Gabriel Yared's The English Patient: A Film Score Guide

(Paperback)

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Anthony Minghella's 1996 film The English Patient won nine Academy Awards_, including one for Best Original Score. Though Gabriel Yared had previously composed scores for several films, including Betty Blue, Camille Claudel, and Vincent & Theo, his work on The English Patient launched him into international public consciousness. His score for this film testifies to the continued appeal of a classical, noncommercial style of scoring, eschewing the use of contemporary pop music for a more 'timeless' sound. In Gabriel Yared's The English Patient: A Film Score Guide, author Heather Laing offers the most in-depth examination to date of the work of the composer. Laing examines Yared's approach to film scoring, his compositional techniques and the impact of his partnership with Minghella before and after The English Patient_through an exploration of such films as The Moon in the Gutter, Betty Blue, Tatie Danielle, IP5, The Lover, City of Angels, and The Talented Mr. Ripley. The integral role of music in The English Patient is contextualized within a detailed analysis of the film's narrative construction, themes, and motifs. The soundtrack is examined as a whole, and the specific 'soundworlds' of each character, location, and relationship are drawn out as the basis for the overall style and construction of the score. Musical themes are viewed in both musical and narrative terms, and musical connections between the themes are identified. A close analysis of the placement and development of musical themes throughout the film reveals the complex musical journey that forms a unique and integral element of the characters.

Reviews

In 1997, Gabriel Yared won an Academy Award for the original dramatic music score he wrote for The English Patient. In this study, Laing critically examines the score and discusses its narrative function within the film. Yared's musical background and his film composition technique are also explored. Laing is a freelance researcher and writer specializing in film music and film studies. This is the first paperback edition of a work originally published in 2004. * Reference and Research Book News *
The origination of the material is well thought out and is accomplished in such a way that even those unfamiliar with academic explorations will find the discussion interesting and informative...recommended for its general analysis of the film. * Film Score Monthly *

Author Bio

Heather Laing holds a Ph.D. in Film and Television Studies from the University of Warwick. She has taught at the University of Warwick and Southampton Institute of Higher Education and is currently a freelance researcher and writer on film music and film studies.