JENNIFER 8

CHRISTOPHER YOUNG

Rating:

Original Review: Jennifer 8 is an entertaining little thriller directed by Bruce A. Robinson, which starred Andy Garcia as a police officer on the trail of a serial killer, whose next target seems likely to be a blind cellist played by Uma Thurman. Young's music approaches the film from two angles - to capture the innocence of the would-be murder victim, who experiences the world through darkness, and to musically depict the terror of her struggle for life at the hands of a ruthless murderer. The delicate, attractive 'Jennifer 8 Main Title' is one of those pieces which makes you feel physically cold - there is a somewhat unnerving beauty to the piano solo which dominates the theme, and the moody circular stringwork and gentle chorus which backs up the melody is typical of the genre, conveying as it does a combination of both quiet optimism and inevitable foreboding. Similarly, the final cue, 'I Remember Red', has a feeling of finality, as though all the frights and shocks have now been overcome, and you can breathe a sigh of relief and enjoy the beautiful music as it swells around you. As one of the main characters is a classical cello player, it is inevitable that it will have a prominent role during the score. Young does not disappoint, and the instrument's lonely, despairing sound make cues such as 'Retrograde', 'Cello for Helena' and 'Still Life' some of the most memorable tracks on the album. However, fans of Young's more avant-garde works will be slightly disappointed, as there is little evidence of the familiar inventive dissonance and unique orchestrations which tend to dominate his more atonal scores. With the exception of the chaotic 'Talking Elevator', Young's action and suspense cues here are much less frantic and disturbing than usual, but this does not mean to say that they are ineffective. On the contrary, cues such as 'Eighth to Nine', 'Eye to Eye', 'Brain Vanish' and 'Black Winter' are perfectly judged - all in keeping with the sombre and downbeat nature of the score, but just lively enough to drive along the action nicely. The majority of the rest of the score is predominantly downbeat but generally agreeable "filler music", utilising pianos and hushed, plaintive violins throughout. Occasionally, Young will throw an unexpected orchestration into the proceedings to keep it all interesting, like the tolling bells in 'Brain Vanish', the surprisingly forceful synths in 'Black Winter', and the strangely playful and bizarre humming effect in the aptly named 'Humming Chorus', which is one of the most inspired uses of a choir I have come across for a while. In addition, there is a superb performance of the traditional Christmas carol "Silent Night" sung with its original German lyrics in the lovely 'Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht'. I have to concede that this is not the most inspired work Chris Young has ever written, but it is certainly one of his most approachable and accessible, and is much more likely to appeal to a wider audience than The Vagrant or Invaders from Mars ever would. The score is popular with many directors for temp-track purposes, and Young himself has said that this score has secured subsequent scoring jobs for him because the director was a fan (Jon Amiel and Copycat, a score which resembles this one, is an example). As a fan of non-dissonant scores, I personally think this score is one of Young's best and, as an example of top-class thriller music, you could do much worse than Jennifer 8. For the discerning collector there is much to admire and enjoy here.

Track Listing: Running Time: 42 minutes 42 seconds

Milan 74321-66120-2 (1992)

Music composed by Christopher Young. Conducted by William Ross. Performed by The Skywalker Symphony Orchestra. Orchestrations by Pete Anthony and Christopher Young. Album produced by Christopher Young.


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These web pages were designed and maintained by Jonathan Broxton copyright 1999. 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.