Customer Reviews

American Beauty: Original Motion Picture Score

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Thomas Newman's score for American Beauty is one of the few perfect movie scores I can think of. The music was part of a movie which constantly scaled the heights of greatness both on a technical level and on an emotional level. The score fit so intrinsically into the arc of the story that it seemed almost invisible.

On the other hand, by opting for this elegant approach (and I applaud Newman and director Sam Mendes for having the good taste to go for a restrained score), it means that as pure music the score has limitations. The score album has a diversity of instrumentation (tabla, piano, woodwinds, synths, guitars) and moods (from the cynical opening theme "Dead Already" to the achingly spare "American Beauty" and "Angela Undress"), but overall there is a slight lack of diversity.

I, however, find that to be a good thing in that this makes the music evocative and subtle. Instead of trying to match every musical movement to an emotional climax in the film, the American Beauty score achieved a rare harmony with the visuals that is delightful. And the score, despite its simplicity, is a beautiful piece of work. I bring up the lack of dynamics as a clarification, not as a criticism. I would wholeheartedly recommend this score for listening...though, again because of its nature, I would suggest it as a kind of ambient music -- to be floating around your ear, instead of painstakingly sought out and isolated. What this score lacks in punch and variety, it makes up with ethereal beauty and elegant suggestiveness.

"American Beauty" won 5 awards at the Oscars, including Best Picture, Director and Actor. A lot of people didn't agree. The subject matter was risky and for some, all too real. Even if it wasn't such a great movie (Which it was!), it still should've gotten the Oscars it did, only for the music! Thomas Newman has scored numerous memorable films including "Little Women", "The Shawshank Redemption" and "Scent of a Woman". He composed the music for AB and was nominated this year. He sadly lost to John Corigliano's music for "The Red Violin".

Here, I will give a brief summary for each track on this CD, that you should be ordering right now!

DEAD ALREADY: This is the cynical and playful opening theme where Lester (Kevin Spacey) introduces his family and his sedated lifestyle. It is very world music-influenced and has a beauty all its own.

AROSE: This track reminds one of sleeping peacefully and dreaming of roses and beauty. It uses cymbals and chimes and is one of the most stunning on the disc.

POWER OF DENIAL: This piece communicates to you and is in itslef deeply moving. It gives one a sense of hidden longing and restlessness, exactly what was provoked onscreen.

LUNCH W/ THE KING: This song refelects the more comedic side to the film, and is in the same style as the first track. It blends in piano quite successfully, also.

MENTAL BOY: ...opens with a few dissonant and ominous phrases from a processed bass flute (?). It moves on to the piano theme that symbolizes Ricky Fitts (Wes Bentley) and his mature, masculine beauty. It is later reflected in ANGELA UNDRESS.

MR. SMARTY-MAN: One of the more subdued of the previous tracks, along with MENTAL BOY. It is actually quite funny when played with the film, but is still a treat to those who remember it, or even haven't seen it.

ROOT BEER: ...is short (1:05) but painfully gorgeous. With a lot of metal percussion, it is sweet and tranquil, yet at the same time brash and erotic. This track is virtually the same as SPARTANETTE, but has a few differences in the dynamic categorey and basic structure.

AMERICAN BEAUTY: Ahhh... The sweetness. This track is the most lovely on the CD. With a gentle piano theme and slowly working strings, it has a melancholy sadness to it, yet still maintains an optimistic flow.

BLOODLESS FREAK: "I will sell this house today! I will sell this house today!" yes, Annette Bening in a slip with the vacuum cleaner. (Okay, really, what woman has never done that. See, I think it frightens people that the film was too real and true to life. Well, that's there problem.) In the category with LUNCH W/ THE KING and DEAD ALREADY, it uses comedic undertones and an over-all fun tone.

CHOKING THE BISHOP: Ah, Mena Suvari in the bath. Ok, many find this song intrusive, but I rather admire Thomas Newman for his ability to convey eroticism without the cheesy sax and candlelight melodies.

WEIRDEST HOME VIDEOS: This is probably my favorite track (along with WALK HOME). It is a very gentle song and takes its time in developing the images of the suburban norm. One of the greatest on the disc.

STRUCTURE AND DISCIPLINE: Probably the darkest of the tracks, also relies on piano and strings, but has a different tone than AMERICAN BEAUTY. It seems very gloomy and desperate, like someone crying out for help. It is the Colonel Fitts (CHRIS COOPER) theme, the darkest element of the film's plot.

SPARTANETTE: Again, pretty much the same as ROOT BEER. Leads right into...

ANGELA UNDRESS: Basicly a repeat of MENTAL BOY without the bass flute. Quite lovely, actually.

MARINE: This is basicly the same as POWER OF DENAIL but has less background activity. I prefer the previous one myself.

WALK HOME: Sheer brilliance. It begins with WEIRDEST HOME VIDEOS but then progresses into a beautiful chime part that brings a tear to your eye. A masterpiece even on its own.

BLOOD RED: A short intro to...

ANY OTHER NAME: This is actually AMERICAN BEAUTY but extended with added emotion. Quite breathtaking.

STILL DEAD: Mostly the same as DEAD ALREADY, but quicker, more cynical and frantic. At about 1:28, Michael Fisher enter on kim-kims with a memorable drum solo set to the back of the music, yet it is dominate and loud.

Words cannot describe it, a wonderful achievement. Much better than THE RED VIOLIN! Cheers to Tommy Newman!

Musician Frank Zappa is credited with saying that "Writing about music is like dancing about architecture." In other words, trying to express the feelings music can convey in words is a pointless (perhaps ridiculous) exercise. While Zappa's words are not always true -- much modern music is simplistic and trite enough that writing about it is actually quite easy -- Thomas Newman's music for the score of "American Beauty" certainly proves Zappa's point.

Newman's score for "American Beauty," simply put, is indescribably beautiful, highly original and completely unexpected. It's difficult, to say the least, to put into words what makes it so.

In some ways, the music is characteristic of Newman's excellent body of work. Some of the pieces are carried by a simple, quiet piano theme, while others make complex use of modern, ambient sound. For many films, this mixture of styles would sound disjointed and confused, but Newman makes it all work brilliantly and elegantly. This combination makes the music stand out as Newman's most original and most skilled work.

The music is filled with subtle emotion that sneaks up on the listener. Just as the film does, it encourages the listener to "look closer," to go beyond the catchy upbeat tones of the early music and open oneself up to the deeper, more complex themes. And, just as in the film, taking a closer look is an eminently rewarding experience. The more one listens to this music, the better it gets.

Frank Zappa was right in this case: these words are definitely inadequate to get the feeling of the music across. I hope that they have at least convinced you to try it for yourself. It is music that is certainly worth that closer look, and as its name suggests, it represents beauty itself.

Thomas Newman's score for American Beauty is one of his finest works to date. The style is his own and I could identify it immediately in the movie. Even better than the Shawshank redemption and Meet Joe Black. The melodies on the CD are very strangely energetic and powerful. Although the entire CD is shorter than some of his others, don't let it fool you, it's a masterpiece. The organization of the CD is just like the movie, and reminds you of all of the scenes, just as I feel the rest of his music replays the movie and captures the mood and very essence of it.

If, like I did, you left the theater mesmerized by Thomas Newman's marvelously minimalist score for the film American Beauty, intent on buying the soundtrack, then this is the disk you want. Sure, there are some interesting pop tunes on the first soundtrack released shortly after the film first came out. But for true film music afficiandos--and especially for those who follow Newman's musical genius--you won't be disappointed in this CD. From the tender piano tones that underscore Wes Bentley's intensely moving "most beautiful thing you've ever seen" speech to the odd tonalities of Kevin Spacey's crushes, Newman gives us just enough music to emote without overwhelming like many other film scores. It's all there, folks. And it's so beautiful I thought my heart might just burst.

I thought that Danny Elfman was the foremost composer of soundtracks. Now comes a new rival in this repetoire, Thomas Newman, haunting melodies, unusual instruments, and all. With his out-of-order tracks and to the point arrangements, he paints an audio world that is "American Beauty".

My favorite is track 2, a short piece, but gives you the feeling that you are lying in a bed of rose petals. Another is track 18, the piece that we find at the end of the movie. I can hear the monologue playing in my head as this quiet song flows.

I have tried to find fault in this c.d., but none so far. Maybe the little sound of a conductor's wand tapping (I won't say which track. You find it!) is it's only folly. This is the perfect album for relaxing. For those who are Danny Elfman lovers, open your minds, hearts, and wallets to this absolutely beautiful soundtrack.

At long last they decided to release the score to this geniune American beauty of a film. This collection of dark, perilous emotional tunes sets the stage for a grippingly dark and surreal look at suburbia America, but its story could take place anywhere. Thomas Newman has enveloped the heart of human desire and despair in this score, which screams then plagues at the human spirit, then sending it into the realms of comedy and laughter, and back to the gloomy realities of life. Portions of the score, such as "Mental Boy" cause one to cringe and look around to see if they are being watched, as if your life behind closed doors can be seen by the outer world. "Lunch With the King" is a lighthearted excursion into hilarity, reflecting the comical aspect of the picture. But most of the score is a constant stalking sense of being watched and wondered about. It sends waves of eeries chills up the spine yet absorbs the human heart as if to say, yes, life is cruel and unfair, but nobody's life is a bed of roses, as this film depicts with stunning illusional effect. Thomas Newman has created a score unlike any other, and has sealed himself in the annals of great movie composers such as Alfred Newman, Henry Mancini, Quincy Jones, Franz Waxman, Dimitri Tiomkin, just to name a few. This score will get you and hold you until the final note dwindles off in the still air around you. You're left questioning the rules of life and how life can be a brutal beast to your nature. What we want we may get, though it will hurt some, and in time it will come back to get even. The score conveys that of many other emotions too deep to express verbally.

I bought the score for the film AMERICAN BEAUTY, and I have listened over 6 times. Thomas Newman is one of the most underrated composers out there, but this may well be his best score yet. With songs like "Dead Already," "Structure & Discipline," "Still Dead" and "Any Other Name," this CD is great to listen to. For those who love percussion, this is an absolute must. Using very unique instruments like the kim-kim drums and two steel guitars, they mix together to make an amazing score for truly one of the most original films of this decade. Go listen to it! You will like it!

Newman has outdone himself this time. I originally thought his score for "The Shawshank Redemption" was the best but that was before I saw "American Beauty". Right at the beginning of the film when "Dead Already" plays over those unforgettable images of suburbia, I knew right then: Even if this movie sucks (WHICH IT DID NOT) I have to buy this soundtrack. As it turns out, I LOVED LOVED LOVED the movie and bought BOTH soundtracks. I couldn't help myself. They both had music I wanted. Besides the brilliant "Dead Already", other tracks are terrific as well. "Root Beer", "Spartanette", "American Beauty", "Mr. Smarty-Man" and the INCREDIBLE end track "Still Dead". "Still Dead" repeats the opening theme but it's quicker, louder and more frantic. LOVED IT. Great score. GO OUT AND BUY IT!

I originally purchased the "American Beauty" soundtrack, which is a fine collection of songs ranging from Bobby Darin to Bill Withers. But it doesn't completely capture the heart of the movie like the score does. Thomas Newman's masterpiece scores, "Dead Already" and "Still Dead" are here, providing excellent bookends to a fabulous CD. My favorite selection is "Root Beer," which is the song that played when Kevin Spacey's Lester Burnham first set eyes on Mena Suvari's character while she was cheerleading in the gym. It alone makes this CD a must-have.