Defiance Composed by James Newton Howard
Sony Classics (2008)
Rating:
7/10
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“Both the tragic cry
of murderous injustices that befell these people and likewise the
hope, however faint at times, that remained within them is
represented by the skillful playing of violinist Joshua Bell. The
mournful tone of the violin has become the most natural musical
voice for the persecuted Jews of World War II and JAMES NEWTON
HOWARD makes extensive use of Bell's talents here.”
Defining Defiance
Review by Christopher Coleman
Nazi Germany and the Jewish plight during World War
II have been, and will likely be for many years to come, the source for
powerful movie-making. We need look no further than the end of 2008: THE
BOY IN THE STRIPED PYGAMAS, VALKYRIE, and DEFIANCE, where three such films
were released in very close proximity to one another. There are, obviously
and sadly countless stories of
persecution and death, but also of heroism and life to be found throughout
Europe during World War II. While many of them will go untold,
authors, producers, and directors are telling more and more of those that
have survived. One of the most conceptually interesting is director
Ed Zwick's DEFIANCE. Taken from the book by Nechama Tec, "Defiance: The
Bielski Partisans," Zwick brings to the big screen the tale of the three
Bielski brothers who lead a growing group of Jewish refugees in hiding
from the extermination of the Nazi army. The film is, unsurprisingly, not
without its controversies concerning historical accuracies. Those debates
aside, Zwick brings his considerable talents, along with those of his
musical collaborator from 2006's BLOOD DIAMOND, composer JAMES NEWTON
HOWARD, to bear on the project.
Without a doubt, the score for DEFIANCE is built on and around the violin
- an instrument that has become representative of the Jewish culture -
particularly of that era. Both the tragic cry of murderous injustices that
befell these people and likewise the hope, however faint at times, that
remained within them is represented by the skillful playing of violinist
Joshua Bell. The mournful tone of the violin has become the most natural
musical voice for the persecuted Jews of World War II and JAMES NEWTON
HOWARD makes extensive use of Bell's talents. Without question, the
most poignant moments of the film are represented by one violin-lead theme
or another. Regarding the importance of the violin, director Ed Zwick
said, "To hear the violin in this context, is to hear the sound of what
was lost...it became the center of something and what we were going to
embroider around."
At the conclusion of "Survivors" (2) we get our first glimpse of what I
have labeled the "survivor motif." It is built upon a sorrowful violin
melody undergirded by NEWTON HOWARD's easily identifiable overlapping
strings. This string pattern resurfaces in "Nothing is Impossible" (14)
evoking vague memories of NEWTON HOWARD's work for SNOW FALLING ON CEDARS
and THE VILLAGE. While some critics are crediting Daniel Craig, who plays
the lead role of Tuvia Bielski, with shouldering the film with his acting,
it is Liev Schribner, as his brother, Zus, that steals the show.
Fittingly, Zus is given a sumptuous violin theme introduced on the
soundtrack in "Your Wife" (4), which happens to be the most emotionally
powerful scene of the film. As this rag-tag band of refugees gather and
move in the forest, JAMES NEWTON HOWARD gives them another beautiful, yet
painfully sad theme to accompany them. Again, lead by Joshua Bell's
violin. First heard in "Exodus" (7) and later in "Escaping the Ghetto"
(11) and "Nothing is Impossible" (12), it is likely the most memorable
melody of the film. Lastly, there is, what I call, the "hope theme." It's
sparsely, but most effectively used as it brings some balance to what
would have otherwise been a fairly depressing score. In "Camp Montage," as
the Bielski community starts to take shape and actually become
self-sufficient, we hear a piece build from soft woodwinds into a
cautiously bright orchestral crescendo. Such lightness is not felt or
heard again until the concluding moments of the film and the final track
of this release, "The Bielski Brothers." (15).
DEFIANCE is a rare story that depicts the more militant courage of the
Jewish people under the persecution of the Nazis and, while the heart and
soul of the score is consolidated into Joshua Bell's violin, there remains
al little more to this JAMES NEWTON HOWARD score. Even in the "Main
Titles" (1), with Bell's sharp, violin punctuating the track, there is a
great sense of foreboding conveyed through his employment of timpani and
strings. Arguably, the true main theme of the film and possibly for the
Bielski brothers themselves is introduced here as three, low-register,
brass and string notes. This more ominous element shows up in some of the
more intense scenes and tracks "Make Them Count" (3) in reference to the
four bullets Tuvia has to protect or to exact revenge, "Police Station"
(12) and again in "Nothing is Impossible" (14). Other moments providing
some much needed contrast to the violin
performance are those of dark ambience and dissonance found in "Make Them
Count" (3) or "The Bielski Triad" (5).
There is hardly an Ed Zwick directed film that disappoints; however,
very much to my surprise, DEFIANCE does somewhat. Even the solid acting, beautiful
photography, and virtuoso Joshua Bell playing the thoughtful notes of
JAMES NEWTON HOWARD, aren't quite enough to lift DEFIANCE into the same
category as say "GLORY," "LEGENDS OF THE FALL," or "THE LAST SAMURAI." No doubt, this was a special film for Zwick, Bell and Howard; each having
Jewish routes. The story of the Bielski Brothers is one that
deserved to be transformed into film and to have their respective talents
as means for the telling. As we have grown to expect of any
and all projects that NEWTON HOWARD is attached to, DEFIANCE is solid
effort it most every way. The score just doesn't quite reach the
ethereal or inspirational levels of other violin-centric scores like SNOW
FALLING ON CEDARS or even THE VILLAGE, but there's no defying it's depth
of emotion.
