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The story of Hugh Glass is a fascinating one. I haven't seen the film yet but from what I understand, the director choose to have large portions of the film to be dialogue free. If this is indeed the case, the importance of the finding the right kind of score becomes even more critical. I only have two other scores by Ryuichi Sakamoto and those are "The Last Emperor" and "Little Buddha". I've enjoyed those very much but Sakamoto's combined efforts with Alva Noto and Bryce Dessner have produced a score that is just amazing. I have heard nothing but praises for the film and I am confident that this work by these collaborating artist is a contributing factor to that success.
This is just a fascinating score that provides a powerful soundscape that surrounds the listener with the emotions and story of the famed Hugh Glass. The orchestration is carefully textured with sounds of the environment (and other curious things) that puts you right there in the isolation, struggle, bitterness, and circumstances that I can only imagine the character is faced with. "The Revenant Main Theme" (track 1) is a perfect musical intro for the score because it does such a good job conjuring up the images of Hugh Glass struggling to survive in such harsh conditions. The way the strings pulse and pause is very reminiscent of a man crawling on the ground refusing to give up. The cold wind can be heard throughout the piece and it's a great way to add nature's music for a chilling effect.
Another interesting cue is "Discovering Buffalo" (track 8). It is a slow gradual crescendo that peaks as if you were at the top of a hill and looking down into a valley to see a herd of buffalo. Listening to it again, however, and the low rumble of this building crescendo makes me think that it is the sound of a moving herd approaching. This minimalistic sound has the ability to create a variety of emotions and images throughout. Many of the cues are so simplistically complex that they just become fascinating to listen to. The tracks are layered with unique sounds that seem to strip away the familiarity of music and dig down into it's more emotional and visually inducing core. This holds true with cues like "Cat & Mouse" (track 19). Another example of this is "Final Fight" (track 21) in which the percussion instruments are used with great effect. I feel that using this type of instrumentation for such a scene is so raw and brutally perfect for this climatic moment in the story. I think my favorite cue from the score is "Out of Horse" (track 17). It's just so bizarre and yet soothing....I'm not even sure how to describe it. Tracks 22 and 23 closes the score with various interpretations of the theme and provides a great bookend to this awesome story and soundtrack.
The CD release contains 23 tracks with a running time of 1 hour and 11 minutes. The score is produced through Milan Records. The case unfolds into three cardboard panels with a plastic shell to hold the CD. There is also a pocket sleeve that contains a 12 page insert. The insert has a note from the director and one from Martin Hernandez (supervising sound editor & design). There are production notes, track listings, and credits for the musicians. There are several great landscape photos from the setting of the film as well. It's a great score that is very unique, interesting, and enjoyable to listen to. The collaboration between these artist has certainly produced a well crafted musical backdrop for this story. I am looking forward to hearing how it works within the film itself. I highly recommend!
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Top reviews from other countries
Wolfgirv
Film score masterwork
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on January 25, 2016
Knutsfordchap
Magnificent, immense, beautiful
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on July 30, 2019
Mr. Warren M. Fisher
Score of the Year
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on January 19, 2016Maria07
A masterpiece! Atmospheric, vivid & deeply powerful!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on February 6, 2016Banjo600
With class like Ryuichi Sakamoto on board this has to be taken ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on April 5, 2016
