The Wolfman
Danny Elfman
" Hey honey, you know the job I got fired on? Well, they asked me back! Can you believe that? "Written by Thomas Glorieux - Review of the regular release
The story concerning The Wolfman is a known one, but let's tell it anyway. Danny Elfman gets hired for the job, hoorays are heard all across the country. Danny Elfman scores and records the score. Producers realize it is the best thing of the entire film. Producers face humiliation and fire Danny Elfman. Boos are heard all across the country. Paul Haslinger gets hired instead. Laughter is heard all across the country. Paul Haslinger scores the picture that eschews the orchestra for a harder approach, making it grittier but not classier. Producers realize it is now the worst thing of the entire film. Producers face laughter and so fire Paul Haslinger to reinstate Danny Elfman's score once again. Hoorays are heard all across the land.
So, one listen of Danny Elfman's music will make you a believer that producers sometimes don't know what good music is all about. In fact, producers should get fired as well, if they continue to make decisions like these. The Wolfman is now one of the few examples where it all turned out well in the end, but we know countless ones that didn't. So The Wolfman is probably one of the few highlights of the entire production, it sadly has 2 big problems nonetheless. 1 the undeniable temp track score and 2, the repetitive nature.
The temp track we're talking about is the classic highly beloved score for Bram Stoker's Dracula, written by Wojciech Kilar. Deeply influenced from start to finish, the memory of Kilar's score wanders through the entire listen. So if you start to listen to "Wolf Suite Pt 1" and "Wolf Suite Pt 2", don't be surprised to discover that the violin and the theme do sound remarkably like Kilar's known overture. That doesn't take away the fact though that "Wolf Suite Pt 1" sounds perfect nonetheless.
The secondary problem is that The Wolfman repeats a lot of its material in a too long listening experience. The main theme itself is repeated endlessly, the underscore is scattered too generously throughout the score, and the main action music is too similar. Bite off 15 to 20 minutes and you'll get the perfect listening experience instead.
Because "Gypsy Massacre", the suspenseful and gothic sound of "First Transformation" and "Reflection / 2nd Transformation", the powerful sound of the main theme during "You Must Go", the rush of "Country Carnage" and the conclusive "Wolf Wild #2" are all tracks with enough potential and power, but they don't differ much from one another.
The underscore itself is sufficient but boring after a while. Tracks like "Wake Up, Lawrence", "The Funeral" and "The Antique Shop" frequently use the same mood, and appear too long as well. There is a difference during "The Madhouse" when the familiar frantic writing of Danny Elfman is paired with a solo vocal, making the influence this time Sleepy Hollow instead. The lovely rising choir over the violin in "The Traveling Montage" is lovely too.
So, in the end The Wolfman is a perfect score for a film, and realizing that this kind of quality music gets rejected is like saying you want to divorce from the perfect person. It is impossible to understand. Luckily in this case the error was corrected before the film was released. Yet how perfect the score may be for the film, we can't dismiss the fact that the score listens too long on disc. Too long and too influential from another source, one that did its deeds better in a shorter amount of time.
Tracklisting
1. Wolf Suite Pt 1 (4.12) Excellent track
2. Wolf Suite Pt 2 (5.55)
3. Prologue (2.57)
4. Dear Mr. Talbot (1.45)
5. Bad Moon Rising (0.59)
6. Gypsy Massacre (2.24)
7. Wake Up, Lawrence (5.17)
8. The Funeral (4.13)
9. The Healing Montage (2.50)
10. First Transformation (3.30) Excellent track
11. You Must Go (3.46)
12. The Antique Shop (3.32)
13. Country Carnage (2.31)
14. Be Strong (2.31)
15. The Madhouse (5.32)
16. Reflection / 2nd Transformation (4.12) Excellent track
17. The Traveling Montage (4.27)
18. The Finale (4.11)
19. Wolf Wild #2 (1.27)
Total Length: 66.11
So, one listen of Danny Elfman's music will make you a believer that producers sometimes don't know what good music is all about. In fact, producers should get fired as well, if they continue to make decisions like these. The Wolfman is now one of the few examples where it all turned out well in the end, but we know countless ones that didn't. So The Wolfman is probably one of the few highlights of the entire production, it sadly has 2 big problems nonetheless. 1 the undeniable temp track score and 2, the repetitive nature.
The temp track we're talking about is the classic highly beloved score for Bram Stoker's Dracula, written by Wojciech Kilar. Deeply influenced from start to finish, the memory of Kilar's score wanders through the entire listen. So if you start to listen to "Wolf Suite Pt 1" and "Wolf Suite Pt 2", don't be surprised to discover that the violin and the theme do sound remarkably like Kilar's known overture. That doesn't take away the fact though that "Wolf Suite Pt 1" sounds perfect nonetheless.
The secondary problem is that The Wolfman repeats a lot of its material in a too long listening experience. The main theme itself is repeated endlessly, the underscore is scattered too generously throughout the score, and the main action music is too similar. Bite off 15 to 20 minutes and you'll get the perfect listening experience instead.
Because "Gypsy Massacre", the suspenseful and gothic sound of "First Transformation" and "Reflection / 2nd Transformation", the powerful sound of the main theme during "You Must Go", the rush of "Country Carnage" and the conclusive "Wolf Wild #2" are all tracks with enough potential and power, but they don't differ much from one another.
The underscore itself is sufficient but boring after a while. Tracks like "Wake Up, Lawrence", "The Funeral" and "The Antique Shop" frequently use the same mood, and appear too long as well. There is a difference during "The Madhouse" when the familiar frantic writing of Danny Elfman is paired with a solo vocal, making the influence this time Sleepy Hollow instead. The lovely rising choir over the violin in "The Traveling Montage" is lovely too.
So, in the end The Wolfman is a perfect score for a film, and realizing that this kind of quality music gets rejected is like saying you want to divorce from the perfect person. It is impossible to understand. Luckily in this case the error was corrected before the film was released. Yet how perfect the score may be for the film, we can't dismiss the fact that the score listens too long on disc. Too long and too influential from another source, one that did its deeds better in a shorter amount of time.
Tracklisting
1. Wolf Suite Pt 1 (4.12) Excellent track
2. Wolf Suite Pt 2 (5.55)
3. Prologue (2.57)
4. Dear Mr. Talbot (1.45)
5. Bad Moon Rising (0.59)
6. Gypsy Massacre (2.24)
7. Wake Up, Lawrence (5.17)
8. The Funeral (4.13)
9. The Healing Montage (2.50)
10. First Transformation (3.30) Excellent track
11. You Must Go (3.46)
12. The Antique Shop (3.32)
13. Country Carnage (2.31)
14. Be Strong (2.31)
15. The Madhouse (5.32)
16. Reflection / 2nd Transformation (4.12) Excellent track
17. The Traveling Montage (4.27)
18. The Finale (4.11)
19. Wolf Wild #2 (1.27)
Total Length: 66.11