Harrison's Flowers
Cliff Eidelman
" Beautiful music has a tendency to sound alike rather quickly "Written by Thomas Glorieux - Review of the regular release
Harrison's Flowers goes about a Newsweek journalist who disappears during the Croatian war of Independence in Yugoslavia. Presumed dead, his wife goes to search for him, only to discover the horror of war when she arrives in Vukovar, the city that her husband was last seen in. Starring a promising cast of actors, including Andie MacDowell, Elias Koteas, Brendan Gleeson, Adrian Brody and David Strathairn, this European production received 2 initial scores. One for Europe, which was composed by Bruno Coulais, and one for the USA version which was composed by Cliff Eidelman. And what you get of Eidelman is one long line of restrained dramatic melodies that have a rapid tendency to sound all alike after a while.
Honestly, if it wasn't for an occasional dramatic piano, I could have been lost for some time during the first part. The music's pretty lovely if you digest each specific track, but putting them all together without a recognizable theme at the center is asking for problems. I'm sure it works wonders in the film, but on disc, even 30 minutes can't salvage what is basically a background experience, one that will pass by rather unnoticed in the begin. The first track that started to re-grab my attention was the dramatic potency of "A Dangerous Decision", somewhat linking itself to the heartfelt somber emotion of Free Willy 3, followed closely by "Real War".
Luckily, it all gets better from that specific moment. The music is still meandering along in the deep pool of soft strings and occasional piano melodies, but somehow those melodies have a tendency to grab your attention just a little longer. This is such a score that's perfect for background listening, but I honestly don't know if you'll pick up much from it if your focus isn't on the music. Some will I guess, some will just realize one moment it has stopped playing. For a movie this will do perfectly, for a score this can have consequences. And I honestly believe that for some this will not be enough. Harrison's Flowers is beautiful yes, but pretty much the same as well. Luckily the second part saved it from oblivion.
Favorite Moment
Considering it's all meshed into one big blur, nothing truly stood out
Track Listing
1. Harrison's Flowers (1.34)
2. Lover's Play (2.11)
3. A Lover's Promise (1.27)
4. The Bosnian War (2.24)
5. The Pulitzer (0.56)
6. Lighting the Flame (1.45)
7. Pulled Away (1.05)
8. Don't Say It (2.05)
9. A Dangerous Decision (2.54)
10. Real War (3.57)
11. A Site of Evil (1.52)
12. Courageous Desperation (1.22)
13. Sarah and Harrison Alive (5.29)
14. Awakened (2.19)
15. I Only Photograph Flowers (4.56)
Total Length: 36.16
Honestly, if it wasn't for an occasional dramatic piano, I could have been lost for some time during the first part. The music's pretty lovely if you digest each specific track, but putting them all together without a recognizable theme at the center is asking for problems. I'm sure it works wonders in the film, but on disc, even 30 minutes can't salvage what is basically a background experience, one that will pass by rather unnoticed in the begin. The first track that started to re-grab my attention was the dramatic potency of "A Dangerous Decision", somewhat linking itself to the heartfelt somber emotion of Free Willy 3, followed closely by "Real War".
Luckily, it all gets better from that specific moment. The music is still meandering along in the deep pool of soft strings and occasional piano melodies, but somehow those melodies have a tendency to grab your attention just a little longer. This is such a score that's perfect for background listening, but I honestly don't know if you'll pick up much from it if your focus isn't on the music. Some will I guess, some will just realize one moment it has stopped playing. For a movie this will do perfectly, for a score this can have consequences. And I honestly believe that for some this will not be enough. Harrison's Flowers is beautiful yes, but pretty much the same as well. Luckily the second part saved it from oblivion.
Favorite Moment
Considering it's all meshed into one big blur, nothing truly stood out
Track Listing
1. Harrison's Flowers (1.34)
2. Lover's Play (2.11)
3. A Lover's Promise (1.27)
4. The Bosnian War (2.24)
5. The Pulitzer (0.56)
6. Lighting the Flame (1.45)
7. Pulled Away (1.05)
8. Don't Say It (2.05)
9. A Dangerous Decision (2.54)
10. Real War (3.57)
11. A Site of Evil (1.52)
12. Courageous Desperation (1.22)
13. Sarah and Harrison Alive (5.29)
14. Awakened (2.19)
15. I Only Photograph Flowers (4.56)
Total Length: 36.16