December 2, 2011

  • Review: Puss in Boots (Jackman)

    Having taken Shrek and Fiona’s story through several films, Dreamworks now shifts to one of the colorful accompanying characters, Puss in Boots.  The film follows the cat in his thinner more adventurous days, a feline Zorro of sorts, in this new animated film.  Henry Jackman, who seems to continue to get these essentially hopeful, but often B-list, films (a superb exception being last summer’s X-Men First Class), provides a rather colorful score continuing the thread of Spanish-flavored music associated with the main character, voiced by Antonio Banderas.  The blend of Spanish impressionist music with Latin-flavored rhythms and popular folk music works rather well. 

    From the outset of “A Bad Kitty,” the score launches into a mix of Spanish flamenco, big orchestral gestures reminiscent of de Falla, and the modern Hollywood Horner-like Zorro scores.  But one of Jackman’s great abilities is the way he is able to shift through these musical references (even a little Morricone in “One Leche”) so quickly in a way that still makes dramatic sense.  The score is not above throwing in more unusual musical combinations (a la Thomas Newman) for brief moments either.  The connective thematic material that drifts through the music does allow Jackman to surround it with plenty of fine musical support and orchestral color in swashbuckling sounds that are not afraid to shift into island rhythms either if it works.  There are plenty of Mickey-mousing moments to experience as well.  The most interesting is “Humpty Dumpty and Kitty Softpawas” where a tango underlies the music accompanying the screen action.  Humor is placed aside to follow the darker and emotionally charged music for “The Orphanage” where Jackman inserts motivic ideas of his themes which, like the character, will more fully fill out.  A couple of longer sequences allow listeners to see how Jackman maintains thematic development and supports on-screen musical action over larger amounts of time.  It is interesting that the action sequences do often tend to shift back into more Zimmer-like moments even when Latin percussion instruments might have been used there as they are elsewhere in the score.  But there is no mistaking the sound of the music which instantly says to its audience, “This is exciting!”  Unlike so many recent score releases, this presentation actually feels like it has some shape with a fine touching conclusion in “The Giant’s Castle” wrapping things up nicely. 

    The delightful orchestration in this score will continue though to be its shining point for many film music fans.  The music moves through each adventure providing appropriately darker colors and including a few nods to more contemporary Hollywood style for some of these climaxes.  But for the most part, Jackman seems poised to join the path of Giacchino (with hints of Elfman) for his approach to the scoring of this animated film.

    The disc also features two performances by the amazing Mexican guitar duo of Rodrigo y Gabriela which may find some heading off to hear more of these artists.  Puss in Boots is another well-crafted score with wonderful color recalling days when many film scores like it were the norm.