ven die-hard movie buffs often don't realize just how much
behind-the-scenes maneuvering takes place on the typical big-budget film. A
few well-known magazines might report on the latest productions featuring the
hottest Hollywood stars, or perhaps the happenings at industry shindigs like
Cannes or the Sundance Film Festival. But the real nitty-gritty negotiations
generally occur outside the media spotlight.
Such decisions occasionally impact the music of a motion picture, and one
project where marketing and studio politics had a profound effect was the
soundtrack for Nineteen Eighty-Four. On that feature, a score was
written by composer Dominic Muldowney but largely replaced--over the
objections of director Michael Radford--with cuts created by the pop group
Eurythmics. Now, 15 years after the film's debut, a newly issued 24-tune CD
presents a rare opportunity for fans to finally hear the melodies originally
commissioned for the movie.
While cues such as "The Washerwoman's Song'" and "The Hiking Song" include
lyrics, many of the tracks are instrumental, designed to either harmonically
enforce the totalitarian environment of author George Orwell's fearful
futuristic setting or, conversely, embellish the conflictive emotions of
protagonist Winston Smith. The liner notes offer extensive background
information on Muldowney's involvement in the project, along with a brief
commentary from Radford, and various photographs and pre-production
sketches.
Big Brother is listening
It's not completely unheard of for a composer to generate music for a
motion picture and then, for a number of reasons, find his or her work
rejected. However, it is rather unusual for an accepted soundtrack to be
significantly altered without the director's consent. While the Eurythmics'
contributions were not wholly inappropriate for Nineteen Eighty-Four,
with this CD fans can now hear how Muldowney's discarded themes
complemented Radford's dark, suitably dystopian vision.
The militaristic anthem "Oceania, 'Tis for Thee" functions as a recurring
motif, and through various interpretations serves to emphasize the
government's insidious, all-powerful control. Other cues, such as the moving
"Winston and Julia" or the haunting "A Room Upstairs at Charrington's," are
also impressive, providing melodic insight into both the confused Smith and
the hardscrabble yet emotionally vibrant lives of those individuals who are
not members of the ruling party.
The collection can at times sound disjointed, with occasionally jarring
horn flourishes and a few cues that are a bit too brief to be either
effectual or meaningful. Yet overall, the tunes, as performed by The Endymion
Ensemble and The London Voices, are engaging and worthwhile. It may have
taken a decade and a half to surface, but the original Nineteen
Eighty-Four score remains an illuminating and entertaining musical
curiosity.
