PLEASANTVILLE

RANDY NEWMAN

Rating:

Original Review: A charming, beautifully-shot and intelligent fantasy, Pleasantville was one of the sleeper hits of 1998 at the US cinema. Written and directed by Gary Ross (who also wrote the classic Tom Hanks movie Big), Pleasantville is set in a fictional 1950s TV sitcom where typical wholesome American values are the norm. There's the Norman Rockwell nuclear family of mom, dad and 2.5 children. There's no crime and no pollution. The sun always shines and everyone is superficially happy. But the inhabitants of Pleasantville are stifled as well: there's no imagination, no creativity, no passion and no love in their lives. And there's definitely no sex. When two very 1990s teenagers, Tobey Maguire and Reece Witherspoon, are magically transported into this seemingly idyllic world, they awaken dormant dreams, desires and feelings in the stagnant community, literally bringing a new colour into their lives.

Randy Newman's original score is another one of 1998s best. Although terribly short at a minute over half an hour, the music still manages to weave its magical web, and prominently features romantic strings, muted brasses and playful woodwind solos across a broad and lush orchestral canvas. Several moments alone make the score a worthwhile listen. 'Real Rain', which underscores the moment when the townsfolk experience rainfall for the first time, is infused with a true sense of wonder and delight; 'In The Bath' reaches a beautiful (and appropriate) orgasmic climax as the impossibly naïve suburban mom Joan Allen discovers the virtues of *ahem* self-pleasure; 'Mural', while bearing a noticeably close resemblance to Danny Elfman's Edward Scissorhands, still manages to be create a magical atmosphere; and 'A New Day', the longest cue on the album at a touch under five minutes, brings the brasses and pianos fully into the fore, performing a wonderful piece of nostalgic Americana that stirs the soul.

At the other end of the spectrum, 'Bud's A Hero' and 'Together' are mock military-style marches with a pompousness and self-importance that succeeds in almost making you laugh out loud, while there are some more serious and dramatic tones in 'Punch' and 'Burning the Books', which is the closest the score gets to having an action cue. Similarly, 'The Pleasantville Theme' and 'Let's Go Bowling' are intentionally all-American apple pie corny, with latter especially notable for it's cute la-la-la choral element under the bouncy theme. On the whole, though, Pleasantville is all about life and magic, and this score has both in abundance. Newman is a past master of this kind of music; beautiful, simple, easy to listen to, but emotionally appropriate in the context of the film. Quantity-wise, he may not write as many film scores as some of the other Hollywood composers but, in terms of quality, he's up there with the best of them all.

Track Listing: Running Time: 31 minutes 08 seconds

Varèse Sarabande VSD-5988 (1998)

Music composed and conducted by Randy Newman. Orchestrations by Don Davis and Randy Newman. Recorded and mixed by Dennis Sands. Edited by Bruno Coon. Mastered by Doug Sax. Album produced by Randy Newman and Bruno Coon.


Home Page | Reviews A-M | Reviews N-Z | Composers | Links

Movie Music U.K is designed and maintained by Jonathan Broxton (c) 1999. All opinions and views expressed on these pages are my own and are in no way intended to reflect those the University of Sheffield. All photos and album artwork used on Movie Music U.K. are only for the non-profit making promotional purposes and no copyright infringement is intended.