September 3, 2008

  • Review: The Duchess (Portman)

    The Duchess is a new UK import adapted from the biographical book Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire by Amanda Foreman.  The film features performances by Keira Knightley in the title role and Ralph Fiennes as the Duke of Devonshire.  The film will receive a limited engagement here mid-September.  Rachel Portman has been relatively absent from American film scoring, though she did provide music for the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 earlier this year.  The Duchess finds her returning to scoring of a period drama set in 18th century England. 

    From the opening gentle ostinati of the title track we are on fairly familiar Portman territory, a sound that simply presents its thematic ideas.  A more romantically-scored segment follows in “Mistake of Your Life” and swelling dramatic string writing continues throughout as the rest of the score progresses with what might be best described as a darker version of Shakespeare in Love (Warbeck’s Oscar winning score).  This is a well-scored and rich dramatic orchestral tapestry that unfolds over the course of the meager playing time.  Often the smallest of gestures get repeated while darker harmonic colors swirl around them.  It is not often that such a mostly string-driven score appears that it does seem fresh from standard Hollywood fare, though there is nothing truly different from other Portman scores apparent in most of what you will hear in The Duchess.  

    The 18th Century is only made audible through source pieces (only two of which are included here).  Portman’s score is intended to try and bridge the distance between that time and our own and one will have to view the film to see if that has been achieved.  This is otherwise a nice, though not remarkable, score refreshing because it does not have all the synth committee writing that plagues even films like this one these days.  How different is it?  Listen to how Portman chooses to score the track “Rape” without all the low bass drumming and ambient sounds that might otherwise go with this sort of scene regardless of the period.  In the second half of the score, the music includes a beautiful violin solo with deeply felt lyrical lines that moves into a fuller string orchestral sound (“Bess’ Sons”).  These swaths of the main theme help hold the score together as the pathos unfolds dramatically.  There are some beautiful harmonic results along the way that make this a more engaging experience than one might otherwise expect.  “Six Years Later” is a delightful faux period waltz with interesting harmonic choices along the way.  It is in the reflective style where Portman is able to suggest emotional content subtly and which displays why she is one of film’s great composers.

    The disc is filled out with re-arrangements (which makes little sense ) of Beethoven and Haydn that cut the score into three sections.  Though at 42 minutes there was perhaps more opportunity for additional classical selections if not more score.  Portman fans will welcome a chance to hear a new score by this under-used composer and will appreciate the many semi-minimalist sounds that are a hallmark of her style.  The second half of the release features some of the stronger moments of the score and there is a nice “End Titles” track to rap things up