All the soundtracks I have of Danny Elfman have
been his scores for action/adventure flicks: Batman, Men In Black, and
Mission: Impossible.
With that being the case, it was really refreshing to be able to sample his sentimental
side. Edward Scissorhands is to Elfman what The Thin Red
Line is to Hans Zimmer - a departure from the usual style of scoring that ends up
being a beautiful piece of music.
Theme is my motto, and while I might occasionally enjoy a score that is
bereft of any recognizable theme, most of the time I will knock off points due to the
lacking of a theme. This is especially true of non-action scores. If a soundtrack is going
to keep my attention it either has to possess some incredible action cues or really great
themes. And the latter is where Edward Scissorhands lies, with it’s terrific
themes and excellent use of choral moments. In fact, the only other Elfman score I’ve
heard that makes as near as much use out of a choir as this one is Batman
Returns (which, in my opinion, is one of the things that kept it from being a
below-average score). The quiet parts are what make this score so incredible, and while
there is an occasional track that has some action cues, these are mostly uninteresting
standard Elfman fare. The main theme is excellently orchestrated, and the choir is almost
always utilized when it appears. In fact there are probably only a handful of tracks where
the main theme doesn’t appear. Track nine is very fun, especially with the violin,
and the last couple of tracks are just terrific. I’ve always believed that Elfman
does some of the best finale pieces, and this score is no exception. The CD ends with a
Tom Jones song which I found rather boring, but this is really the biggest gripe I have
with this soundtrack.
This is a masterpiece of hauntingly beautiful music from Danny Elfman
and no fan of film scores should be without this one. *****
