The Holiday
Hans Zimmer
" Every time Hans' on a holiday, he composes sweets instead of anthems "Written by Thomas Glorieux - Review of the regular release
Once a year, Hans Zimmer goes to romantic dreamland to bring us his non action oriented idea of the season. This year it is for Nancy Meyers' box office hit The Holiday starring Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law and Jack Black. Considering I saw all sorts of romantic fare these past few years, I must admit that I quite liked it. For once I found the character development strong, I loved the chemistry between Kate Winslet and Eli Wallach and finally a character was a film composer of profession. Not only is this a first I think in Hollywood, it's also a wonderful honor of Nancy Meyers for her friend Hans Zimmer.
And by returning the favor, Hans Zimmer gave her his romantic antidote. And once again The Holiday is proof that he is so adept and good at these kinds of things. Of course it fulfills the exact same things a As Good as it Gets or Spanglish score did, the only thing is the tone of how he does it. As Good as it Gets was somewhat comedic in its tone, Spanglish dramatic and The Holiday romantic. And this is a tone I liked easily and immediately, in the movie as on CD.
"Maestro" captures several scores immediately in the first minutes, like As Good as it Gets and A League of their Own (while being an ode to the maestro Ennio Morricone himself), it opens with the love theme that will be heard throughout the score. After that it moves towards the main theme, a wonderful bouncy string theme that gets me excited every time I hear it.
For Iris (Kate Winslet's character) Zimmer constructed a loving sweet theme, in "Iris and Jasper" heard by a touching solo cello. Amanda's (Cameron Diaz) theme is discovered in "Kayak for One", it's also a slightly more loose theme than the more serious dramatic one of Iris.
During the middle portion, Hans throws in all the other character themes. Graham's theme is equally loose and is often heard alongside floating vocals ("Busy Guy") while getting some assistance of the love theme in "Kiss Goodbye". I personally think that the love theme also speaks for Miles in general. Not only is he the one performing it in the begin of "Maestro", it also returns when he and Iris connect in "If I wanted to Call You", which explains why the love theme and Iris theme bump against each other.
"The Cowch" emotionally toys with Iris theme all the while the love theme shows us once again the flame in Amanda and Graham's theme. Iris theme finally rises to the occasion in "Christmas Surprise, unleashing immediately her personal theme (2.16) as well that Miles composed for her, which is the one of 2 performances it receives during the score (the other one in "Gumption").
Now that everything is possible, Zimmer opens all registers. The main theme returns after a silence in "Gumption", unleashing Iris strength and above all Arthur Abbott's own theme. And "Cry" is a lot like Gigli the highlight where a theme becomes something more. The main string theme suddenly goes to higher ground with an electric guitar and after all this sweet innocent lightness of music you get a more risky but fleshed out tone that simply cries out happy resolved feelings.
That I like the personal sound of The Holiday more than say As Good as it Gets is a personal impression because it is this that separates the score from the other dramatic / comedic affairs. All the rest is the same, the feel, the flow, the Zimmer handling of comedy and drama as the orchestral presence of strings, flutes and bass. Now only vocals (by Suzanne Zimmer amongst others) and Zimmer on the piano bring a difference in The Holiday and I must say, Zimmer hasn't lost his touch because it's sweet and lovely, more it's a perfect Holiday discovery.
Tracklisting
1. Maestro (3.54) Excellent track
2. Iris and Jasper (3.24)
3. Kayak for One (1.30)
4. Zero (2.44)
5. Dream Kitchen (1.35)
6. Separate Vacations (1.47)
7. Anything Can Happen (0.48)
8. Light my Fire (1.13)
9. Definitely Unexpected (3.35)
10. If I Wanted to Call You (1.50)
11. Roadside Rhapsody (1.39)
12. Busy Guy (1.28)
13. For Nancy (1.27)
14. It's Complicated (1.00)
15. Kiss Goodbye (2.33)
16. Verso E Prosa (1.58)
17. Meu Passado (1.25)
18. The 'Cowch' (2.42)
19. Three Musketeers (2.44)
20. Christmas Surprise (2.32)
21. Gumption (3.45) Excellent track
22. Cry (2.39) Excellent track
Total Length: 48.23
And by returning the favor, Hans Zimmer gave her his romantic antidote. And once again The Holiday is proof that he is so adept and good at these kinds of things. Of course it fulfills the exact same things a As Good as it Gets or Spanglish score did, the only thing is the tone of how he does it. As Good as it Gets was somewhat comedic in its tone, Spanglish dramatic and The Holiday romantic. And this is a tone I liked easily and immediately, in the movie as on CD.
"Maestro" captures several scores immediately in the first minutes, like As Good as it Gets and A League of their Own (while being an ode to the maestro Ennio Morricone himself), it opens with the love theme that will be heard throughout the score. After that it moves towards the main theme, a wonderful bouncy string theme that gets me excited every time I hear it.
For Iris (Kate Winslet's character) Zimmer constructed a loving sweet theme, in "Iris and Jasper" heard by a touching solo cello. Amanda's (Cameron Diaz) theme is discovered in "Kayak for One", it's also a slightly more loose theme than the more serious dramatic one of Iris.
During the middle portion, Hans throws in all the other character themes. Graham's theme is equally loose and is often heard alongside floating vocals ("Busy Guy") while getting some assistance of the love theme in "Kiss Goodbye". I personally think that the love theme also speaks for Miles in general. Not only is he the one performing it in the begin of "Maestro", it also returns when he and Iris connect in "If I wanted to Call You", which explains why the love theme and Iris theme bump against each other.
"The Cowch" emotionally toys with Iris theme all the while the love theme shows us once again the flame in Amanda and Graham's theme. Iris theme finally rises to the occasion in "Christmas Surprise, unleashing immediately her personal theme (2.16) as well that Miles composed for her, which is the one of 2 performances it receives during the score (the other one in "Gumption").
Now that everything is possible, Zimmer opens all registers. The main theme returns after a silence in "Gumption", unleashing Iris strength and above all Arthur Abbott's own theme. And "Cry" is a lot like Gigli the highlight where a theme becomes something more. The main string theme suddenly goes to higher ground with an electric guitar and after all this sweet innocent lightness of music you get a more risky but fleshed out tone that simply cries out happy resolved feelings.
That I like the personal sound of The Holiday more than say As Good as it Gets is a personal impression because it is this that separates the score from the other dramatic / comedic affairs. All the rest is the same, the feel, the flow, the Zimmer handling of comedy and drama as the orchestral presence of strings, flutes and bass. Now only vocals (by Suzanne Zimmer amongst others) and Zimmer on the piano bring a difference in The Holiday and I must say, Zimmer hasn't lost his touch because it's sweet and lovely, more it's a perfect Holiday discovery.
Tracklisting
1. Maestro (3.54) Excellent track
2. Iris and Jasper (3.24)
3. Kayak for One (1.30)
4. Zero (2.44)
5. Dream Kitchen (1.35)
6. Separate Vacations (1.47)
7. Anything Can Happen (0.48)
8. Light my Fire (1.13)
9. Definitely Unexpected (3.35)
10. If I Wanted to Call You (1.50)
11. Roadside Rhapsody (1.39)
12. Busy Guy (1.28)
13. For Nancy (1.27)
14. It's Complicated (1.00)
15. Kiss Goodbye (2.33)
16. Verso E Prosa (1.58)
17. Meu Passado (1.25)
18. The 'Cowch' (2.42)
19. Three Musketeers (2.44)
20. Christmas Surprise (2.32)
21. Gumption (3.45) Excellent track
22. Cry (2.39) Excellent track
Total Length: 48.23