MOVIE MUSIC UK

Original Review by Jonathan Broxton

A supernatural drama based on the massively popular novel by Alice Sebold, The Lovely Bones tells the story of a teenage girl named Susie in 1970s suburban America who, after being brutally raped and murdered, watches from heaven as her family and friends go on with their lives, and tries to help her family solve her murder, while she herself comes to terms with her own death. The film is directed by Peter Jackson, and stars Mark Wahlberg and Rachel Weisz as Susie’s parents, Susan Sarandon as Susie’s grandmother, Stanley Tucci as murderous pedophile George Harvey, and Saoirse Ronan as Susie herself.

The score for The Lovely Bones is by the groundbreaking British musician and producer Brian Eno, who has worked extensively over the years with artists as varied as Talking Head, David Bowie and U2, but whose work in film has been quite limited. As the acknowledged creator of and pioneer in ‘ambient music’, Eno’s score is, of course, ambient. The eight unnamed cues on this promo CD are actually very attractive in a low-key, understated way, and make excellent use of a small, intimate ensemble that includes a reduced-size string orchestra, acoustic guitars, pianos, subtle synths, light metallic percussion, and distant-sounding themes that create an atmosphere of stillness and calm.

The solo piano motif in the second, sixth and seventh tracks are quite lovely, but change to become more threatening and ominous in the third, most likely to represent the omnipresent danger presented by George Harvey throughout the course of the film. The fourth track has a hazy, dream-like texture, which is quite appropriate for the subject matter, while the conclusive eighth track repeats the main melody with an insistent pop-like undercurrent beat that adds a sense of relief, resolution and closure to the score. All in all, it’s very impressive indeed, and clearly indicates why Eno is generally considered a pioneer in this style of music; the pleasant ambient textures are very relaxing, and the otherworldly tone of the score is very appealing indeed, which is saying something for someone who easily finds this style of writing to be somewhat dull. The score for The Lovely Bones has not been released commercially; this short 15-minute promo score was produced by Eno and his agents for awards consideration purposes only.

Rating: ***½

Running Time: 14 minutes 40 seconds