Lady in the Water

Track Listing

01 - Prologue (2:52)
02 - The Party (6:40)
03 - Charades (5:50)
04 - Ripples in the Pool (1:49)
05 - The Blue World (4:25)
06 - Giving the Kii (1:49)
07 - Walkie Talkie (2:08)
08 - Cereal Boxes (2:33)
09 - Officer Jimbo (3:31)
10 - The Healing (4:03)
11 - The Great Eatlon (4:41)
12 - End Titles (1:43)

13 - The Times They Are A-Changin (5:59)
       A Whisper in the Noise
14 - Every Grain of Sand (4:15)
       Amanda Ghost
15 - It Ain't Me Babe (3:46)
       Silvertide
16 - Maggie's Farm (3:36)
       Silvertide

Orchestrated by Jeff Atmajian, Brad Dechterm Jon Kull, and

Patrick Russ

Conducted by Pete Anthony

Produced by Thomas Drescher and James Newton Howard

Released by Decca Records on July 18, 2006

Total Running Time: 59:40

While M. Night Shymalan may not have ever truly enjoyed total critical success, his movies have done very well for themselves at the box office and have allowed the director to specify some nice terms in his director contracts with the studios. For his detractors, they awaited his first true box office failing. While The Village was a much-maligned film, it pales in comparison to the vitriol that was heaped upon him for Lady in the Water. A story originally told to his children during their bedtime, Shymalan adapted it to the film world and the result was greatly touted upon as the straw that finally broke the back of the string of success for him. Indeed, the film did poorly at the box office, but never one to take critics at their word, my judgment remains muted until I can actually see it with my own two eyes. It may be telling that I will not see it until it is out on DVD (I had seen every single film from Shymalan up to this point in the theater), but it's more of a case of not going to the local Cineplex much at all anymore (which is a common trend for most people these days).

Regardless of whether the film is an actual success or not, the score by longtime Shymalan composer James Newton Howard surely is. Given the opportunity to score for a fantasy film that has water as a core component of its visuals, Howard apparently had a lot to say in that regard and the result makes for a joy to the ears on compact disc. If you saw any of the trailers, then you know what to expect right off the bat with the "Prologue", which ties in the music that Howard wrote for the ads (which is typical for him) into the opening refrains of the score which expertly lays the foundation for what is to come.

And what to come there is. Howard first gives us the mystical qualities of this musical world (complete with female chorus) and then sets about to create themes for the characters in this world. The end result is full of substance and subtle maturing of styles and themes to a point where continuous repeated listens can be very rewarding. It took the second listen for me to appreciate the themes that are elegantly mixed in and all their permutations that Howard provides. There is even a heroic re-telling of two of the themes in the climactic "The Great Eatlon", which is almost unheard of for a score in Shymalan's credit list. Even Unbreakable, a film about superheroes, didn't have a theme performed this way. And yet, even though it might seem completely out of style from what has preceded it, the music up to this point has built up to the inevitable so that its appearance is more akin to a feeling of "finally!" as opposed to "where did that come from?"

There are also strong connections with John Williams, especially in relation to Star Wars. This may be a fantasy film set in an apartment complex instead of in a galaxy far, far away, but Howard doesn't seem to be paying attention to that aspect and the music could conceivably be for any number of fantastical locations. This works to the score's advantage and Howard makes relation to that by providing occasional choices that mirror the style Williams set for the original Star Wars. It's related mostly to the horns section, and it's only a passing feeling through this score ("Charades" is a good place to pick up on it), but one I noticed enough to feel that it needed mentioning. Closer in the Williams vein of scoring (though not necessarily in the Star Wars realm), is once again "The Great Eatlon". Hearing Howard pull out all the stops for that one using that style is yet another reason why that is such a standout cue.

There are reports of a suite cue that was written by Howard and performed for the film which is missing on this album. It is a shame if its non-inclusion was due to the desire to add the four horrid cover versions of Bob Dylan songs. This marks a first for a soundtrack to a Shyamalan film, and it's a terrible injustice to the score that these songs are even on here in the first place. The only small consolation is that the songs are placed at the end of the disc and not at the beginning. Given that Howard's score is so grand, the room would have been better served by more of his material.

If you've enjoyed Howard's work on these films so far, or just enjoy fantasy scores to begin with, Lady in the Water, for all of its supposed failings as a film, is a wonderful score that manages to transcend its origins and work on its own merits. Be sure to take it for a swim sometime.

Reviewed on September 3, 2006