Dead Already

Film Facts:

‘My name is Lester Burnham. This is my neighbourhood. This is my street. This is my life’. (Lester Burnham, 1999). American Beauty was written by Alan Ball, directed by Sam Mendes and released in 1999 which won the academy for best picture. The film follows the protagonist Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) of a 12 month period and all the events which unfold in his life leading up to his death. The OST for American Beauty was written by Thomas Newman and was nominated for a number of awards.

Track Facts:

Composer: Thomas Newman

Producers: Chris Douridas, Sam Mendes and Michael Ostin

Award Nominations:

• Academy Award – Original Music Score
• Golden Globes – Best Original Score
• Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards – Best Score
• OFTA Film Awards – Best Music, Original Score
• OFCS Awards – Best Original Score
• BAFTA – Anthony Asquith Award For Film Music (Won)
• Grammy Awards – Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television and Other Visual Media (Won)
• BMI Film and TV Award (Won)

Label: Dreamworks

Release: January 11, 2000

 

The Jam

The first track ‘Dead Already’ gives us an impression (as Lester’s character would suggest) that like many of us, Lester is going about his ordinary day the same as always. The arpeggio performed on the Marimba creates a wittiness to the film and the character we are watching on screen and this ostinato remains a developing theme throughout the soundtrack. The track develops with the introduction of the acoustic and bass guitar which makes for a great theme of Lester and his lack of inspiration. ‘Dead Already’ is a fantastic composition which captures the opening scene well and is also enjoyable to listen to as a stand-alone piece.

From ‘Dead Already’ the thematic use of tuned percussion, guitar and bass recurs often as a theme to Lester’s character and his development throughout the film. Tracks which really highlight these themes are ‘Bloodless Freak’, ‘Weirdest Home Videos’ and ‘Marine’ which essentially build on the theme of the first track.

The soundtrack development is representative of the development that Lester goes through in this film. In Track #2 ‘Arose’ Newman gives us what I perceive to be a deep and sparse track which again centres around the Marimba and Xylophone with various cymbals utilised in the background. This is beautiful and changes the thematic pace of the first track, merging Lester’s journey into our own perhaps

Track #7 ‘Root Beer’ takes us inside the conflicted mind of this Lester when he sets his eyes on Mena Suvari’s (Angela) character when his infatuation with her begins. The erratic and irregular use of the cymbals and percussive instruments just sends a sense of confusion and chaos up your spine while watching this, another fantastic way Newman really enhanced the emotions of each scene in this film. The percussive theme recurs in Track #13 ‘Spartanette’, almost every time Lester feels the sense of lust for Angela we are presented with this unique track

Track #5 ‘Mental Boy’ gives us the third layer of the soundtrack which offers a sense of mystery as characters learn about others and themselves which opens up the beginning of the relationship Jane enters into with her neighbour. Newman really leans on the use of the strings and the piano in this track for an ambient effect and this also emerges in scenes where Lester begins finding real happiness in a number of tracks; ‘American Beauty’, ‘Angela Undress’, ‘Walk Home’, Blood Red’ and ‘Any Other Name’.

The American Beauty OST written by Thomas Newman moves in layers of thematic development and I think this translates into our own consciousness, as Mendes aims to get us into the mind of Lester Burnham and in some instances into our own mind. Both Mendes and Newman complement each other really well as the soundtrack offers us times to laugh and relax, times where we find it difficult to grasp our thoughts on happiness and those times we experience real truth in our life. Newman’s soundtrack is a well-developed score which provides us with an opportunity to feel like we have completed the journey of the protagonist and in turn our own journey.

TFMJ Send-Off:

Newman’s American Beauty OST is inventive, witty and emotional, a soundtrack which evokes a range of emotions throughout the film and also holds this value as a stand-alone soundtrack as well.

TFMJ Pick: Track #2 – ‘Arose’

TFMJ Rating: ★★★★★