Customer Reviews

A Christmas Carol - A Musical Adaptation

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1 star:		(3)

 

 

Yeah, Christmas is here! Well almost anyway. At least Hollywood starts early, but that's okay. A Christmas Carol is of course one of the most beloved and remembered of Christmas stories. The famous Charles Dickens story has rendered numerous movies and adaptions and will continue to do so. Ebenezer Scrooge is a sad, angry man who hates Christmas. He gets visited by the three ghosts of Christmas who show him his past, present and future to get him in a proper Christmas mood. A timeless, wonderful story, this time animated in full Walt Disney 3D. Starring Jim Carrey as Scrooge, Robert Zemeckis as director and Alan Silvestri as composer, we're in for a treat!

I want to talk about the Zemeckis and Silvestri connection a little bit, because it's one of the reasons why I really was looking forward to A Christmas Carol. Whenever Zemeckis direct, Silvestri comes along for the ride and it has produced some of the most memorable scores ever produced. I have fond memories of The Polar Express, Cast Away, Forrest Gump and of course the classic Back To The Future. Now you know why I am so enthusiastic, you should be too! Of course this has set the bar high for both director and composer and honestly, I expect nothing less than brilliance from both. Bernard Herrmann, Stephen Warbeck Alan Menken (and others) have done versions of this movie before, and now it's Alan Silvestri's turn.

Right from the start, Silvestri takes control and renders a beautiful opening theme in `A Christmas Carol Main Title' which has all the hallmarks of Christmas. It includes some original writing from Silvestri and some classic Christmas songs put in there for good measure. The mix is potent and it's wonderful. So far, Silvestri is right on cue to make A Christmas Carol a Christmas classic. The illusion of a Christmas classic is held for a while, but the illusion breaks like when I realized Santa Claus wasn't real. Okay, it might not be this heartbreaking, but before we venture into the negative stuff, let me assure you that this is a good score, a very good score in fact.
Searching For Magic

I have to mention this, but the magic of Christmas is a bit lacking. The magic I felt when watching Edward Scissorhands for the first time with my sister while listening to the wonderful score by Danny Elfman. The laughter and the joy of Home Alone with John Williams enthralling score. There's just something missing here in Silvestri's A Christmas Carol to make it a true Christmas classic and I'll tell you what it is. There's too much fluff in here to be perfectly honest. The themes are missing, the great ones like the one from Back to the Future, Forrest Gump, Cast Away and The Polar Express. Even in a Christmas setting, there are ways to incorporate that.

However I have to say that this score surely puts me in a Christmas mood. There are also cues like `Scrooge Counts Money' and `Marley's Ghost Visits Scrooge' which does not put me in a Christmas mood at all, but for the most part it's highly enjoyable. The most enjoyable parts are the actual Christmas tunes and not Silvestri's original composing. Still it's Alan Silvestri's adaption and we have to give him credit for his great work.

It's quite a short score, just under 42 minutes, but Silvestri does display some Christmas magic here that is deserving of mention. The original Silvestri parts are the cues lacking, whereas the Christmas tunes are the music that keeps this soundtrack in shape. This is not a Christmas classic, but undoubtedly a score that will put you in a Christmas mood. The Polar Express was closer in that respect, but this has enough magic and Christmas spirit to make you cheerful. Don't be a Scrooge! Take a chance on this score as you will discover some great material here well worth the admission price, even if it's a digital one.

As I sat in the theater watching this movie, I knew right from the opening credits that I had to have this soundtrack. This is Alan Silvestri at his best, captivating audiences with lush orchestrations and unique arrangements. The soundtrack includes traditional songs such as "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing," "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," "Deck the Halls," even a brief visit to Bach's version of "Ave Maria." Of course, it also includes plenty of original material, and the traditional carols are performed in such a way that it is as if you are hearing them for the first time.

However, easily half of the soundtrack is more sinister in nature, including music from scenes in the movie such as "Marley's Ghost Visits Scrooge" and "The Carriage Chase." I typically skip these tracks when listening, as I do not find them entertaining or uplifting.

Perhaps the best track on this soundtrack is Andrea Bocelli's performance of "God Bless Us Everyone," which is short but completely embodies the spirit of this movie. I adore Andrea's voice, and this song leaves plenty of room for him to showcase his talent, from his crystal clear tone to his high belt. The joy and passion in this song are captivating and inspiring, and truly convey the awe and wonder of the film.

I am really ticked off about this. Where is the CD????? I can't afford an ipod and I really don't want to listen to my music that way either. Disney needs to release the CD as well.

I've lost count of the number of times Charles Dickens' timeless tale of yuletide redemption, A Christmas Carol, has been re-told on the silver screen. The Internet Movie Database lists at least 50 productions with some variation of the title, ranging from versions starring The Muppets and Mickey Mouse to serious dramatic portrayals by Alastair Sim, George C. Scott and Patrick Stewart, and of course the classic musical Scrooge with Albert Finney from 1970. Director Robert Zemeckis's latest version continues the obsession with photo-real rotoscope animation he began in The Polar Express and Beowulf, and stars Jim Carrey in multiple roles, but mainly as the Victorian miser Ebenezer Scrooge, whose curmudgeonly life is forever changed when he is visited by three ghosts one fateful Christmas Eve.

Alan Silvestri has scored all but two of the films in Robert Zemeckis's career, dating all the way back to Romancing the Stone in 1984, and encompassing such classic titles as Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Forrest Gump, Contact, Castaway, and the Back to the Future trilogy. The pair has one of the most fruitful composer-director collaborations in modern cinema, with virtually each of their projects eliciting noteworthy music; thankfully, A Christmas Carol - their thirteenth collaboration - does not buck the trend. It's a full throated, sweepingly beautiful orchestral and choral work that truly captures the spirit of the season with lovely themes, beautiful Yuletide orchestrations, and even some thoroughly rousing action material.

I suppose one could categorize a great deal of A Christmas Carol as "Alan Silvestri's Fantasia on Famous Christmas Carols", because a large portion of his score either quotes directly from, or is greatly inspired by, the traditional music of the season. In the glorious opening cue, "A Christmas Carol Main Title", the sharp-eared can quickly tick off subtle and not-so-subtle homages to the likes of `Deck the Halls', `Good King Wenceslas', `God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen', `Hark the Herald Angels Sing' and `Ding Dong Merrily On High', all arranged for a huge orchestra and choir, and filled to the brim with the seasonal charm and twinkly orchestrations - chimes, sleigh bells - that one would expect in a film such as this.

The score's main theme seems to be an amalgamation of parts of the melodies of both `Deck the Halls' and `Good King Wenceslas', albeit skewed around and given the lush Silvestri touch, but it certainly has the right sense of warmth and appeal to make it an excellent cornerstone, and it's recapitulations in "Let Us See Another Christmas" and the joyous "Flight to Fezziwigs" are superb. In addition to this, there is a lovely refrain of `O Come All Ye Faithful' orchestrated for a pair of harps and an angelic choir in the beautiful "The Ghost of Christmas Past" (which also contains a barely-disguised re-statement of the Polar Express theme in the middle), while in "Touch My Robe" the choir bursts forth into a bravura refrain of `Hark the Herald Angels Sing' that is thoroughly wonderful.

There's a burst of unexpectedly vicious dissonance at the beginning of "Marley's Ghost Visits Scrooge", and later in the cue some of Silvestri's trademark stabbing chord progressions and wandering violin lines courtesy of virtuoso violinist Rene Mandel make an appearance, rekindling fond memories of his Herrmannesque work on the likes of Death Becomes Her. There is more dissonance and tension in "Another Idol Has Replaced Me" and "The Clock Tower", while the madcap chase music, reminiscent of his excellent score for Mousehunt, carries through into the score's action music in cues such as the showstopping "Carriage Chase" and "Old Joe and Mrs. Dilber". As well as Mousehunt, these moments of high drama also owe a great deal to the unreleased action music from The Polar Express, containing as it does some of the same rhythmic devices and a similar sense of kinetic motion he brought to his earlier ode to the season. I've you've ever wanted to hear the melody of `God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen' used as an action motif, here's your chance!

The score takes a decidedly spooky turn during "The Dark Chamber", with undulating woodwind lines, spidery string writing, and an almost Elfmanesque ooh-aah chorus giving the appearance of The Ghost of Christmas Future a suitably chilly air. The score reaches it's dramatic zenith in the powerful "Who Was That Lying Dead?", clearly accompanying Scrooge's terrifying realization of the dark fate yet to befall him, before rising to glorious heights of joy and relief during the finale, "I'm Still Here" and "Ride On, My Good Man", capturing the merry transformation in Scrooge's personality and his new-found appreciation for life and his fellow man.

Everything is rounded off in "God Bless Us Everyone", a new song by Silvestri and his regular lyricist Glen Ballard based on the score's main theme, and which is performed with full-throated gusto by Italian classical music superstar Andrea Bocelli and an accompanying choir. Ballard's lyrics - inspired by the famous line uttered by Tiny Tim in the original story - are so saccharine they may cause diabetics to lapse into a coma, but it's heart is in the right place, and it's an absolute shoo-in for a Best Song Oscar nomination.

If one was to make one criticism of A Christmas Carol it might be to say that incorporating this many traditional Christmas carols into the score in this way is a little predictable. There's a slight feeling that Silvestri almost took the easy way out, choosing to overwhelm the listener with tried-and-tested musical ideas familiar to the masses rather than bringing something completely new of his own to the table. Having `seasonal orchestrations' in a film about Christmas is one thing, but hearing several full renditions of famous carols in the score proper may strike some people as a little lazy and clichéd, no matter how beautifully they are arranged.

Having said that, and being fully aware of all its influences and inspirations, A Christmas Carol remains a thoroughly entertaining album, with several sparkling moments of Yuletide magic. Personally, I feel this is Silvestri's most satisfying score since The Polar Express and Van Helsing five years ago. As is becoming Disney's habit, the score is only available as a digital download through online retailers such as Amazon and iTunes, and cannot be purchased in stores. But don't let that put you off; despite the lack of a little shiny silver disc to out on your shelves, there is still enough excellent music here to make the digital purchase worthwhile.

I stumbled on this wonderful CD and took a chance on it. The score is absolutly TERRIFIC and the performances are super. It should be in every music collection!.

Still no CD and 2011 Christmas is nearing? Is Disney trying for the Super-Scrooge Award? Not all of us have ipods and MP3 hook-ups. So, Disney why not do what your movie said " share with one an all" !

This cd really captures the feel and mood of the holiday season. It also captures the feel of the Dickens' classic with it's rich harmonies and sense of humor. "Humbug" is destined to become a classic! It should be played on the radio!

I cannot believe one viewer said it would be to costly to produce a cd of This fabulous Christmas Carol release,but wait a minute did they not do a princess cd with only 8 tracks that apparently no one bought.But my local best buys said this movies blu ray release sold out in one day,so hey Disney I know you have your own manufacturing plant so lets get a cd out on this movie.One other negative years ago when Disney started releasing there movies on dvd the discs were all scratched apparently from where they were made,years went by and the movies on dvd started to get better in quality,now when i get the blu ray and dvd realease of this Christmas carol,we are back to scratched discs,I returned 2 copies of this blu ray and all three times the same discs were scratched and marked.Come on disney lets give the public the quality they expect.

Alan Silvestri once again show us what a great movie composer he is. He instantly takes us into the feel of the movie right from the opening notes. He brilliantly incorporates many well known Christmas Carols into the score and depicts in his own music the various aspects of the characters of Scrooge and the rest of the memebers of the story as well. He uses the music to show us in sound the story just as well as Robert Zemeckis and the cast do so with the visuals and the dialog. You almost don't need to see the film to "hear" the story, thats how good Mr Silvestri's music score is. He knows how to create the right atmosphere in each piece, and how to get the music to help tell the story and to move the story along. There have been a couple of reviewrs that complained that there was no CD release of this soundtrack.
I suspect that the folks at Disney decided that it would be too costly to release 45 minutes of music on a CD, Most people can burn a CD on their own computers if they really need one. Disney can always decide to release a CD edtion with the DVD or Blue Ray disc editions too. It may also be that Disney may be looking ahead to a time beyond CD's when digital music is download only.

The music truly comes from the heart, but you need to work on your lyrics. The words don't seem to be in time with the song. Also, the last production I went to had too much of an artificial sound. You need a live orchestra! Other than these small flaws, I enjoyed the music and production overall.