, I begin to wonder why such a thing would happen... especially for a dramatic powerhouse of a film like The Green Mile. With The Shawshank Redemption, Newman provided a sense of awe... a wondrous orchestral delight. There is nothing awe-inspiring about The Green Mile, however, for it simply plays at its meandering and unsure pace for the entire 75 minutes of the album. Like any score, though, there are individual tracks that stand out; specifically, the two gruesome tracks 3 and 15, which could catch anyone's attention, and the cute mouse theme that debuts in track 4. But are these really captivating cues? Or are they simply noisy interludes surrounded by soft string wanderings? The songs on the album are a difficult experience, and for me, an immediate skip. The album on the whole is a pleasant background listen, but don't purchase it expecting a grand release.

Tracks

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Info:

Category:

Music > Soundtracks

Case Type:

CD

Release Type:

Retail

Comments:

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Cover Info:

Title:

Thomas Newman - The Green Mile Ost (2000) Retail CD

Part:

Front

Dimensions:

762 x 756 px

Size:

150 KB

Downloads:

107 (0 today)

Uploaded:

Report a Problem Wrong Cover Duplicate Image Bad Quality Wrong Info

06/03/08 by Sarge!

Quality Rating:

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