Post by Absinthe on Jun 29, 2013 16:40:48 GMT -6
It is a scorching afternoon here in Texas, 103F to be exact, but what a nice escape I had listening to Spanish composer Javier Navarrete’s elegant and uplifting score to Neil Jordan’s latest film, Byzantium. The haunting melodies transcend you into a darker and much cooler place where vampires dwell and secrets abound.
Javier Navarrete is perhaps best known for fantasy and horror genre movies Wrath of the Titans, Pan’s Labyrinth, The Devil’s Backbone and Mirrors. He has received 2 Academy Award nominations – for Pan’s Labyrinth and The Devil’s Backbone.
Directed by Neil Jordan (Interview With The Vampire, The Company Of Wolves, Mona Lisa, The Crying Game) and starring Gemma Arterton and Saoirse Ronan, Byzantium is Jordan’s low-key return to the horror genre. It is a fantasy thriller about mother and daughter vampires dealing with the pitfalls of eternal life. Two mysterious women seek refuge in a run-down coastal resort. Clara (Gemma Arterton) meets lonely Noel (Daniel Mays), who provides shelter in his deserted guesthouse, Byzantium. Schoolgirl Eleanor (Saoirse Ronan, Hanna, Atonement) befriends Frank (Caleb Landry Jones) and tells him their lethal secret: They were born 200 years ago and survive on human blood. As knowledge of their secret spreads, their past catches up on them with deathly consequence. Also starring Sam Riley and Jonny Lee Miller.
The soundtrack sets the tone for each scene, the main title track begins eerily pulling you into the darkness, then weaves your mind through each scene. The tempo sometimes suddenly hastens and my heartbeat would try to catch up, a good example is Eleanor’s Dream (Track 7) in which the melody captures the chaos and confusion often felt in dreams. Track 20 As Darkness Fell is such a haunting melody, you can almost tangibly feel the darkness. Track 24 Clara Immortal is my favorite with the strings and drums issuing in eternal life. Navarrete has captured Gothic and turned it into music that penetrates the soul. For any of us that love the darkside, the Byzantium soundtrack by Javier Navarrete is a good investment. Beautiful music can not only soothe or inspire us, it can transport us to a place where we feel we belong, in this case, Byzantium.
Described as elegant and haunting, Javier Navarrete’s Byzantium is also classy and ethereal. I give it 5 stars.
Byzantium opened in UK cinemas on 31st of May 2013 and as a limited theatrical release June 28th in the US.
Tracklisting:
1. Main Titles
2. Secrets
3. No One
4. The Coventry Carol
5. Sonata In C Major, Opus 2, No. 3 – Adagio
6. Hotel Byzantium
7. Eleanor’s Dream
8. Hunters
9. Steal Something from Her
10. My Mother
11. Whore
12.Thirst
13. You Came For Me
14. At School
15. It Would Be Fatal
16. My Mother Was Dying
17. Ancient Knowledge
18. An Empty Island
19. Betrayed
20. As Darkness Fell
21. My Mother Saw Her Chance
22. Iʼm Sixteen Forever
23. Birthday Gift
24. Clara Immortal
25. Love Dark
26. Blade from Byzantium
27. Always
CD: SILCD1432
Digital Album: SILED1432
Release Date: 08/07/2013
Javier Navarrete is perhaps best known for fantasy and horror genre movies Wrath of the Titans, Pan’s Labyrinth, The Devil’s Backbone and Mirrors. He has received 2 Academy Award nominations – for Pan’s Labyrinth and The Devil’s Backbone.
Directed by Neil Jordan (Interview With The Vampire, The Company Of Wolves, Mona Lisa, The Crying Game) and starring Gemma Arterton and Saoirse Ronan, Byzantium is Jordan’s low-key return to the horror genre. It is a fantasy thriller about mother and daughter vampires dealing with the pitfalls of eternal life. Two mysterious women seek refuge in a run-down coastal resort. Clara (Gemma Arterton) meets lonely Noel (Daniel Mays), who provides shelter in his deserted guesthouse, Byzantium. Schoolgirl Eleanor (Saoirse Ronan, Hanna, Atonement) befriends Frank (Caleb Landry Jones) and tells him their lethal secret: They were born 200 years ago and survive on human blood. As knowledge of their secret spreads, their past catches up on them with deathly consequence. Also starring Sam Riley and Jonny Lee Miller.
The soundtrack sets the tone for each scene, the main title track begins eerily pulling you into the darkness, then weaves your mind through each scene. The tempo sometimes suddenly hastens and my heartbeat would try to catch up, a good example is Eleanor’s Dream (Track 7) in which the melody captures the chaos and confusion often felt in dreams. Track 20 As Darkness Fell is such a haunting melody, you can almost tangibly feel the darkness. Track 24 Clara Immortal is my favorite with the strings and drums issuing in eternal life. Navarrete has captured Gothic and turned it into music that penetrates the soul. For any of us that love the darkside, the Byzantium soundtrack by Javier Navarrete is a good investment. Beautiful music can not only soothe or inspire us, it can transport us to a place where we feel we belong, in this case, Byzantium.
Described as elegant and haunting, Javier Navarrete’s Byzantium is also classy and ethereal. I give it 5 stars.
Byzantium opened in UK cinemas on 31st of May 2013 and as a limited theatrical release June 28th in the US.
Tracklisting:
1. Main Titles
2. Secrets
3. No One
4. The Coventry Carol
5. Sonata In C Major, Opus 2, No. 3 – Adagio
6. Hotel Byzantium
7. Eleanor’s Dream
8. Hunters
9. Steal Something from Her
10. My Mother
11. Whore
12.Thirst
13. You Came For Me
14. At School
15. It Would Be Fatal
16. My Mother Was Dying
17. Ancient Knowledge
18. An Empty Island
19. Betrayed
20. As Darkness Fell
21. My Mother Saw Her Chance
22. Iʼm Sixteen Forever
23. Birthday Gift
24. Clara Immortal
25. Love Dark
26. Blade from Byzantium
27. Always
CD: SILCD1432
Digital Album: SILED1432
Release Date: 08/07/2013