MRS. DOUBTFIRE

HOWARD SHORE

Rating:

Original Review: Think of the music of Howard Shore, and one automatically thinks of the disturbing and dissonant melodies of Silence of the Lambs, The Fly, Videodrome and, most recently, the controversial Crash. It comes as something of a surprise, therefore, to listen to Mrs. Doubtfire and realise that this is the same composer. It's a sweet, light, breezy, altogether heart-warming comedy score, the main theme of which - Mrs. Doubtfire - is full of playful flutes, lush strings and a tinkling piano giving an overarching feeling of warmth and whimsy. The other highlights are 'Divorce', which is still quite nice, but has a slight twinge of melancholy to underscore the scene where Daniel and Miranda decide to separate; the wonderfully comic xylophone march first heard in 'Meeting Mrs. Doubtfire' and which is played whenever Daniel/Mrs. Doubtfire are in danger of being almost discovered. 'Tea Time with Mrs. Sellner' is also a great performance of this march, increasing in speed and getting more and more anxious as Daniel continually has to do a quick change act to keep the stoic employment officer happy. My favourite cue on the entire album, however, is 'Dinner is Served' - the music suddenly drops an octave here and takes on an almost magical quality, embellished by chimes and a harp. 'Cable Cars continues the mode of self-reflection and a little sadness, with the main theme being played by slow oboes, but the music rises again for a grandstand finish in 'Bridges Restaurant' and 'The Show's Over', the hilarious climax of the film and one of my favourite comedy set pieces for quite a while - again, the amusing and rapid march is very much in evidence. You can imagine 'Bridges Restaurant' being an appropriate underscore for a Tom and Jerry cartoon, or some other Looney Tunes adventure. It's a great piece of atmospheric writing to create a mood of joviality and, when the music suddenly rises to accompany the scene where Robin Williams is performing the Heimlich Manoeuvre on Pierce Brosnan, I find myself breaking out into an uncontrollable grin. The final cue, 'The Kids Need You' is where Shore really pours on the syrup, presenting a glorious full-orchestra rendition of the main theme. As a little footnote to the score, there is also a track of Robin Williams singing the chorus of The Marriage of Figaro, followed by a cut of James Brown's Papa's Got A Brand New Bag. Although Mrs. Doubtfire is essentially a single themed score, and is hardly a world-shaker, it is certainly an attractive 45-minutes listening. I think I'll go and get shome adheshive for my teesh now. Hot jambalaya!

Track Listing: Running Time: 41 minutes 07 seconds

Fox Records 07822-11015-4 (1993)

Music composed, conducted and orchestrated by Howard Shore. Recorded and mixed by Dan Wallin. Edited by Ellen Segal. Mastered by Ted Jensen. Album produced by Howard Shore.


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These web pages were designed and maintained by Jonathan Broxton copyright 1998. All opinions and views expressed on these pages are my own and are in no way intended to reflect those of my employer, the Trent Institute for Health Services Research, or those of the University of Sheffield.