The Movie

The Golden Compass Soundtrack: Review

- Review by Heather

When I first heard that Alexandre Desplat was to be composing the score for The Golden Compass my initial reaction was, 'who'? A little research told me that I had actually seen a number of his films before, but being unable to recall anything at all remarkable about these soundtracks I was perhaps a little worried that Desplat was not the man to take on such an enormous task as The Golden Compass, a story that requires music both moving and epic.

I wanted the soundtrack for The Golden Compass to do what Howard Shore's score for had done for The Lord of the Rings, raise it up to an even higher level and really bring the fantasy to life. Was I disappointed? Well, a little, and here is why.

Very few of the tracks ever really take off. Most of them are very quiet and slow, and would easily blend into the background of a film. Whilst some critics would argue that this is what movie music is mean to do, I would say that there needs to be a fine balance between making sure the audience hears the music, and yet not overwhelming them insomuch as to distract them from the film. The music never touches on anything truly unique to fantasy either. It is at times epic, but never manages to conjure up images of something out of this world. Very few of the tracks have that recognisable quality to them either that would ensure you recognised them immediately if you heard them on the radio. It is also a shame that quite a lot of the early tracks are very short - the Dust theme lasting just over a minute - which really leaves you wanting more. Obviously this is due to the length of the scenes in the movie, and is in no way the composer's fault, but it nevertheless lowers the performance of the soundtrack as a whole.

The song 'Lyra', sung by Kate Bush, is a major disappointment and poor finish to the album. The music - if you can call it that - starts off as if building up to something more powerful, but this never happens. The lyrics are repetitive and incredibly simple, far below the usual standard of Bush's work and quite frankly a wasted opportunity to use her fantastic voice. The worst aspect of the song is it's specific references to Lyra, which detaches the listener from any personal response to the song they might have and thus completely undermines the lines "We hope we will be with her/ We have all our love to give her", because you just don't;; neither the music nor the lyrics allow you to.

Having said that, the soundtrack pleases more than it disappoints. It starts off well with fairly lively and pleasant music interspersed between the quieter tracks, which make up most of the album. The track 'Sky Ferry' is an excellent example of using music to create a sense of wonder, which is perfect as this is the track that will accompany some of our first glimpses of Lyra's world. The track 'The Magisterium' I particularly enjoyed for its subtlety in building up a feeling of uneasiness and mystery. 'Lord Faa, King Of The Gyptians' gives us a brief moment of something exciting and exotic, but this like many other the other tracks quickly fizzles out into something a lot more calm and uninspiring.

It is not until tracks 15-18 that we really get a taste of what Desplat is capable of, and it is in these tracks meant for action scenes that he shines the most. The music for the bear fight is very exciting, and really brings to life the power and danger of the bears. This track is only bettered by 'Battle With The Tartars', the last epic piece of music on the album, and my favourite. The action is kept alive through the entire track will full use of the orchestra, even when switching the focus between the brass and the string instruments.

The 'Epilogue' also goes a long way to negate any disappointment at the length of the early tracks, as it encompasses many of them in a very satisfying manner - a perfect end to the film.

This soundtrack does not make my list of all-time greats, but this does not mean that it is in any way unenjoyable, and I would assume when coupled with the film it will do it a great justice. Should the next two books be turned into films, I would hope to see Desplat return as composer, not merely for continuity, but because I think he created something quite charming here, and would be interested to see how he creates music for more than one world.

My star rating? 4/5

- Review by Heather