October 10, 2014

  • Wiedmann Takes to the Field

    Field of Lost Shoes is a unique Civil War drama set in the Shenandoah Valley prior to the Battle of New Market, May 1864.  A young group of Virginia cadets, in Sean McNamara’s new film, must now face what war is really all about and what is truly worth fighting for.  Though more known for his work in horror and animated series, the film allows Frederik Wiedmann a chance to utilize his skills in an epic period war drama.

     

    The “Main Title” sets up a semi-heroic melody with vocalized chorus, martial rhythms and nice trumpet line in a good Americana style.  This will recur in the score (“I Will Fight For My Family”, “Thoughts on War”) to good effect.  Some slight electronic ambience is integrated into the orchestral texture.  Darker sinuous material provides a glimpse of the struggle (“The Issue of Slavery”) with long swath’s of string writing cast against the opening thematic material.  Folklike material also appears for an “updated” period contrast lending a “country” feel (“Young John Wise”).  The music will be integrated into the fuller orchestral thematic presentations as well (“The Initiation of a Rat”, whose cimbalom use will have some recall Zimmer’s Sherlock Holmes approach; while the orchestral writing of “New Market Heights”, “Send the Boys In”, and “Storming the Hill” feels equally from another film).  Other ethnic instrumental colors of Eastern/Asian origin appear to offer an almost mysterious depth to the score at times (“Old Men Make the Promises”).  The sense of bleakness for the decisions needing to be made is balanced with the heroic material though sometimes tracks like “The Recruited” have an edge that feels a bit too “modern” and out of place for the narrative here, though Wiedmann’s thematic use does help hold the score together very well guiding the listener along emotionally (nicely done in the final bars of “Storming the Hill”).  For some contrast, there is a love theme that appears in “Love at First Sight” in a touching, somewhat modern orchestral style.  This latter approach can be heard alongside more period-like shifts in the transition that occurs in “Young Cadets Marching”.  The longer sequences do allow Wiedmann to demonstrate his shaping of dramatic narrative and tension which is something often missing in the other genre work he has done in the past.

     

    The music of Field of Lost Shoes is at times a cross between Glory and Lincoln in its musical sound world when it comes to the heroic material.  Other underscore moments tend to shift to a more modern orchestral approach utilizing unique non-traditional instruments alongside more period-specific sounds.  The score thus attempts to bridge the historical gap to contemporize the story for a modern audience.  Sometimes cues feel as if they might fit a modern war film better.  This may not be to everyone’s taste, but there is no denying that this is a significant score in Wiedmann’s catalogue.