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Nowadays, when the movie
scores are filled with the most outlandish modern sounds, listening to an
entirely orchestral score it is almost like partying. Few are the composers
who have the chance to use the talents of the phenomenal London Symphony
Orchestra, and Trevor Jones shows us, once
again, that he knows how to do it.
The
League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
(2003) follows the adventures of an eccentric group, formed by some of the
most famous characters from universal Literature: The Invisible Man, Captain
Nemo, Mina Harker (from Bram Stoker’s Dracula), Dorian Gray, Tom Sawyer,
Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde and the adventurer Allan Quatermain, the same one who
discovered the fantastic King Solomon’s mines, played here by Sean
Connery.
Although the film has impressive designs and visual effects, the narrative
seems to be barely effective and indeed confused. Therefore Trevor Jones’
original music, that accompanies the incredible situations, starts with a
very dramatic main theme. This theme, first heard in "Dawn of New
Century", contrary to which we could expect for this kind of adventure
film, is extremely dark.
The score develops in tracks like "The Game is On" and
"Treachery" where horns, strings and woods sound united in a true
roar of orchestral sound. "Mina Harker’s Secret" is more
introspective, where flute and strings - always in smaller scale -
predominate within the dark loudness. "Capturing Mr. Hyde" is
another melody where the marked bass notes reign, like in most part of the
album.
It seems that the most interesting tracks are "Nautilus - Sword of the
Ocean", thanks to its more heroic and epic style; and "Storming
the Fortress", since its primarily rhythmical structure turns it into
an exciting, although exaggerated action piece. This CD, a German import
limited edition, ends with an African song called "Son of Africa"
that symbolizes Quatermain’s love for that continent. The song is by
Trevor Jones too, and Ladysmith Black Mambaso performs it.
As an additional piece of information, we can indicate that the The
League
of Extraordinary Gentlemen´s script is based on a comic book created by
the English artist Alan Moore (one of the most prestigious in his field),
who among many other things has drawn Batman:
The Killing Joke and From Hell.
The last one was adapted for the screen in the film From Hell (2001). Peculiarly, the composer from both film scores is
Trevor Jones. Or perhaps not so peculiarly, since Trevor Jones has become a
kind of an expert in writing music for this kind of dark movies, like his
well known works for Dark City, Hideaway and
the already mentioned From Hell.
If there is something that unites the The
League
of Extraordinary Gentlemen to those scores, it is their similar musical
structure. The music on the screen is constant and present in all the
scenes. This creates a strange trembling sensation, like a "sound
wall" that produces in the viewer an effect of oppression and
confinement to the story. An ingenious effect, but in the end it can become
tiresome. |
