Hollywood + Bollywood?  By Golly wood!

Review by Christopher Coleman

One of 1998's surprise hits was director Shekhar Kapur's ELIZABETH.  The visually pleasing film with solid acting performances by Cate Blanchett and Geoffrey Rush help to earn the film 7 Oscar nominations.  Even composer David Hirschfelder's score was nominated for an Oscar, but ultimately lost to Nicola Piovani's LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL.  Fast forward some ten years and part-two of the rumored trilogy, ELIZABETH:  THE GOLDEN AGE brings back Kapur, Blanchett, and Rush...but this time with composers CRAIG ARMSTRONG and A.R. RAHMAN.

While ELIZABETH was met with both critical and popular acclaim, the second part has not faired as well.  Much of the criticism lies within the art of the story falling prey to the art of editing suite and the costume and set department.  Of course with the great technological strides made since 1998, the visual appeal of ELIZABETH: THE GOLDEN AGE could be argued as being even greater than it's predecessor.  Ah...but a good film digital tricks doth not make, eh George?

Although his website dubbs him "Australia's Leading Film Composer" David Hirschfelder hasn't been attached to a major film since ELIZABETH, which begs the question as to what happened to such this promising composer of the late 90s.  Reportedly, director Kapur's original impulse was to go for a dark, brooding type of score as ELIZABETH had, but later changed his mind wanting the film to be a bit more diverse.  This choice inevitably effected the type of score the film would have to have.  THE GOLDEN AGE ended up a modernized film demanding a modern-edged-score.  For it to be handled by Armstrong and Rahman seems fitting. 

Actually, an even more intriguing than the absense of Hirschfelder was the coupling of CRAIG ARMSTRONG with A. R. RAHMAN.  While either one would likely have been able to do an ample job for the film on their own, Kapur chose to bring on two composers with vastly different backgrounds.  How the two and their styles would mesh would be a signficant question to address. Since the mid-nineties, composer Craig Armstrong has become fairly well-known with film scores for projects such as:  PLUNKETT & MACLEANE, THE BONE COLLECTOR, MOULIN ROUGE!, THE QUIET AMERICAN, and WORLD TRADE CENTER.   A.R. RAHMAN is less known in the west, but is a mega-star in India and other parts of Asia.  While he may be better known for his work in other music genres, Rahman started to make a name for himself with his score for the Chinese film, WARRIORS OF HEAVEN AND EARTH (2004).  Going far beyond his Indy roots, Rahman proved in WARRIORS that he could manage a highly textured, fully orchestral score. ELIZABETH: THE GOLDEN AGE became an unlikely melting pot of the two talented composers vat of style and technique.

This collaboration ends up working.  The confluence of Armstrong and Rahman's music forms a river of highly entertaining music.  Unless you are well versed in each composer's body of work, you might find it difficult to tell where Armstrong ends and Rahman begins.   That said, there are moments where it is clearly Armstrong or clearly Rahman.  Tracks like "Immensities" (5), "Smile Lines" (11), and "Love Theme" (16) are strong cousins to the understated beauty from WORLD TRADE CENTER.  Likewise, A. R. RAHMAN's signature middle-eastern vibe comes to the forefront in "Divinity Theme" (17).  Despite having two composers, the score maintains a single personality. 

ELIZABETH:  THE GOLDEN AGE is an monarch or two beyond what DAVID HIRSCHFELDER established some ten years ago in ELIZABETH. Instead of a dark, periodish score, this time around director Shekhar Kapur chose to contemporize things utilizing the considerable talents of two composers.  The film may not find itself called out as often on Oscar Night this time; however, it certainly wouldn't be far-fetched to hear A.R. Rahman and Craig Armstrong's names among the nominees.  Their collaborative work here is a detailed and textured score that is surprisingly contemporary.  It flows from thematic heights to simplified romance to pulsating battle-action. 

The marriage of the film's visuals and score may not be a match made in Westminster Abbey, but spinning in your CD player, ELIZABETH: THE GOLDEN AGE should reign for sometime

So the 2007 sequel did not enjoy the rave reviews garnered by the first movie. The 1998 David Hirschfelder soundtrack was well-reviewed and was also nominated for an Oscar (but lost to Nicola Piovani’s “Life is Beautiful”). So by getting two composers to score the sequel, how will this soundtrack fare against its predecessor?

Craig Armstrong, known for his sentimental works on movies like Love Actually (2003) and World Trade Center (2006) teams up with acclaimed Indian composer AR Rahmen, who has scored highly-praised Bollywood films like Water (2005) and Guru (2007) to compose this soundtrack of, to simply put it, epic sounds. From the moment the violin begins playing in “Opening”, leading to a crescendo of brasses and chorals, you know that the 48-minute album is going to be a regally enjoyable listen.

There are both tenderly loving moments and epically grand sequences in the album. With slow and flowing string accompaniments, tracks like “Horseriding” and “Bess and Raleigh Dance” evoke feelings of affection and warmth. And listen out for “War / Realisation” and “Horseback Address” for their intense and engaging orchestrations of brasses and percussions with the occasional woodwind solo.

The grand and soaring moments come during tracks like “Destiny Theme” and “Love Theme”, where you’d be swept away by the string ensemble. Then there are the nice touches of the contemporary electronica in “Battle” and the Eastern touches (courtesy of Rahmen) in “Divinity Theme” which act as little pleasant surprises along the way. In the three-minute “Storm”, the pulsating effervescence of the chorals and orchestra aptly brings out the movie’s climatic scene on the seas.

Hence, what’s the verdict for this score? Although it won’t blow you away with memorable themes and innovative sounds, it’s still an epic collaborative piece of work that deserves to be celebrated

Review by John Li