November 12, 2012

  • Review: Thomas Newman Does Bond--Skyfall

    2012 marks the 50th anniversary of James Bond in cinema—a remarkable achievement that may only be paralleled in another iconic British character creation, Dr. Who.  The third film with Daniel Craig in many ways feels like a transition as well as an homage to the legacy of the Bond films.  The title song from Adele, is likely to be placed in the list of one of the best Bond songs.  In a move that has plagued previous score releases from Sony, the song is not included in the soundtrack album here at all, though the music is referenced. 

    Thomas Newman seems at first like an odd choice to score a Bond film.  His previous four collaborations with director Sam Mendes, beginning with 1999’s American Beauty, tend to be the stylistic earmarks of his compositional style.  But, as fans discovered with his score for The Good German, Newman is a versatile composer quite capable, and comfortable, working in more traditional musical styles.  He becomes the second American composer to try his hand at the series (the last being Michael Kamen in 1989’s License to Kill) In Skyfall, he does a very good approximation of blending Barry and Arnold’s musical sound for Bond in a score that feels as if it slowly moves musically backward to Barry’s style.  The score tends to mostly avoid using the Bond theme, and even in the film an arrangement by Arnold is credited for the moments in the film where it appears.

    A blasted hint of Barry’s Bond music opens “Grand Bazaar Istanbul.”  But soon we are right back to the electronics and drum machines oft overused in the Arnold scores of late.  The music even shifts into some ethnic suggestions.  In what is a rather exciting musical sequence, Newman manages to insert some of the screaming brass thematic material while moving through a number of action ideas.  Most interesting is that he tends to prefer acoustic instruments to incessant sequencing.  The track is oddly dialed down though.  The one thing that Newman does manage is a shift to a more traditional orchestral sound, especially as the score progresses.  The requisite nervous loops still appear but they tend to blend more into the fabric of the orchestra.

    There are many interesting sophisticated moments in this score.  One worth noting is the scoring for “Silhouette” with its blend of atmospheric sounds kicked off by a horn idea.  “Modigliani” may be one of the most interesting opening sections in the score with a very Barry-esque lyrical sound as it opens.  Newman does not play much though with specific sounds nor does he shift into minimalist territory.  He provides a fairly straightforward musical support that melds well with the images of the film.    The tracks at the center of the disc are those which come closest to inserting Newman’s musical style with somewhat interesting textures in “safe” musical sounds.  But the electric guitar ideas are certainly reminiscent of an approach he often uses.  “Close Shave” also features musical gestures more typical of the composer’s familiar musical style.  The action sequences are also some of the best Newman has ever written with “The Bloody Shot” being one of the finest of the lot.

    In Skyfall, we get a sense of a closure and a new beginning both in the narrative and in the musical score.  Overall, it is one of the better Bond scores since David Arnold’s first debut in the series.  Thomas Newman manages to stay faithful to the musical world of Bond while also providing some of his own personal stamps to the score.