May 7, 2014

  • Arnold's "Stepford Wives" Receives New Release

    Frank Oz’s The Stepford Wives (2004) was an attempt to update the Ira Levin’s book to modern times.  The earlier 1975 film managed to attempt a commentary on the feminist movement and three decades later some of this may have been lost on modern audiences.  So, enter a host of stars that included Glenn Close, Nicole Kidman, Bette Midler, Matthew Broderick, and Christopher Walken.  The film was not a complete failure, though last minute edits sent a signal of trouble that critics used to question the final film.  David Arnold’s score needed to be redone at the last minute as a result of some of these changes.  Arnold may have seemed like an odd choice to score a comedy thriller and it was his first feature in this genre, though other comedy projects would be on the horizon (he had been providing music for the Little Britain television series since 2003).  The result here is a wonderfully engaging score in this new limited edition release from La-La Land Records.

    The “Opening Titles” present a light waltz, beginning with a more classical orchestral style, which has an Elfman-esque feel complete with breathy choral punctuations.  This waltz theme will become an important element in the score as it is sent through variations in often delightful orchestrations in addition to receiving its own track (“Midsummer Waltz”).  But there are also some moments of minor drama as unusual sounds appear in “Getting Fired” and the music takes on a momentary ominous tone.  Some of this more serious music will recur to emphasize the oddness of Stepford often with dark men’s vocalises and a wind-machine-like rush through the music.  “Heart to Heart” allows for a brief pause of romance and beauty that is quite touching.  Comedic touches necessarily abound and one can hear some Mickey-mousing with pizzicato strings often the medium to communicate the sort of goofy sneaking around.  Flourishes of romantic “perfection” have an almost Disney-esque quality with its use of celesta and harps to create this false sense of perfection.  And one wonders if the vocal ideas are meant to lend a sense of a 1950s/1960s style.  In tracks like “Cupcakes/Daves Car” or the following “Pre-Sneak/Sneaking Around” one can hear all these shifts in tone handled quite well in short periods of time.  Additional unusual sound effects are also part of the sound picture here lending an appropriately eerie quality to the music as the film progresses (“To Bobbie’s”; “Where Are My Children?”).  “Claire’s Speech” is another of the standout tracks with a darker intense female choral idea and thematic use that provides good narrative support in its emotional thrust.  The score even has a good end credits suite.

    As is customary, La-La Land provides great sound, engaging booklet notes, and a host of bonuses.  The score itself runs some 43 minutes, but there are an additional 10 tracks.  These feature some source cues, and some alternate tracks.  Early versions and demos for the “Midsummer Waltz” that runs through the score allow listeners to hear how this evolved as well.  The Stepford Wives is a little bit of a surprise from Arnold scoring in a somewhat off-kilter comedy.  The waltz theme is certainly one of his most gorgeous melodies.  Some may find the score to be very similar to Elfman’s quirky comedy scoring in scores like Mars Attacks and which Arnold would adapt in Paul.  It turns out to be a welcome addition to Arnold’s discography.