Ang Lee's The Ice Storm
is a film of striking significance, which achieved widespread critical
acclaim for its well crafted and superbly acted study of suburban
morality in 1970s America. For the film, composer Mychael Danna created
one of the most distinctive scores of the 1990s, one that constantly
challenges perceptions of the form and function of film music.
In Mychael Danna's The Ice Storm: A Film Score Guide,
Miguel Mera explores the music and sound Danna uses in his score,
investigating the narrative, structural, and aesthetic themes of the
film and illustrating the techniques and stylistic features central to
Danna's music. Mera carefully examines the collaborative processes that
influenced the score's development, describing the significance of the
composer's relationships with the director, producer, editor,
orchestrator, and sound designers to the evolution of the score and
demonstrating how the politics of filmmaking interact with creativity.
This seventh volume in Scarecrow's Film Score Guide series also
includes a biography of Danna and a complete analysis of the full
soundtrack considering the sound design, pre-existent pop songs, and
the specifically arranged song by David Bowie in conjunction with
Danna's fascinating score, making this essential reading for film music
scholars and students.
Miguel Mera is senior lecturer at the Royal College of Music, London and is co-editor of European Film Music. He composes for film and television and is widely published in film music studies.
2007, Paperback, 224 Pages REVIEWS:
"...this guide offers a detailed examination of the score created by Mychael Danna for Ang Lee's critically acclaimed The Ice Storm
(1997). Mera (Royal College of Music, London) begins by discussing
Danna's musical background and highlighting some of his main techniques
and stylistic features. He then provides a brief overview of the film
and describes the score's evolution through subsequent stages of its
composition. In the final chapter, he considers the aural features of
the completed soundtrack."
—November 2007, REFERENCE & RESEARCH BOOK NEWS
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