Vanity Fair [Soundtrack]

Mychael Danna | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 31, 2004)
• Original Release Date: September 1, 2004
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Label: Decca
• ASIN: B0002JU1GC
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #244,103 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Very Lush & Evocative Soundtrack, September 2, 2004

By 

GreyEminence (Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Vanity Fair (Audio CD)

I just recently saw the film "Vanity Fair", and I was pleasantly surprised. The film was beautifully photographed, with great performances throughout, and one of the things that stood out the most was the soundtrack. Written by Mychael Danna (who previously worked with "Vanity Fair" director Mira Nair on the film "Monsoon Wedding"), the soundtrack contains both regal orchestral pieces that convey the grandeur of Regency England (pieces such as 'Ride to London'), as well as more 'ethnic' pieces (such as 'El Salaam' and 'Gori Re') that evoke the colourful and vibrant India of the film. However, the true highlight of the soundtrack was the song "She Walks In Beauty", performed by Norwegian soprano Sissel. This song, featured during the film's opening credits, is actually a Lord Byron poem set to music, and it is sparse and eerie, yet strangely beautiful and melancholic at the same time. This song alone is worth the price of the soundtrack. However, this soundtrack only receives only 4 stars because I found some of it quite repetitive. This is a common problem among movie soundtracks, and the soundtrack to "Vanity Fair" has a wonderful main theme that seems to be repeated often in slightly different forms. However, on the whole this soundtrack is a great effort from Mychael Danna, and I certainly recommend it.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Indeed -- Crimson Petal in -what- year?, April 2, 2005

By 

Tithenai (Ottawa, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Vanity Fair (Audio CD)

I very much enjoyed the soundtrack (much, much more than the movie) for what it was -- some beautifully done music. I don't know enough about composition to relate different styles to different periods (my knowledge goes about as far as "dissonant=modern"), but I -do- know literature, and just want to note that "Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal" is a poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, published in 1847 -- which would be WELL after Becky Sharpe sung it in the movie, even with all the bizarre time-jumping going on in it. This in no way diminishes the song's beauty, and I love the poem for itself -- but just wanted to add a few grains of salt to the historical accuracy of the soundtrack, which remains, to my ear, quite beautiful.

A further quirk to me was the "Salaam" song, which is sung in Arabic. Still enjoyable (though it made NO SENSE in the movie), but I feel it's worth noting that it's not any dialect of Indian.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars LOVE THIS!!, September 26, 2007

By 

kb - See all my reviews

This review is from: Vanity Fair (Audio CD)

After seeing Vanity Fair, I just had to run out and get this soundtrack. I love the grand sweeping style of the orchestra pieces and I was amazed that this was from a modern composer and not pieces pulled from the past. Certain 'songs' I just can't seem to get out of my head. Other reviews have mentioned "She Walks in Beauty" it's very noteworthy. I also love tracks 15 and 16. This is great background music for working or doing chores around the house. It's also perfect to just lay back and listen to the wonderful splendor that is this soundtrack-- if you close your eyes you can see the action.